Received an early Christmas present from my mom this year. She bought me a never been used 1957-59 Mirro Aluminum Cooky Pastry Press with all the parts and recipe booklet. GREAT CHRISTMAS PRESENT TO GIVE THIS YEAR! You can find several on eBay, this is perfect for the vintage lover or food lover in your family. We inherited my grandmother's press and we used it for 15 more years until the metal screw inside got stripped in 2006. All the replacement Wilton brand presses I have gotten since then have been made out of plastic parts and I have broken at least 4 different models. Last year during Walmart's extreme Christmas sale around New Year's, I bought two presses for a grand total of $5. I was stocking up anticipating emergency part breakage and I did not want to have a sad family if I couldn't deliver the green tinted almond Christmas tree cookies with the green and red sugar sprinkles. One year I had to make the dough and patted them out into tiny balls and baked them. Tasted the same but it was sad! The plastic pieces and dies just don't hold up using thicker dough such as the dough for the cheese straws. I registered for and was given a Williams Sonoma cookie press that is half plastic and half metal that I will also be trying out this year. Can't wait to give this Mirro classic a try again.
The Mirro Aluminum company was officially formed out of other companies in 1957, it was bought out in the 80s and now seems to be defunct. I am guessing this press was one of the earlier ones. I couldn't find a date in the book or on the box. I wish they were still making cookie presses though. These things are going to become pretty rare.
Many families still claim their traditional Christmas cookie comes from a recipe out of this Mirro recipe booklet. The original press features many cookie dies that the newer Wilton plastic models don't include such as the scottie dog and the camel. The detail is also another benefit of the older presses. For example, the tree die cut on the older one has scalloped edges to the branches that makes for a fancier and prettier cookie than the newer plastic dies that just have straight lines. If you click on any of the pictures below they will enlarge and you can copy and paste them into Word to print them out. I intend on enlarging the Christmas tree recipe and framing it in my kitchen this year. Picture update soon. I have made probably over a thousand of the almond Christmas trees in my lifetime already and I highly recommend it! Picture update of these as well. Can't believe I don't already have tons of pictures of these cookie trees. Must remember to take more pictures. I also love the image near the bottom that says, "Party Time is Pastry Time." Hope you find these useful and nostalgic! Let me know how yours turn out!
Front
Back
So cute! Many thanks to Laura!
Love how they spell "Cooky" just for the press but "Cookie" for the rest of it.
Snow Flakes
Quick-Mix Spritz
Shadows and Sugar Cookies
Orange Crisps
Peanut Butter Cookies
Caramel Cookies
Molasses Spice Cookies
Chocolate Spritz
Holly Wreaths
Almond Christmas Trees
Ginger Snaps
Cooky Decorating
Decoration
Different Frostings
How Classically 1950s! Cheese Appetizers
Cheese Appetizers Cont. and Cheese Straws
Too Cute! Party Time is Pastry Time!
Schaum Tortes
Cream Puffs
Lady Fingers
Eclairs
Custard Filling
Chocolate Frosting
This year I am definitely trying out the camel, scottie dog, wreath, and trees cookie die cuts!
You've inspired me to pull out mine this year and actually make Christmas cookies. (Sadly, it's hard on the ol' arthritic fingers...)
ReplyDeleteWahoo!!! But :( for the fingers.
ReplyDeleteI might love you- no, seriously. I have had a '50's Mirro press (based on your picture, the same as yours) for a few years, complete with everything EXCEPT the recipe book. I have been on the hunt for the book ever since!! Thank you so much for your images. It's as close to the real thing as a digital lover like myself needs. I really, truly, can't thank you enough for scanning the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteThese made me think of my mom making Christmas cookies. I'm not sure it was the exact same brand but the design and style sure are similar.
ReplyDeleteYou are the BEST!!! I just picked up a cookie press at the local Goodwill because I know my mom has this same kind... now I can happily make Spritz cookies... thanks so much again! :)
ReplyDelete-Jessie
Thank you so much! I have my mother's old set, which is older than I, and use it every Christmas. Unfortunately, the recipe book was lost. I had copied down the Snowflake recipe we make, but wanted to find the recipe for cookies my Aunt would make. I may just have to try all the recipes before I figure out which one is hers :-).
