Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Spritz Cookies

I made these for Valentine's Day, and are they not the cutest things you have ever seen in your whole life!?  They're little pink hearts, with half of them dipped into melted chocolate.  Remind me again why I don't use my cookie press every single day?  It's such a fun and easy way to make cookies that look good.  Plus I feel like a legit chef when I am wielding that thing.

And the flavor!  These cookies are delicious.  They're flavored with strawberry jam, and add to that the chocolate on one side, and you're basically eating a chocolate-covered strawberry in cookie form. Can you imagine the greatness of a cookie like that?  I'm not normally one for baked goods but even I had to admit they were good.  My favorites were the 10 or so that I left chocolate-less.

A note about the cookie press: most presses end up making hearts with little Vs pressed into the top of them (because that's basically the shape of the cookie press pattern).  Being a perfectionist, I gently tapped down each cookie until it was a mostly flat heart shape.  You can do this if you are crazy like me, or just leave them the way they are.  They are still hearts, whether they are topped with a little V or not!

These were perfect Valentine's Day treats, and I was able to wrap some up and give them to friends and family, but there's no need to wait till next February to make them.  Hearts have no season, and neither do strawberry spritz cookies.  You could always make them in whatever shape you wanted.  Dip them in chocolate, or don't.  Tint them pink, or don't.  The options are as endless as all the people that made me feel loved this Valentine's Day.

Recipe:

chocolate-dippped strawberry spritz cookies
from Bake Love Give

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
1 egg
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons strawberry jam
3 - 4 drops red food coloring
1 cup dark chocolate melting wafers (I used dark chocolate chips)

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) Cream together shortening and egg.  Gradually mix in the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder until well combined.

3) Add strawberry jam and mix well.  Add food coloring to desired color.

4) Put dough into cookie press and form cookies onto cookie sheets.

5) Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until very light brown and set.

6) Microwave chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.  Dip half of each cookie in melted chocolate and transfer to parchment paper to set.  Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.