Delicate spritz cookies are buttery, tender, and such festive Christmas cookies! The cookie dough is super easy to make, and there are so many ways to decorate them. This spritz cookie recipe makes a BIG batch of cookies, perfect for holiday baking.
Ever since I started making spritz cookies myself, I can’t get enough! They are so dang good. I would describe them as a cross between a cutout sugar cookie and shortbread cookies made with a cookie press. They have a lovely sweet flavor accentuated with a touch of almond extract.
As long as you don’t overbake them, these crisp butter cookies stay super soft and tender for at least a week. Each cookie melts right in your mouth. Whenever I make these, I literally cannot stop eating them.
I’ll admit, in the past, spritz cookies never really appealed 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!
The word “spritz” comes from the German word “spritzen”, meaning to squirt. Traditional German spritz cookies are named for the way they are made: By squirting/pressing the cookie dough through a cookie press. Here’s why these homemade Christmas spritz cookies are always the best:
- The final cookies are purely amazing. Soft, tender, and buttery. There’s no hint of artificial flavoring here. It’s hard not to eat one right after the other until they’re all gone.
- These are SUPER easy to make. The cookie dough comes together quickly, and there’s no chilling required.
- Perfect for batch baking. These spritz cookies don’t spread much while baking, and they’re small. You can bake a bunch at one time, so they’re a great make-ahead treat for holiday parties and Christmas cookie exchanges.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Head to the pantry to gather the ingredients you’ll need to make these easy butter cookies. Scroll to the recipe card for the full recipe measurements.
- Butter – Bring your butter to room temperature.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar or light brown sugar is best here.
- Egg – This can also be at room temperature.
- Flavoring extracts – I like to use a mix of vanilla and almond extract. You can omit the almond extract or replace it with extra vanilla if preferred.
- Flour – Measured using a kitchen scale or by spooning the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it with the back of a knife. Avoid scooping directly from the bag. You’ll end up with too much flour and dry cookies.
- Gel food coloring – Gel icing colors yield the brightest, most vibrant-colored cookies without watering down the dough. You can use red, green, or any colors you’d like.
- Sprinkles – Optional, for a festive finish!
How to Make Spritz Cookies
Here’s a quick overview of how to make this classic Christmas cookie recipe from scratch.
Start by preheating the oven to 350ºF while you line your baking sheets with silicone mats (or leave them unlined). I don’t recommend using parchment paper, as the cookie dough won’t stick when you press it.
Cream the butter and sugar together for 3-4 minutes, until lighter in color.
Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
Add the flour and salt to form the dough. Do not overmix.
Coloring the 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. You only need a small amount of gel icing color to achieve bright colors. 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.
Divide the cookie dough.
Add a little gel icing color at a time to color the cookie dough.
Press the Cookies & Bake
Now, 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. Be sure to follow the setup directions according to your press.
Hold the cookie press perpendicular to the baking sheet. Press out the cookies.
Decorate with sprinkles.
Bake at 350ºF for 5-8 minutes, then cool on the pan for 4-5 minutes.
How to Use a Cookie Press
- Set up the press. In most cases, you’ll add the plate of the shape you want to make to the bottom of the press. 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 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 its shape, great. If not, add it back to your press and keep going. It is important not to try to press the cookies out onto something that’s really non-stick, like parchment paper. See my tips and troubleshooting notes below.
Why Are My Cookies Not Sticking?
- Surface material matters. Be sure you aren’t using parchment paper, which is naturally non-stick. A silicone baking mat is best, but you can also pipe the dough directly onto the cookie sheet.
- Make sure it’s oil-free. Wash your mat or cookie sheet with warm, soapy water before using it. If any residual oils or anything are present, it could prevent the cookies from sticking.
- Too much coloring. If you’ve thinned out your cookie dough to the point where it won’t stick, you could try adding a touch of flour to it, a teaspoon at a time. You could also put the cookie sheet and/or baking mat into the freezer for about 5 minutes, then quickly use the press to make the cookies. The frozen mat should be sticky while cold and help the cookie dough stick.
Tips for Perfect Spritz Cookies
- Avoid dry cookies. It’s important to measure your flour correctly, particularly in these cookies. Too much flour will give you dry cookies that won’t stick when you press them. I highly recommend a food scale or the spoon-and-level method.
