These Spritz Cookies are buttery, tender and such festive Christmas cookies! The cookie dough is super easy to put together and there’s so many ways to decorate them.
I’m going to be honest with you. Spritz cookies never used to appeal to me. Whenever I had them they were store-bought versions that lacked the flavor and texture I expect in a great cookie. But as with most things, when you go homemade you see how things should really taste. Total game changer.
Now I Love Spritz Cookies. Especially These Ones!
Now that I’m making spritz cookies myself, I can’t get enough! They are so dang good. As long as you don’t over bake them, they are super soft and tender and stay that way for at least a week. They have a lovely buttery flavor accentuated with a touch of almond extract. I would describe them as a cross between a cutout sugar cookie and shortbread. Each cookie just melts right in your mouth. Whenever I make these, I literally cannot stop eating them.
And bonus – these are SUPER easy to make! The cookie dough comes together quickly and doesn’t need to be refrigerated. The cookies don’t really spread while baking and they are small, so you can make a bunch at a time. Perfect for holiday party prep.
How to Make These Cookies
Here’s a quick overview of how to make this recipe along with my notes. Scroll down to the recipe card for printable ingredients and instructions.
Make and Color Your Cookie Dough
- Make the cookie dough. You’ll cream the butter and sugar together, then add the egg and the extracts (I use a little vanilla and almond). Finally, add the flour and salt and mix just until combined.
- Color your cookie dough. If you want to use a few colors, divide your dough into parts and color it. I recommend gel icing color, not food coloring. Gel icing color allows you to add a small amount to achieve bright color. With food coloring you have to add a lot and it thins out your cookie dough, which will cause your cookies to spread too much.
Shape the Cookies & Bake
- Add the dough to your cookie press. Now you add your cookie dough to the cookie press and shape your cookies! I’m a big fan of this cookie press, but feel free to use whichever you have.
- Decorate! I used a variety of sprinkles. The options are endless when it comes to sprinkles. But you could also decorate them with chocolate chips or add a chocolate drizzle after baking them.
- Now it’s time to bake the cookies. I wanted to be sure that my cookies were super soft and tender, so I baked them just until they were done – about 5 minutes. Definitely don’t over bake them and dry them out.
The final cookies are purely amazing! Soft, tender and buttery! It’s hard not to eat one right after the other until they’re all gone! These will definitely be a hit for you this Christmas!
How to Use a Cookie Press
You’ll add the plate of the shape you want to make to the bottom of the press and then add your cookie dough into the top. Hold the press upright with the bottom directly on the cookie sheet. Press the lever to release a cookie, then lift up the press and you have your cookie!
If the cookie dough sticks to the press, you can use your finger to gently release the cookie. If it holds it’s shape, great. If not, add it back to your press and keep going. It is important to not try to press the cookies out onto something that’s really non-stick, like parchment paper, or you will have trouble.
Why Are They Called Spritz Cookies?
Now before we go into how to make these awesome cookies, lets talk about what they are exactly. The word “spritz” comes from the German word “spritzen”, which means “to squirt”. They are basically named for the way they are made – by squirting/pressing the cookie dough through a cookie press.
How to Store
To store homemade spritz cookies, place them in an airtight container to keep them fresh and prevent them from drying out. Layer the cookies with parchment or wax paper to avoid sticking, especially if they’re decorated with icing or sprinkles. Store them at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. For longer storage, freeze the cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months, thawing them at room temperature before serving.
More Christmas Cookies
Buttery Spritz Cookies Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 cup (224g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ¾ cup (155g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ¼ cups (293g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Red gel icing color (optional)
- Green gel icing color (optional)
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats. I don’t recommend parchment paper with these cookies. You want the cookie dough to stick to the surface you press them onto and parchment paper is non-stick. Set cookie sheets aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. You should be able to see the mixture lighten in color and get a creamy texture and know it’s ready.
- Add the egg and mix until well combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and almond extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the flour and salt and mix until the dough is combined, then remove the bowl from the mixer and finish combining with a rubber spatula, if needed. Do not over mix.