ReplyDeleteYou saved my Christmas. I make the Christmas Tree Spritz every year because it reminds me of my Great-Grandma Bell. My original recipe book for my Mirro was not in the box when I went to make my cookies this year. I almost cried. I even tried a recipe from the web that said it was the original, but they didn't come out of the press and I ended up rolling tham out and making cookie cut outs with the dough. Thank you for taking the time to post the original pages for us!
ReplyDeleteWow! I am overjoyed to the response from this post! I am so glad I have helped people out. Over 600 views for this post!
ReplyDeleteI have had this press for years and never knew how to use it. I just found your site. THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteYour comment was a God-send. I am a 30-something year old male who was given many of my grandmother's cooking implements when she passed a number of years ago. I am quite comfortable around the kitchen - thanks to my mother and grandmothers - but I had never used, nor even seen this gadget before. I decided to make my grandmother's cheese straw recipe this year and it referenced using the cookie press. I had read many other articles on the use of a press, but none seemed to address the "artifact" of an implement which I would be using. This is just what I needed...God bless people like you for taking the time to post such useful information as this.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with all of the posts above. I got this press from my mother with the complete set and recipes. I took the recipe book to the store to buy everything I needed to make the cookies. Returning home I had lost it somewhere on the trip. I was so upset! Then I found your blog. You are a life saver! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteOhhh this was a treat! At home with my mom for Christmas, and was hoping to pull out the old cookie press. We were curious about the different plates and were delighted to find that you had scanned the original mirro book.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried dying the cookie dough, and mixing two colors together? Suuuper fun :)
For some reason I was inspired this past Christmas to find a cookie press like this. My friend has one and always makes spritz cookies and one she calls "chocolate ribbons". She uses the die that is like a single line of zig zags. She spritzes out a layer, tops it with choc. chips and spritzes another layer on top and maybe presses gently to seal edges and bakes. Delicious.
ReplyDeleteWell after Christmas was over I was able to find one of these in an "antique" (junk) shop for only $2.50. It only had three of the disks so I kept looking and found another one that had all the disks AND all the piping tips for the cream cheese and other treats.
I will be testing recipes throughout the year - especially the one for Cheese Straws. Thanks for this post - am sharing with my friend who only has one recipe.
Thanks so much for posting! I found one of these (like new) at our Island thrift shop - sans booklet. Now for cream puffs...
ReplyDeleteWyatt
Vashon Island, WA
It'd be cool if you could combine all these as a PDF.
ReplyDeleteGreat Idea! Now... how do I do that? :) Do I need a special program or can I do that with Adobe Reader?
DeleteThank you!!!!! I just picked up one of these presses at a garage sale but the recipe book was missing. Thank you for taking the time to scan everything & posting them.
ReplyDeleteHi, Did you ever manage to combine these as a pdf? If not let me know your email address and I'd be happy to send you your files in pdf format as a thank you for posting them.
ReplyDeleteI was looking for a good quality cookie press and came across one of these in my research. It had everything but the instruction book.
I have the press but not the instruction booklet, is there anyway you can email the PDF file if you have one, the printable version of this is not coming out clear. I grew up on these cookies and would love to make them for my Grandsons. I know they would love them as much as my siblings as I did. My email is: everjerseygirl13@yahoo.com Thanks Joni!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. Just asked my dad to find the booklet. I know we have it somewhere at his house. We used to make these with my mom every year at Christmas! I wanted to share this tradition with my kids. Now he has to find the original old cookie press too (except I just bought a new one)
ReplyDeleteWell I was very despondent over losing my mom's cookie press. I actually found one just recently on Ebay and now it's mine! I am so thrilled that you posted these recipes from the original book. Thank you so much!!!
ReplyDeleteDid you ever do pdf's of these recipes as I can not print some of them.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU! I have found several at the thrift stores but the only book was wet and moldy. When it dried, all the writing and pictures fell off the paper..
