Cookie time is almost here, so this week I decided to celebrate a great vintage kitchen tool, the cookie press or cookie gun. Even though Mirro is the most recognizable of all the cookie presses, there were many different companies that made their own presses for making spritz cookies, cake decorating and even canape making. Let’s check it out!
Vintage 16 Pc Mirro Aluminum Cooky Pastry Press
Cookie Rating: A classic. A version of this cookie press could at one time be found in almost every kitchen in America!
Vintage Mirro Dial-A-Cookie Cookie Press
Cookie Rating: Innovative. One of the biggest pains of making spritz cookies was having to change the disks on the cookie press. This gun tried to eliminate this by have the disk rotate to a different design.
Vintage Trig-A-Matic Cookie Chef Pastry Gun
Cooking Rating: My favorite. Even though the Mirro is the more classic choice, this is the vintage cookie gun I use every year. It is much neater than the Mirro press, as one “shot” of this cookie gun deposits a perfect little cookie on your cookie sheet.
VTG Nordic Ware Cookie King Press Spritz Gun
Cookie Rating: Extra-Large! The barrel on this cookie press seems enormous! The cookie plates also look interesting, look at that little snowman plate!
Vintage Smart Set Icing Cake Decorator Cookie Maker
Cookie Rating: Fun. It would be awesome to decorate a gelatin mold with this thing!
Electric Party Pistol Cookie Canape Candy Maker
Cookie Rating: Nostalgic! This is the cookie press we used growing up. This thing was hardcore! Once it started the cookies did not stop coming out. My mom would say, “Okay, go!” and we would be standing by with cookie sheets and my sister would switch them out as fast as my mom could fill them. It was awesome. The best plate was always the Christmas tree. Our favorite cookie was a green tinted Christmas tree covered with sprinkles. The. Best.
So, what about you guys? Did you make spritz growing up? Are you making any this year?
If you want to check out some more Christmas cookie fun, check out my Vintage Christmas Kitchen Collection on eBay!
RetroRuth's Vintage Christmas Kitchen Collection
Oh, and if you want to check out some more awesome eBay kitsch picks, check out the post on my other blog, No Pattern Required!
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I’ve got one of the classic Mirro *and* one of the “Smart Set” from my grandmother (without the boxes, though). … I should make some cookies tomorrow.
Spritz cookies are my absolute favorite!! One year, our electric cookie press died, so we wound up making them with a pastry bag with a large star tip. It makes nice cookies, but only one shape (sort of a rosette/star) and you end up with SERIOUSLY sore arm muscles.
I love this post, because spritz are my very favorite Christmas cookies. They are the ones I make every year, without fail. I cannot help myself if I ever come across a vintage cookie press, I have to buy it, so I do have several. I’ve never seen the Cookie Chef, but I will keep my eyes open for it.
A question for spritz lovers-do you ever have the problem where the cookie won’t adhere to the cookie sheet? I have made the same recipe for years, but in the last couple years I have had this problem. I changed cookie presses, tried chilling the cookie sheets-but still struggle a bit. Any suggestions? I end up with a blob on the bottom of the press-instead of a perfectly formed cookie on the sheet.
Hey Maureen!
I usually change the plate to a larger design if I am having sticking. For example, I can never get those dog/deer things to work for me. Also, make sure you are extruding the right amount of dough. Experiment with thicknesses and see if that takes care of it. Another reason that I really like the Cookie Chef AND the electric presses are that they don’t have that blobby problem!
I tried it with a bag one year as well! Ugh- my wrist hurt for days!
I love making spritz and always want to buy more presses whenever I’m antiquing. I usually make the regular butter ones but put orange zest in them and then dip them in chocolate. Man, they are so good!
Oooh, I have the Cookie King (same package design, even), and for a retro press, I LOVE it. Plus you can fill that big ol’ tube up fit to burst with dough so you don’t have to refill it every fifteen cookies!
Even better that I got it at Goodwill for like $2 with all the plates included!
My mom had the Mirro (item 1) until it broke in the late 1990s. We never found a better model. Also, hell yes, green tree cookies! I’m one of the only Midwesterners among my friends in Seattle and none of them have experienced the magic of these cookies…yet.
I have been trying for the past 10 years to get hold of one of the electric party cookie guns.. I had two for years, not sure if it was Sunbeam or Hamilton Beach but it was just like the Montgomery Ward “Part Pistol” above. Nothing I have bought electric or not compares to the ease of that gun. Does anyone know where I can buy one…..or two!!
I just found a party pistol in my cupboard…having no idea where it came from. (no instructions) I took it out to clean it because it was filthy. Unfortunately I forgot to see how it came apart and now am having issues getting it back together. I looked at the picture and got most of it back together but it seems strange to have the spiral in the middle just hanging free. Is that the way it is supposed to be?
And what is the long clear plastic piece at the plug-in edge of the box for?
I have the MW party pistol would like to have some cookie recipes.