These melt-in-your-mouth adorable little buttery classic Spritz Cookies are made easily with seven ingredients in a cookie press. I love to bake them for friends and family during the Christmas holidays. The little Christmas trees and wreaths look adorable on my holiday cookie trays.
However, they also sell discs for many other holidays, so you can use your cookie press year-round. The kids love to help with these simple cookies, so get the whole family involved in the holiday festivities.
I have always loved to bake cookies, but using my cookie press is especially fun. Oh, and did I mention how incredibly easy it is? I like to decorate them with sprinkles, chocolate chips, melted chocolate, nonpareils, and sanding sugar. These little beauties have a rich butter flavor and tender texture.
I love to include these cute little cookies on my holiday trays, along with chocolate peppermint cookies, chocolate cherry cookies, and haystack cookies.
What are Spritz Cookies?
They are tiny cookies that are similar to butter cookies and sugar cookies. They are formed using a cookie press. The dough is made with a little more than a handful of ingredients using a mixer. Unlike shortbread cookies, the dough contains an egg.
The mixture is then spooned into a cookie press fitted with disks to create different shapes. The cookies are then pressed out onto a baking sheet. The whole package works remarkably well and effortlessly. Add sprinkles before baking, or dip them in melted chocolate or a simple powdered sugar glaze after baking, and then add sprinkles.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Butter: unsalted. If using salted butter, eliminate the added salt.
- Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioners’ sugar for a light melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Extract: I like to use vanilla and almond for the best flavor.
- Toppings: melted chocolate chips, sprinkles, sanding sugar, and nonpareils.
How To Make Spritz Cookies
Start by creaming your butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Then, add the egg, almond extract, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix until combined.
Turn the mixer to low and add the flour, mixing until incorporated. Fill the cookie press with the mixture and press the cookie dough onto a cool baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake in a preheated oven for about 6 minutes. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before moving them to wire racks to cool.
Wait for the cookies to fully cool before dunking or drizzling them with chocolate or powdered sugar glaze. Decorate with sprinkles, sanding sugar, or nonpareils immediately after dunking or drizzling.
Preparation Tips
- This may be the only cookie I advise baking on the cookie sheet without parchment paper or silicone mats, as both hold heat and cause the cookies to spread too fast.
- If you add sprinkles to the cookies without chocolate or a glaze, sprinkle them on before baking so they stick to the cookies.
- I have always found that spritz dough moves best through the cookie press right after mixing. Refrigeration makes it too stiff to move freely through the cookie press.
Store and Freeze
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
These cookies freeze exceptionally well for up to 2 months, so plan your holiday baking today. If freezing the cookies, do so before decorating, then thaw and decorate. Chocolate tends to absorb freezer odors, change textures, and whiten in the freezer.
Recipe Variations
- Colored: If you want to change the dough’s color, add a small amount of gel food coloring before blending the flour into the cookie dough.
- Chocolate: To make chocolate spritz cookies, reduce the flour by 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the cookie dough.
- Spice sprits: To make spice spritz cookies, add warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves, or allspice. Just remember that a little goes a long way.
More Cookie Recipes
Spritz Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1⅔ cups powdered sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- optional chocolate chips, melted chocolate, sprinkles, sanding sugar, or nonpareils for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange oven rack in center of oven.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer on medium speed, cream your butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt, mixing just until combined. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour, mixing just until incorporated.
- Fill the cookie press and press the cookies onto a cool baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 6 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cookies cool for 3-4 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.
- Wait for the cookies to fully cool before dunking or drizzling them with chocolate or powdered sugar glaze. Decorate with sprinkles, sanding sugar, or nonpareils immediately after. If you want to decorate without dunking or drizzling, simply speckle with sprinkles, sanding sugar, or nonpareils before placing them in the oven to bake.
Notes
- This may be the only cookie I advise baking on the cookie sheet without parchment paper or silicone mats, as both hold heat and cause the cookies to spread too fast.
- If you add sprinkles to the cookies without chocolate or a glaze, sprinkle them on before baking so they stick to the cookies.
- I have always found that spritz dough moves best through the cookie press right after mixing. Refrigeration makes it too stiff to move freely through the cookie press.
Nutrition
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Claudia
Ahhh! I love these so much! I’m a huge fan of spritz cookies, and these are the best. Thank you!
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Claudia!
Sally
These have got to be the best spritz cookies I’ve ever made. The texture of the dough was perfect for spritzing – and the butter cookies just melt in your mouth.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Sally! I am so glad that you liked them! We love them too!
Ben
I need these in my life! I’m going to make these over the weekend. They’re such classics for the holiday season.
Linda Hange
Did you add the little chocolate chip before or after baking with the sprinkles? So excited to try this recipe… the last couple of batches just didn’t hit the spot!
Beth Pierce
For the little flowers the chip and little sprinkles go on before baking. Just let them cool real well before touching.
Halomama
These came out perfect and flavor was spot on. Be sure and double or triple this recipe. I didn’t see the option of doing this and so need a double or triple batch with kids in the house (or any cookie fan for that matter). I sprinkled a bit of colored sugar on some prior to baking but the real fun is dipping in glaze and letting the kids go to town on the multitude of sprinkle options. So glad I found this recipe. And for those that are new to the spritz cookie press, I pump mine 1-1/2 times and if the cookie doesn’t stick, just put the press down and give it a small extra press and does the trick for me. That said, there will be a cookie or three that come out too big. I just put those back into the dough and do it again. After awhile you get a “feel” with each cookie style of when enough has been pressed. For me, it is always 1-1/2 pumps.
Beth Pierce
Such great tips! I love spritz cookies! They are so much fun!!
Sara Welch
My kids and I love making these during the holidays; one of our all time favorites and these look perfect!
Cathy
Spritz cookies are such a classic and one of our favorites!
Toni Dash
This is so cute and adorable! They are so good too! Really addictive!
Catalina
The cookies season is on and I love baking them every weekend!
Vikki
These are so adorable, I love the designs. Made them and they were delicious!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert
These Spritz Cookies are would disappear in our house!
Gloria
I have yet to buy a spritzer. Looking at this post, I am off to search for one. These cookies are holiday perfect.
Anjali
These are the perfect little cookies for the holidays!! I know my kids will have a ton of fun making them (and eating them too!) 🙂
Amanda
Perfect holiday cookies! My kids and I will enjoy these!
Jess
I have a cookie press that I had never used. I was always unsure how to do it until I came across your recipe! Now we have a new holiday tradition. Thanks for sharing!
Gail Montero
Looking for yummy cookies to add to our holiday baking and these look delicious indeed!
Emily Liao
These spritz cookies sure melt in your mouth! So soft and delicious.