Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and position a rack in the middle. While the oven heats, sift together the flour and salt into a small bowl—sifting removes lumps and aerates the flour, which helps create a tender cookie. Sift the confectioners' sugar into another bowl to break up any clumps. This prep work ensures your dough mixes evenly and your cookies have the delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes spritz cookies special.

Add the room-temperature butter and sifted confectioners' sugar to a mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until the mixture is pale, light, and noticeably fluffy—this incorporates air into the dough, which creates the tender crumb. I like to stop and scrape down the bowl halfway through to ensure everything is evenly combined. The butter should be soft enough to cream easily but not oily; if your kitchen is warm, chill the butter for a few minutes before starting.

Add the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Beat on medium speed for about 1 minute until fully combined and the dough is smooth and pale. The egg yolks act as a binder and add richness, while the two extracts create the signature delicate, nutty flavor of spritz cookies.

Add the flour and salt mixture from Step 1 to the wet ingredients. Stir on low speed or by hand with a spatula until just combined—do not overmix, as this can develop gluten and make the cookies tough. The dough should be smooth, soft, and hold together without being sticky. If it feels slightly stiff, it's ready for the cookie press; if it seems too soft to hold a shape, refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Fill your cookie press with the dough from Step 4 and press cookies onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing them about 1½ inches apart—they'll spread slightly as they bake. Work quickly so the dough doesn't warm up too much. If you'd like, add sprinkles or other decorations at this point. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the edges are just barely golden but the centers remain pale—they should look almost underbaked. I find the cookies at the edges of the sheet bake slightly faster, so rotate the sheet halfway through if your oven bakes unevenly.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes to set slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. They'll continue to firm up as they cool. Store in an airtight container for up to one week—these cookies stay fresh and crispy thanks to their low moisture content.