Measure out the flour first, then sift.

If it were sifted first, it would say "2 1/2 cups sifted flour."

You need to sift the flour first, then measure. For some cookies you could just fluff the flour in the bag before measuring and be fine. Not for spritz. If you don't sift, then measure for the spritz, the dough will be too stiff, very hard to squeeze thru the cookie press, and be crumbly. The old recipes required the flour to be sifted because it settled in the huge bags that people bought flour in. Today's flour is pre-sifted, but settles some, so the newer, less sensitive recipes you can get away with not sifting. Hope I haven't confused you!

Tami

I haven't sifted flour since Grade 8 home ec classes. Nothing has flopped on me. yet...... :o)

Here is a link that might be useful: how to measure sifted flour

I sift first then measure.

jasdip is 100% correct. The way your recipe is written, you measure first, then sift.

I believe many old recipes called for the flour to be sifted, because way back when, weevils were common in flour. I remember reading many years ago that the weevils were not "hatched" in the flour, but got there by eating the glue that the bags were sealed with. Bags aren't sealed with that kind of glue now.

At any rate, most, if not all, recipes now just say flour, not sifted flour. I never sift any more.

For Spritz in particular I've been making them for many years and never sift the flour. (But for Spritz, butter, not oleo is essential.)

Sue

My sister quit sifting flour when something new came out that didn't need it. That was years ago. None of it probably needs sifting now.

I wisk mine

That's right Sue about the weevils!!!That's why our Pioneer mothers treasured their sifters and strainers

I don't sift either! I never knew that about the weevils. Here I always thought it was just for volume or fluffiness.

Thank you all for your answers. Seems to be a mix of opinions but my thought for the way the recipe was worded was to measure, then sift. If somebody has a tried and true spritz recipe that doesn't use the word "sifted" maybe you could post it. I just got a new cookie press, thinking I had my mom's old recipe, but I don't :( Again, thanks for taking the time to answer.

As for how that recipe is written, Jasdip is correct and explained it well. Although in fairness, many people don't understand the difference and will jot down a recipe incorrectly. And sometimes people will "code" a recipe, like one aunt would do, so nobody knew the exact "secret" recipe. So it might say flour, sifted, instead of sifted flour and could easily affect the outcome so people would say "I can't make this as good as you!"

One thing about flour. Most baking is better to weigh the flour rather than measure for the reasons Jasdip outlined. Packed flour will usually give you more flour than sifted and that can affect baking. America's Test Kitchen had a good explanation on flour use where they talked about the spoon and level method can often give insufficient flour for a recipe. The side scoop and level method is preferred by them for more consistent results to generally accepted weights to measurement ratios. It was an interesting demonstration.

For many things, I'll shake the container a bit then measure. If it needs sifting but is not critical, I'll just use a whisk but for something that I'm concerned about it coming out right, I'll spend the few seconds and sift it with a big sieve.

I can't remember what I learned in home ec class, but I recently read you don't need to sift all purpose flour. Just be sure to measure correctly. Fill the measuring cup, then glide a knife across the top. I buy small bags of flour (two pound bags) so I know mine will remain fresh.

My Spritz recipe calls for 2 1/4 cups flour sifted with the salt and baking powder.

I never sift either!LOL
I whisk mine too Glenda but even before I started whisking I never sifted.If the flour seems to be packed,like with a new bag of flour,I just fluff it up with a fork or spoon then measure.Never had a problem with not sifting.

Hi frogster35 ... or is it 17?

Here's an idea: make one batch each way, see how they turn out??

Reporting back, of course.

ole joyfuelled ... maybe even by Spritz cookies

For that wording, measure and then sift. Otherwise, if you sift first, you will incorporate a lot of air into the fluffed flour, and you won't have enough flour in your recipe. But I do just stir the flour when it calls for sifting. I don't even own a sifter any longer.

Eons ago, flour would clump up in storage, and sifting not only removed foreign objects, but it fluffed it up again. Now with milling what it is today, you only have to stir the flour for getting the sifted effect.

Most flours these days don't need to be sifted anymore. It's usually the older recipes that call for it. I never sift my flour.

Even Martha Stewart doesn't sift anymore. She just whisks. Here is my recipe for Spritz:

Sprita Cookies

3 sticks soft butter
1 C sugar
1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp. salt
1 T. vanilla
3 3/4 C sifted All purpose flour

Sift flour and salt together (I just whisk) and set aside. Cream butter and sugar Add egg plus egg yolk, vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Put in cookie press and press cookie on to cookie sheet. Bake 35 8 - 10 minutes. Do not use parchment paper with spritz cookies press directly onto sheet.

Also one of the main reasons for sifting was to get the bugs out Our Pioneer mothers had to keep barrels of flour for months
Maybe I mentioned it before I didn't go back and look

My mother would put bay leaves in the flour to work as a bug repellant.

I never sift, whether the recipe says to or not. I have won prizes in our local baking competitions and everyone loves my baking so it can't be that critical. I have made spritz cookies for decades without sifting (no idea what the original recipe says about sifting). If the dough is crumbly a little kneading helps.