- No nuts, no problem. If you can’t use almond extract, that’s fine. Just replace it with additional vanilla extract.
- Color correctly/avoid spreading. Do not use water-based food coloring to color these cookies. It won’t make a vibrant color without adding quite a bit of color, which will thin out your cookie dough, causing the cookies to not stick to your baking mat and to spread too much. Go with gel icing colors and add only as much as needed. Even with the gels, too much can make it hard for the dough to stick when using the press.
- Dough that sticks. If your cookies aren’t sticking when you press them, first try washing your mat or pan very well to be sure there’s no grease or anything, then try again. If that doesn’t work, even after trying several times, pop the cookie sheet and/or baking mat into the freezer for about 5 minutes, then quickly use the press to make the cookies.
- Add sprinkles quickly. If the cookie dough sits for a while before you add the sprinkles on top, the dough won’t be as sticky, and the sprinkles may not stick well. I recommend adding the sprinkles just after pressing out the cookies.
- Don’t overbake. These cookies are pretty small, so they really don’t need long to bake. Take them out of the oven just after they no longer look glossy, and they should be perfect.
Storage and Freezing
- 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.
- Freeze. 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 Baking Recipes
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.
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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.
I love this recipe so much!! Can I make dough ahead of time and freeze it? I think last year I took it out to thaw the night before using it?
Yes, that should be fine. I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I want to try this recipe but have a nut allergy and was wondering what can be used instead of the almond extract. If I just exclude it without replacing that ingredient, will it affect the baking?
You could use any flavor you like. Vanilla, coconut, anise, strawberry, mint – there are lots of clear extracts that would taste great.
Perfect recipe! Delicious cookies that I couldn’t stop eating. Even better the next day. Followed the recipe to a tee. Placed cookie sheet in freezer. Used silpat on some, nothing on others. Both worked! I prefer them brown on the edges for dipping in coffee / tea. Will make again!
Can I add more sugar? I like them sweet !Would that affect the baking ?
More sugar means more moisture, which will cause them to spread more and not hold their shape as well. I would not recommend it.
Haven’t made recipe yet but can you also use a pastry bag and tip.instead of cookie press
Yes, that would be fine.
Hi – what if I don’t have silicone baking sheets?
Sorry for the delay in responding. I found silicone baking mats to work best, since parchment paper is non-stick and you actually want the cookie dough to stick. You could try pressing them directly onto your baking sheet. If it’s a non-stick baking sheet, that could be tough. They also might brown a little more on the bottom during baking.
Delicate, buttery and so good! I made these for Christmas and everyone loved them! Thank you for this recipe. ❤
My cookies are not sticking at all. Not even to the ungreased cookie sheet. And there’s way too much almond. I tossed the first batch and started over without it.
Cookie dough is too stiff.
We made these for Christmas this year—followed your recipe to a T. This was our first time making spritz cookies and they turned out fantastic! Bake time of 5-8 minutes was spot on and the cookies came out slightly crunchy around the edges and soft in the middle. Thanks so much! Will definitely make them again.
I have used this recipe several times and my cookies turn out beautifully every single time. And they taste soooo good. Everyone loves them. Thank you!!!
So much easier than the recipe I used to use that came with my spritzer! I didn’t have unsalted butter so I just omitted the salt. They came out perfectly! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed them!
I made this recipe with a heaping 3/4C granulated sugar and heaping 1tsp almond extract, and closer to 2 1/8C flour and it was a little more flavorful! Delicious!
What an easy recipe to make and pump out onto those silpat sheets! I found that the last batch was a bit gooey and spread a bit much, so I made a note to myself to store the dough in the refrigerator between batches. They look and taste amazing.
I finally found a recipe that works with my cookie press! Fun to make; delicious to eat! I am not crazy about almond flavor so I eliminated it. But other than that, I loved the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them!
I’ve yet TO make these but plan on it very soon!!🙌 I still have my Momma’s 1940’s Norwegian spritz cookie press!! Found this recipe by accident!! Came here from a Google link for the cranberry white fudge recipe!!! (Also making very soon!!🤞🤞) Health just isn’t making it possible for me now. But I’m going to try on a “good day”!! Cooking IS my therapy!! Thank you for posting such awesome recipes!!❤️ I’m signed up for notifications from you directly now!!🙌😁👍
Awesome! I’m so glad you came across my site. I hope you enjoy them when you’re able to try them!