- If coloring some of the cookie dough, divide it into parts. I used white, red and green, so I divided it evenly into three parts.
- Use the gel icing color to color the dough. Add small amounts to begin with, then add more as needed. You can always add additional color, but can’t remove it if you add too much. Adding too much liquid will thin out your cookie dough a bit.
- Add one of the colors of cookie dough to your cookie press (I use this one) and follow the directions for your press to set it up. Hold the cookie press perpendicular to your cookie sheet and press out the cookies. They can be fairly close together, since they don’t really spread.
- Decorate the cookies with sprinkles, if desired.
- Bake cookies for 5-8 minutes. I prefer them nice and soft, so I went with 5 minutes, but feel free to increase that time and adjust based on your oven.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 4-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store cookies in an air tight container for up to about 1 week.
Video
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Best Spritz recipe I’ve ever tried!! Followed the recipe exactly and even used regular food coloring instead of gel with no problems! I baked mine for 6 minutes and they came out perfect every time and did not get brown on the bottom. They were very easy to press also and the flavor is wonderful!! Even my husband thought they were great!!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Can you make ahead of the holidays and freeze them?
Definitely! Just be aware that if you add sprinkles to them, the colors could bleed a little bit when you thaw them. I would thaw them in the fridge. They will have less chance of condensation forming in the fridge and would be less likely to have colors bleed.
I made these with my 4 year old granddaughter last night, absolute hit at my house. 1st time for both of us. Thanks for sharing!
So glad they were a hit!
Thanks, worked out great and the family was happy!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Just made these today with my 3 year old. HUGE hit! Husband loves as well! Reminds me of the ones we made as kids. Definitely a thick dough, colors were hard to mix in but that’s a personal struggle, ha. They were wonderful and easy to make!
I’m so glad you all enjoyed them! These are my favorite to make with our little ones too.
They turned out perfect. Taste great, and easy to use with the mirro spritz cookie press!
I’m so glad to hear that!
I want to try these but don’t own a cookie Presa. Are they doable without one and maybe just roll and slice them??
You could try rolling and slicing them. That should be fine. If you have any piping tools, you could also pipe them like some other cookies. Example – https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/chocolate-dipped-danish-butter-cookies/
Can I freeze these cookies?
Yes, definitely!
I love the cookie dough by itself. My mom, sister and me ate a few pieces of cookie dough and it was extremely hard to not eat more. Thank you for this! Cant wait until theyre done!
This recipe was great! I think I would personally decrease the almond extract down to like 1/2 teaspoon but otherwise was great!
Great recipe! My new cookie press I was gifted (pampered chef) makes a much thicker cookie. I only got 45 cookies and had to bake for 10-12 mins.
Glad you enjoyed them!
Tried them these days. They were a hit Also experimented with a second batch by adding 1/3 cup cocoa and 1 Tbsp espresso powder. To a third batch we switched the sugar with brown sugar and added 1/2 tsp of each: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and the peel of an orange. All three versions were a hit. Try them! You can melt dark chocolate chips and dip the cocoa ones and then crush peppermint candy over them 😋 😍 😜 👌 ☺
They all sound delicious! Glad you enjoyed them!
These cookies are horid….never again
Way too crumbly
I was looking for a new Spritz Cookie recipe and found yours. I made just half a batch today and honestly it makes the best, softest Spritz Cookie ever! It worked so well in the cookie gun with no problems. Chilling the cookie sheets really helped. 5 minute bake time is perfect! I didn’t use the almond extract because I don’t care for the flavor, but it’s great with just the vanilla. This will be my go-to recipe from now on. Happy Holidays to all.
I bake all the time and Lindsay’s recipes are absolutely amazing!!!
Cindy commented these cookies are horrid ! That was an unnecessary comment and I know it was not the recipe it was yourself
Ty Lindsay for all your great recipes my family absolutely loves them !!!
I made these today with my 6 year old son for our Santa cookies! He loved them, and so did I! The cookies taste so light and delicious!