ReplyDeleteThank you ! We used to make as kids in the 60s with mom. I just found complete set at thrift store, but booklet is mostly stuck together and unuseable. Now I can make wreaths and snowflakes and trees for family gathering next weekend :)
ReplyDeleteI bought a Mirro Aluminum Cookie Press when I was a kid and used it every year through to my adult life. It got lost during a move and the booklet with it. So sad for me. I tried to use a Wilton cookie press 'gun', but it was a huge waste of money. Now I have a Pampered Chef one which is like the Mirro one with the manual turn press thing (because you have to 'feel' the pressure being right...the gun can't duplicate this). So happy to find this blog entry!
ReplyDeleteTHank you! Thank you! Thank you! I inherited one of these and just used it thanks to you and your instructions!
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks so much, I just pulled out my Mom`s Mirro and not having a booklet I took a chance on looking it up...your site was on top of the list...thanks again :)
ReplyDeleteSomehow I lost my booklet between last Christmas and this. I made a batch with a recipe I found on line and they are TERRIBLE. They cut the salt down to 1/8 and baked at a different temp for different time. Husband is not happy! So happy to have found this, now if I can figure how to print it off!. I have my Mirro that I got almost 40 yrs ago as a gift, and recently acquired a larger one that was in my Mom's stuff when she passed away. Thank You!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your copying of the booklet. I lost my sisters copy and now I think she'll let me live,, hehehehe. Seriously it was soooo thoughtful. I don't have a copier that works so I am taking it to the copy store on disk to get it printed. I have 4 other presses but none of them are as good as the Mirro.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for posting this! I inherited my cookie press and it was missing the instructions!
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting the booklet recipes that came with the press. Memories of childhood came alive. I had my Mom's press but none of the recipes. So far I've tried out 4 of them. Maybe my taste has changed over the years, but as I child I found them more flavorful. So after making 4 different batches, I made them over again but added more extract, orange peel, chocolate & even more spice to the Gingersnap recipe. Really liked them much better with more flavor. I suspect that is what Mom did too. She taught me when cooking a recipe is only a blueprint and can be adjusted as needed. Anyway, I really appreciate your post of the recipes.
ReplyDeleteI found your post and saved me from digging through my cupboard to find recipe for beloved Christmas Tree recipe for my 83 year-old mother. She now lives out of state and misplaced her recipe. I have the cookie press used when I was very young and every so many years when waistline can afford it I bake the cookies. It is wonderful that someone puts this information out there for all of us with fond memories or trying to help others with their fond memories. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, brought back memories of making green cookies with my mom. We would start out with trees and my brother would complain. So she would switch out the disk but never the recipe, so everything was green including the camels.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the time you took to scan these- I made Spritz tonight with my daughter b/c my mother made them at Christmas. Recipes aside it was a boon to see the tips; the shapes they make and what purpose the larger tips serve~! Thank you! Merry Christmas from Beth and Peyton
ReplyDeleteMy grandma gave me her cookie press for Christmas this year cause she can't cook or bake like she used to and my aunt didn't want it and of the seven granddaughters she has, she knew I would appreciate it the most. I did the Spritz cookies on new years eve and I'd like to do cream puffs today add its national cream puff day. The only problem I have is that I don't know how many tips I should have with the press. I have three but I don't know which one does what. The recipe said to use tips 31&33 and I don't know which one is which! Can you help?
ReplyDeletethe tips have teeny tiny numbers on them [on the flange bit] 31 looks like a chess castle ... crenelated/scallopy edge. 33 looks like a simple tip -- like a plastic ketchup dispenser, or a hair coloring bottle used to look like.
Deletelooking for the aluminum cookie press set. where can i buy one.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is fantastic! Thanks for posting this!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for posting the booklet. I just found my press at Goodwill for 2.00
ReplyDeleteNow with your help I have all the info. Amazingly mine is complete, now I will put it to use. Many Thanks and Kind Regards!