I like Doughmakers cookie sheets. They're ugly but they work -- and clean up beautifully. Doughmakers sheets have little indented lines all over that let air underneath during baking & then help release the cookie later. I've always been a fan of parchment paper & know fans of the various Silpat clones but now that I have a couple Doughmakers cookie sheets I don't need other products. (I sound like a commercial but I promise I have no financial interest!!! I see them at TJMaxx as well as "better" cooking shops.) If I do something really stupid I still have to soak the sheet flat for a few minutes in my sink. But everything seems to release with those little lines. Here is a link that might be useful: Doughmakers cookie sheets

These are excellent and quite pretty on a plate. Alexa *********************************************************** Holly Berry Cookies Servings: 12 Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, chilled 1 egg 1/4 cup milk 2/3 cup seedless raspberry jam 2 cups confectioners' sugar 2 tablespoons milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup cinnamon red hot candies 4 drops green food coloring Directions: 1. In a large bowl combine the flour, white sugar, ground cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl beat the egg and 1/4 cup of milk. Add this to the crumb mixture until the dough is moistened. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 3. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut with a 2 inch round cookie cutter. Place on ungreased baking sheets. 4. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. Once cool spread jam on half of the cookies then top each with another cookie. 5. To Make Glaze: Combine the confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla until smooth. Spread glaze over the cookie and decorate with red cinnamon candy before the glaze is set. Let dry. Using a small new paintbrush and green food coloring, paint holly leaves on cookies.

Here is the one for CCC: Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies from the Episode: The Cookie Jar Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter; the dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is browned. Use fresh, moist brown sugar instead of hardened brown sugar, which will make the cookies dry. This recipe works with light brown sugar, but the cookies will be less full-flavored. For our winning brand of chocolate chips, see related tasting. Makes 16 cookies 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks) 1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces) 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces) (see note) 1 teaspoon table salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (see note) 3/4 cup chopped pecan or walnuts, toasted (optional) See Illustrations Below: Don't Bake in Batches 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. 2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted. 3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain. 4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.) 5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

I am Scandinavian, and the family Spritz cookie maker. What my mother taught me, and I have tried teaching my niece and daughter, is that what makes these different from other cookies, is that they are more sensitive to variables like temperatures and humidity. You can compensate for all these, by knowing what the dough should feel like. We made many, many, batches, and I taught them what each batch of dough felt like as the kitchen heated up. I typed up a detailed explanation to send with my niece a few years ago so she could remember. It follows. The cookies we call “sidewalks” are the flat ribbed ones. The best press to use is the old style “Mirro” aluminum press, the large diameter one. My Mother gave me one when I married in 1981, and I literally wore it out. Now I use hers. I have tried many others, none work as well. I see these sold very cheaply at antique stores or resale shops. I buy them whenever I see one. (The link is EBay, for $ 25, but I paid $ 8 for one at an antique store this summer) That way I can pass them on to my daughter or niece when they are really ready. +++ Spritz Cookies 1 c butter, unsalted, at room temperature (2 sticks) 5/8 c sugar, sifted 1 egg yolk (1 full egg for firmer cookies) 2 to 2 ½ cups sifted flour (more if 1 full egg) salt, pinch 1 t almond extract DOUBLE RECIPE (what I usually make) 2 c butter, unsalted, at room temperature (4 sticks) 1 ¼ c sugar, sifted 1 egg yolk and one whole egg 4 to 4 3/4 cups sifted flour salt, 2 pinches 2 t almond extract (Almond extract is very important to the finished flavor of the cookie: substituting vanilla will make a good cookie too, but the typical “Spritz” taste will not be there. ) Leave butter out to soften for at least 1 hour ahead of time, even overnight. Preheat oven to 375 F. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Sift sugar, add to butter, and continue creaming until very well incorporated. Blend in egg. Add salt and almond extract. Sift flour. (Measure volume AFTER sifting, not before. If spooning into cup be careful not to compact or deflate air that has been added by sifting.) Add flour gradually, ½ cup at a time, until completely incorporated. Do not dump it in all at once. Touch dough with fingertips. If it sticks to fingers, work in more flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until it no longer sticks. For upright-press cookies, such as trees, dough must be stiff enough not to stick to fingers. Softer dough with less flour is good for sidewalks or wreathes, using the star disc. If it sticks to your fingers slightly, it is good for sidewalks. If the kitchen is hot, the butter will be softer, and it will take more flour to make it less sticky. If the kitchen is really hot, and you will have to add much more flour, and the cookies will not be tender, but hard. Therefore, it is better to start with upright press cookies, then move to sidewalks when the kitchen is hot from the oven running. Fill cookie press. For upright press cookies: rest on 3 lugs projecting from disc holder head. Turn handle til cookie is the size you like, then backturn (retract) a bit to release dough. Tilt press backward on 2 lugs to break contact with dough still in the press and cookie. Afterwards, decorate with colored sugar, sprinkles, etc., before baking. For sidewalks or wreaths, press is held at ~ a 45 degree angle to the sheet. It’s useful to align the sidewalk plate in the disc holder so you can rest the press on 2 lugs. You extrude, backturn, then cut off with a knife. Bake at 375F until edges are light brown (usually 7-8 minutes, but watch carefully, thinner cookies like sidewalks take less time). Best to use cookie sheets that are light colored and air-cushioned. Dark sheets, like Teflon, make bottoms brown faster, which is not as good. Here is a link that might be useful: Mirro