Boomers Still Swear By This Old-School Baking Tool

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When baking cookies, there is one particular old school kitchen tool that boomers love. This tool is none other a vintage cookie press. If you're not familiar with what it is, a cookie press is handheld gadget, perfect for making spritz and other retro Christmas cookies. It has a hollow tube that holds cookie dough, and a plunger that you use to push the dough through patterned disks. The result are fun-shaped cookies ready for baking. 

Cookie presses first gained popularity in America around the 1930s to 1940s. Around the '70s to '80s, a brand named Mirro sold aluminum cookie presses that were widely popular in American households. But, by the early 2000s, Mirro experienced setbacks and underwent new ownership. Today, the Mirro aluminum cookie press is now a vintage gadget. You can still purchase one these days, but expect to pay upwards of $100. 

So why exactly did the cookie press fall out of favor? See, vintage metal cookie presses only work with softer doughs and consist of multiple parts to clean after each use. They can be quite fussy when sticky dough gets trapped in crevices, and you can't just throw aluminum tools into a dishwasher. With modern, dishwasher-friendly tools that are easier-to-clean such as cookie molds, the vintage cookie press eventually lost its appeal in America.

While you won't see many modern American households using vintage cookie presses, boomers and nostalgic bakers still swear by this old-school baking tool. Those lucky enough to have grandma pass down a Mirro cookie press treasure the gadget. 

When I was developing cookie recipes for my cookie cookbook, I recommended that bakers use cookie presses for my piped and spritz cookies, as well as other soft doughs. The reason I did this was because cookie presses create consistent shapes and can help bakers literally pump out dozens of shaped cookies quickly.

Aside from shaping soft cookie dough, cookie presses can help you portion other soft dough and pastes, such as deviled egg filling and churro dough. Now, if you're itching to own a cookie press, note that you don't necessarily have to invest in a vintage aluminum cookie press, now that modern and less expensive ones, which are easier to clean exist today, like this cookie press by OXO.