Spritz Cookies
Is it even the holiday season if you don’t have buttery Spritz Cookies? These simple, traditional cookies taste as festive as they look!
Why We Love Butter Spritz Cookies
- The Spritz cookie recipe and press is older than your Grandmother so you know these cookies have proven themselves to be delicious, holiday must-haves!
- Don’t be fooled by those stale, store-bought imposters, homemade Spritz Cookies are buttery soft, and bursting with flavor.
- There is no need to refrigerate the dough before pressing the cookies, so everyone can enjoy these cookies in no time!
- This recipe makes a lot of cookies so it’s perfect for gifting, for a holiday bake sale or Christmas cookie swap. But the best part is all of the fun decorating you can do with all of the fun cookie shapes you make!
Ingredients for Spritz Cookies
PANTRY ITEMS: For this recipe, you will need all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Nothing fancy, just baking basics.
REFRIGERATED ITEMS: Set out some salted butter and eggs on the counter to let them come up to room temperature. If you don’t have salted butter, increase the total amount of salt in the cookies to 1 teaspoon.
DECORATIONS: Jazz up your cookies with sprinkles, colored sanding sugar, or mix in food coloring to separate portions of the dough.
How to Make Spritz Cookies
Jump to RecipeSTEP 1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and set out an ungreased cookie sheet to use. In a stand mixer or large bowl with beaters, cream the butter, salt, and sugar together until fluffy.
STEP 2 Add one egg, beat the mix and then add the second egg and beat. Add the vanilla extract and beat the mix. Slowly add the flour while the mixer is on low and beat until well incorporated.
STEP 3 Set up your cookie press with the disk you will be using and transfer the dough to the press. Press out the cookies onto the cookie sheet and add the sprinkles or other decorations.
STEP 4 Bake the cookies for 6-8 minutes, until they are just golden on the edges. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. If you are using icing or melting wafers to top the cookies, allow them to cool completely before you ice them.
Tips & Tricks
- Christmas spritz cookies are so deliciously buttery that you don’t have to add anything to them if you don’t want to… but sprinkles, a chocolate drizzle, dipped in candy melts or melting wafers, or covered in royal icing is surely more fun, right?
- Vanilla extract is always a great addition to any cookie but you can change the flavor of these Spritz by swapping it out for different extracts! Try out almond spritz cookies, coconut, orange, or your favorite holiday flavors.
- If you’d like to color your dough, place a portion of the dough in a separate bowl and add a few drops of food coloring. Gel food coloring generally works better because you need less of it for a vibrant color, whereas you may end up using a lot of regular food coloring that can make your dough too wet. Coloring the dough is easy and a fun way to get more festive!
- Don’t overbake the cookies! Everyone’s oven is different so make sure your oven is well preheated and keep an eye on the first batch to see how long they take to bake. Once you can see the edges turn a little golden, take them out of the oven, even if it’s only been 5 minutes or as long as 9 minutes, for example. After your first batch, you’ll have a better idea of how long the remaining batches of cookies need to bake.
Spritz Cookie Recipe FAQ
What’s the secret to using a cookie press?
If you’re using a cookie press for the first time, there are a few things to know. The first is that sometimes it just takes a little practice, so the first couple of cookies on the cookie sheet might not look super great but by the end of the first batch, you’ll be a cookie-pressing pro!
To start, make sure the stencil you want to use is in the cookie press before you load it with dough. Gently press the trigger to release any air and move the dough to the bottom of the press.
Hold the press flat on an ungreased, unlined cookie sheet and fully press the trigger to push the dough onto the cookie sheet. Pause before lifting the press to give the dough a chance to stick and then gently lift the press up. You can then use your finger to tamp down the dough that’s sticking up.
Why are they called Spritz cookies?
Spritz is actually a German word that means “to squirt.” The cookie dough is essentially squirted onto a baking sheet using a cookie press, so the name makes sense!
Not just any cookie dough recipe can be used in a cookie press, by the way. The dough needs to be light enough to move through the press but dense enough to maintain its shape, which is another reason Spritz cookies are one of a kind!
What is the difference between Spritz cookies and Shortbread cookies?
Spritz and shortbread cookies are wonderfully buttery and such a treat at the holidays but there is one big difference between the two: eggs. The dense, buttery richness of shortbread is in part due to being just butter, sugar, and flour that has been refrigerated and rolled out. The absence of egg and the activation of the gluten makes for a heavier and more crisp cookie. Spritz recipes include eggs and no refrigeration or rolling to keep them soft and not very crumbly. So overall, it’s a more tender cookie.
Other Recipes You May like
- Cinnamon Spritz Sandwich Cookies
- Molasses Cookies
- Eggnog Thumbprint Cookies
- Brownie Balls
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies
- Chocolate Spritz Cookies
Spritz Cookies
Equipment
- Holiday Cookie Discs (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups salted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment) beat together the butter, sugar, and salt. Mix until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition, then add the vanilla.
- Slowly add the flour with the mixer on low speed, mixing until well incorporated.
- Use a rubber spatula to transfer the cookie dough to a cookie press fitted with the desired disk. Press the dough out onto an ungreased baking sheet. (No silicone mats or parchment paper!) Add sprinkles before baking if desired.
- Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until the cookies are barely golden brown around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- If you don’t have salted butter, increase the total amount of salt in the cookies to 1 teaspoon and use unsalted butter.
- Change the flavor of your cookies with fun flavor extracts like orange or almond.
- You can skip the sprinkles and dip the tops of the cooled cookies into icing or chocolate if desired.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
There are no eggs listed in the ingredients yet in the directions you add eggs.
I’m so sorry about that Darlene. I’ve updated the recipe card to show that 2 eggs are needed for these cookies. Thank you for bringing this to my attention! Hope you have a lovely day.