Recipe of the Week #4: Spritz Cookies

My Mom's butter cookies are Christmas to many in our family. That's why it was one of the first things I learned to bake on my own. I either sprinkle them with colored sugars before baking or, more recently, dip them in chocolate.

Spritz Cookies

Ingredients:
1 Cup Butter (Soft)
1/2 Cup Margarine
1 Cup White Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Tsp Almond extract
1/8 Tsp Baking Soda
3 1/2 Cups Flour (All Purpose)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cream together the butter, margarine, and sugar.
Then mix in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla and almond.
In another largish bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda.
Add the flour mixture about a third at a time.
Load into spritz gun and press shapes onto parchment paper on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with colored sugars, if desired.
Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned.
Cool for a couple minutes on the parchment/cookie sheet, then move to a rack to cool completely.
When cooled completely, you can dip them in chocolate if you want.

Wife's rating:  *** (out of 5).  Seriously?
My rating:  ****1/2.  I love them dipped in chocolate.