Spritz Cookies

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on

14 Comments

5 from 2 votes
72
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 21 minutes
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Buttery and beautiful, Spritz Cookies are a holiday classic made easily with a cookie press. Keep them simple or decorate for the holidays.

It wouldn’t be the holidays without a tray full of cookies to snack on or gift to your friends and neighbors. There are so many festive Cookie Recipes to choose from like our Gingerbread Cookies, but with all the hustle and bustle of the season, sometimes you need a no-fuss cookie that is super easy to whip up in a pinch.  Let me introduce you to the Spritz Cookie.

Spritz Cookies with holiday sprinkles on tray

 
SPRITZ COOKIES

Spritz cookies are a buttery Christmas cookie classic. Their name comes from the German word spritzen which means “to squirt,” since the cookies are made by pushing the cookie dough through a cookie press. They are a lot like a shortbread cookie but not as delicate. Just like sugar cookies, they are fun to decorate, and you don’t even need to chill the cookie dough. A time-saver, yay!

These butter cookies are probably the easiest cookie you’ll make all season. It is basically creaming butter and mixing in the other ingredients. No need to get a massive arm workout either, just use an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium speed to make this step even easier. Just make sure not to over-mix the dough. That can lead to hard cookies and nobody wants that.

Spritz Cookies Collage

You can really have fun decorating these cookies by adding sprinkles and nonpareils. If you’re planning on frosting the spritz cookies or dipping them into a glaze, wait to add the sprinkles and nonpareils until after that step is done. Otherwise you can just add them on before baking. Either way will ensure that they “stick” to the cookie better.

Even though these are traditionally known for being a Christmas cookie, you can change out the patterned disk in the cookie press to fit any season or holiday to make these cookies all year long. Choose flowers or butterflies for spring, shells for summer and leaves for fall. The options are endless!

MORE HOLIDAY COOKIE CLASSICS:

HOW TO MAKE SPRITZ COOKIES

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Cream the butter, powdered sugar, and salt with a mixer until light and fluffy.
  • Mix in the egg and vanilla and almond extracts.
  • Gradually mix in flour.
  • Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • Add the dough into a cookie press and press the dough onto the cookie sheets, approximately an inch apart from each other.
  • Bake for 6-8 minutes, watching to make sure the cookies do not brown.
  • Allow to cool and then decorate with frosting of your choice if desired.
Spritz Cookies with holiday sprinkles on tray

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I color spritz cookies?

Add in drops of food coloring to get the desired color. Separate the dough into two parts and add red to one half and green to the other for the holidays.

Can I make peppermint flavored spritz cookies?

Yes, replace the vanilla and almond extract in this spritz recipe with peppermint extract.

Can I glaze spritz cookies?

  • Make a glaze using confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla. Add food coloring if you wish. Dip the top of the cookies into the glaze and then turn them over and place them on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath to catch the drips.
    • Can I add chocolate to these cookies?

    Drizzle melted chocolate chips over the tops of the cookies. 

    MORE DELICIOUS COOKIE CLASSICS:

    HOW TO LOAD A COOKIE PRESS

    • Form the cookie dough into a log.
    • Unscrew the ring from the cookie press barrel and insert the dough.
    • Insert the patterned disk you want to use for the cookies and screw the ring back on.
    Spritz Cookies with holiday sprinkles in gift box

    HOW TO SERVE AND STORE SPRITZ COOKIES

    • Serve: Enjoy the Spritz Cookies fresh from the oven or place them on a cooling rack to reach room temperature and start decorating.
    • Store: These cookies can be stored once fully cooled in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Keep parchment paper in between each layer to protect them from sticking, especially when decorated.
    • Freeze: You can flash freeze Spritz Cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet for one hour and then transferring them to a freezer-safe storage container for up to 1 month. A storage bag is not recommended as they aren’t as protected. 
    Spritz Cookies with holiday sprinkles on tray

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    Dinner, then Dessert

    Spritz Cookies

    Buttery and beautiful, Spritz Cookies are a holiday classic made easily with a cookie press. Keep them simple or decorate for the holidays.
    Yield 72
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 6 minutes
    Total Time 21 minutes
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Author Sabrina Snyder
    Spritz Cookies with holiday sprinkles on tray
    PrintRate

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
    • 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
    • 2 1/2 cups flour

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
    • Cream the butter, powdered sugar, and salt with a mixer until light and fluffy.
    • Mix in the egg and vanilla and almond extracts.
    • Gradually mix in flour.
    • Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
    • Add the dough into a cookie press and press the dough onto the cookie sheets, approximately an inch apart from each other.
    • Bake for 6-8 minutes, watching to make sure the cookies do not brown.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 48kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 6mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 82IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 1mg

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    Spritz Cookies Collage

    About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

    Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

    Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

    She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

    She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

    As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

    Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

    As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

    Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

    See more posts by Sabrina

    Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Comments

    1. Hi! I adore the cookies with the red in the center ? Looks like there are 12 petals in that flower. Which cookie press did you get to achieve this pattern? Can’t wait to try this recipe, thank you! ??

      Reply

      1. Any cookie press with the pattern desired will work. I honestly don’t remember which one I used as I’ve used a number of different ones over the years! Let me know if you try the recipe. I’d love to hear what you think!

        Reply

    2. These were so easy to make and so good! I froze the dough, then thawed it out when I was ready to make them. Thank you!!!!

      Reply

    7. Sabrina…help! I made my cookie dough and put it in a airtight container and put it in the frig to make the cookies the next day. The next day the dough was not ply able to put in the cookie press. Did I mess up? I had read elsewhere that I could refrigerate, bring to room temperature the next day.

      Reply

    8. I just bought a cookie press today and am anxious to try it out. Your cookies all look so perfect. Some other folks seem to have the bottoms looking too brown.

      Now to see if mine can look as good as yours.

      Thank you for the inspiration.

      Be well.

      Reply