Classic Spritz Cookies {Made with a Cookie Press!}

Buttery Spritz Cookies are an easy and buttery Christmas cookie made with basic ingredients.

The usual pantry ingredients (like flour, sugar, and butter) are flavored with a bit of vanilla & almond extract, pressed with a cookie press (you can still make these without a press, details below), and baked into a pretty delicate cookie.

What are Spritz Cookies?

Spritz cookies are small butter cookies with a dough that uses basic ingredients (but the flavor definitely not basic!).

They are most often made with a cookie press to make a classic Christmas cookie recipe. The word spritz comes form the German word spritzen, meaning “to squirt” since the cookies are pressed through a press.

Spritz vs. Shortbread

While they taste similar to whipped shortbread cookies the main difference is the egg. The texture is less crumbly, they’re more sturdy in texture like a sugar cookie.

Ingredients

This spritz cookie recipe uses the basics, all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract for a melt-in-your-mouth cookie recipe.

Be sure to use real butter (not margarine) for the best buttery flavor.

Variations

• Add in a few drops of food coloring (or gel food coloring) to change the colors. I divide the cookie dough into 2 or 3 and color each.
• Swap out the almond extract and substitute rum extract or your own favorite flavors.
• Make a spice spritz by adding a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg.

How to Make Spritz Cookies

This easy recipe uses basic staple ingredients. The dough is stiff enough that there’s no need to chill before baking.

1. Beat butter, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients (per the recipe below).
2. Put batter into a cookie press and squeeze it onto a baking sheet.
3. Bake until fragrant and very slightly browned at the edges. Cool on a wire rack.

• Ensure ingredients are room temperature.
• Use an ungreased cookie sheet (with no parchment paper).

Cookie Press

Look for a cookie press with shapes with holiday themes, such as snowflakes, Christmas trees, or pinecones.

For a decorative touch, add red or green food coloring to the dough as you cream the butter and sugar together. Christmas sprinkles, chocolate chips, melted chocolate, cake decorations to add a festive touch.

How to Make Spritz Cookies Without a Cookie Press

No Cookie Press? No problem! To make spritz without a cookie press, roll out the dough and use cookie cutters or a glass to cut out round shapes. Or, shape into one-inch balls and press them with anything that has a design, the bottom of a glass can leave a pretty design.

To Store

FREEZER Pack them in freezer bags or containers. Spritz cookies are one of the best recipes for making ahead to get a jump on holiday baking.

They’ll keep for months, and take only minutes to thaw. Be sure to make a lot and you’ll never be without a treat to offer guests or bring to parties.

COUNTER You can also store tightly covered spritz cookies in the pantry for up to a week, or in the fridge for two weeks or longer.

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