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This buttery sweet spritz cookie recipe is festive and fun to make, a pressed cookie adaptable to any occasion with various shapes and colors!
A Christmas Classic
We have made this spritz cookie recipe every year during Christmas for as long as we can remember! These bite-size beauties are a hit with kids and adults alike, are beautiful, and are a favorite to hand out to neighbors.
These cookies always make it onto our holiday treat plates along with our Christmas Cookies, Christmas Crack Recipe and Christmas Sugar Cookies.
These spritz cookies also add a melt-in-your-mouth tasty touch to any party spread are more simple to make than you think.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- No-fuss. Mix everything in a bowl and the cookie press does the rest!
- Festive. Butter spritz cookies can be colored and shaped for any season or holiday. We’ve done wreaths and Christmas trees!
- Nostalgic. These pressed cookies instantly transport me to my childhood – we’ve made them for years!
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 6 minutes
- 1 cup unsalted butter – Soften the butter to get a creamy, fluffy texture.
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract – Vanilla and almond are traditional flavors, but you can experiment and use lemon, orange, peppermint, or rum extract.
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour – How to Measure Flour. Or Use 1:1 gluten-free baking flour.
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- gel food coloring – Use gel, not liquid coloring. You only need a couple of drops of the gel, whereas you would need several drops of the liquid which then thins out the dough.
- colorful sprinkles – Add different sprinkles, sparkling sugar, or finely chopped nuts before baking. Drizzle with glaze or melted chocolate after baking.
How to Make Spritz CookieS
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- BATTER. Using an electric mixer beat the 1 cup butter and ½ cup sugar together until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg, ½ teaspoon almond extract, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and beat until smooth.
- Add 2¼ cups flour and ¼ teaspoon salt to the bowl and stir until combined. It really helps to make sure the cookie dough is about the texture of soft play dough.
- COLOR. Add gel food coloring to the dough if desired.
- PRESS. Add the dough to a cookie press, with the desired shape plate attached. Squirt the cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.
- If you try to bake them on a baking sheet that’s greased/lined with parchment paper, or on a silicone mat, the dough will stick to the cookie press instead, and won’t stay on the sheet.
- BAKE. Bake 6-8 minutes, until cooked through, but not browned. Let them cool a little on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Cookie Press Alternative
Try using a piping bag with different decorative tips, like a star tip. The dough is on the thicker side, so you may want to choose a larger tip and squeeze firmly. If needed, use scissors to snip the dough off the piping bag.
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Spritz Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Decorating
- gel food coloring
- colorful sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract, and beat until smooth.
- Add the flour and salt to the bowl and mix until combined. Add gel food coloring to the dough if desired.
- Add the dough to a cookie press with the desired shape plate attached. Press the cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.
- Bake 6-8 minutes, until cooked through but not browned. Let cool before serving.
Video
Notes
- Use a PLAIN, UNGREASED, COLD cookie sheet. You want the bottom of the cookie to stick to the baking sheet so it won’t get stuck in the cookie press.
- Click the cookie press a couple of times to help the dough release easier.
- The dough does not spread much, so the piped shape will be the shape of the baked cookie. For this reason, when piping the dough, be sure that all segments are touching.
- If you don’t have a spritz cookie press, try using a piping bag with different decorative tips, like a star tip. The dough is on the thicker side, so you may want to choose a larger tip, squeeze firmly, and, if needed, use scissors to snip off each cookie section.
- Dough. Make the dough ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze the dough in log form, or in already pressed shapes for up to 3 months. Allow the dough to come to room temperature before baking
- Baked. Keep in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Fridge. Make the dough ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Allow it to come to room temperature (30-40 minutes) before pressing and baking.
Freezer. Roll the dough into a log, wrap it with plastic and again with foil, then freeze – OR stamp out once frozen, place the shaped dough into a freezer-safe bag. The frozen dough can be kept for up to 3 months.
Allow the dough to thaw to room temperature before baking.
Spritz cookies store well, so they are great for shipping to family and friends who live far away. Keep in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Made these last year. So good!
A cute little cookie that’s made with a cookie press. Fun and festive!
Hello! How many cookies does this recipe make?
I’m wondering the same thing?
I could get close to 2 dozen 🙂
Love these cookies! They are so buttery and the sweetness is just right for my taste. I’ll surely be making more for giveaways this Christmas!
The perfect holiday recipe! Fun to make with the kiddos.
Such a fun & festive cookie! They remind me of those shortbread cookies in the tin. We love these!
Thanks! I’ve always had such trouble with Spritz cookies! This is great!
LOVE these cookies! I made a double batch because I hand out cookies to everyone at Christmas! Even my local Police Dept. Everyone looks forward to my deliveries this time of year! Thank you for posting it!!
You are so welcome! I am glad everyone can enjoy your treats! Thank you!
Is the flour, all purpose flour?
Yes 🙂 Enjoy!!
I have a question, what press would you recommend or do you happen to use?
Thank you!!
I got one from Amazon. I believe mine is Wilton brand, but any would work 🙂
Help! I have only salted butter. Do I need to make a change in the recipe?
That’s ok! I’d say hold off on adding the amount of salt called for and taste it first. Then just add the salt as needed to your liking. The salted butter may easily provide all the saltiness that you need.
This is a great recipe. Taste is wonderful and the dough sticks to the chilled pan just as it should. I did add scant 1/8 teaspoon of salt.
I will definitely use this recipe again.