Whether you call yours a cookie press or a cookie gun, they all have some sort of trigger that you push, pull, turn, or lift, to dispense dough by pressure through a decorative disk from the barrel and onto your pan. To work properly, they rely on these factors: the right temperature (room, of course), the right consistency (sticky, not crumbly nor runny), and an ungreased, plain metal pan.
If your pan is greased or has a non-stick coating, your cookies will lift off with the cookie press, leaving you with an empty pan. Many of our customers look genuinely surprised when we tell them not to grease their pans, but have faith, because these traditional buttery cookies contain enough fat that you'll never have to worry about them getting stuck to your pan as they bake - as long as they're still warm, they slide off every time!
Parchment is also a no-no, by the way. The dough will either grip the parchment without detaching from the press, and lift the parchment as you lift the press, or the dough won't grip at all and just stay attached to your disk and press.
The type of pans most appropriate for baking these cookies are jelly roll pans and cookie sheets. Jelly roll pans have a shallow rim around the edge (only about an inch high) and are extremely versatile because you can use them for anything from roasting vegetables to cooking bacon, to, of course, baking cookies. And the low edges won't get in your way as you're working the cookie press.
Cookie sheets usually have a low rim, or lip, on only one side (sometimes two) generally as hand grips for easier removal from the oven. Though not as versatile as jelly roll pans, the rimless edge makes removing baked cookies a breeze, as they readily slide right off onto your cooling rack.
A last piece of advice: Be sure to thoroughly clean your pan after each round of baking. If there's any grease left over from the last batch of cookies you baked, your next batch will have a tough time sticking to the pan.
The models in our selection are reliable for regular home use, and the Marcato has proven reliable over the years for heavy duty home use.
You can use these presses for many types of pastries and decorations. The metal ones can even be used as a churrera, for making churros, provided you use a towel to keep your hands from getting scalded. An alternative to cookie presses is an icing bag, fitted with decorating tips that are available in a wide array of sizes.
