Buttery and festive, these Spritz Cookies are ready in just 20 minutes with a handful of pantry staples. A nostalgic classic cookie that’s a must-bake for every holiday cookie tray.
- A classic Christmas cookie. Isn’t there just something so cozy and special about a classic spritz cookie? It’s a Christmas cookie tray staple.
- Super easy to make. The cookie press makes these beautiful cookies super simple to make. The dough comes together with just a few pantry staples and they bake in just 7 minutes.
- Store well. One reason I love spritz cookies so much is that they store well at room temperature and you can freeze them too. Perfect for making in advance of the holiday rush!
Looking for more Christmas cookie recipes? Check out my easy sugar cookies, perfect snickerdoodles, and linzer cookie recipes too.
You might even ask what IS a spritz cookie? The word “spritz” comes from the German word “spritzen”, meaning “to squirt” because the soft dough is squirted or pushed through a cookie press to make fancy designs. Long story short, it’s basically a pressed sugar cookie, a lot like shortbread cookies.
Ingredients
Here’s an overview of what you’ll need to make these spritz cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card below for measurements.
- Room temperature butter – I use salted, but this is a personal preference
- Powdered sugar – Sweetens the cookies.
- Large egg
- Almond extract – You can also use vanilla extract if you prefer.
- Kosher salt
- All purpose flour
- Milk – I use a little milk in the glaze to get that perfect consistency.
- Sprinkles – To decorate if you want!
Tools
- Cookie Press. All cookie presses are not created equal. After testing many brands, this OXO press has been my tried and true since I found it in 2017. It is fairly inexpensive, very easy to use, comes with a disk for making any design you would like: wreaths, swirls, trees, flowers etc. Plus it comes with a container to keep them in. It’s sturdy and comfortable in your hand!
- Parchment paper. I really like to use parchment with the majority of my cookie baking, and this spritz cookie recipe is no different.
- Cookie sheet. A high quality baking sheet is nice to own in general, but I have this THIS COOKIE SHEET is really nice for these cookies that you don’t want to brown too fast.
Here’s a quick overview of how to make this spritz cookie recipe. See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
- Make the dough. Mix the butter and powdered sugar with a paddle attachment on medium speed. Mix in the egg, extract, and salt. Turn the speed to low and mix in the flour.
- Press the cookies. Transfer about a cup of dough at a time to the cookie press. Press cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake. Bake for 6-7 minutes, until lightly golden on the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Make the icing. Whisk together the powdered sugar and milk. Dip the cops of the cookies into the glaze and top with sprinkles if desired. Allow to set completely before storing.
This is the most frequently asked question I get about spritz cookies. And to give you an honest answer…I kind of don’t.
This spritz cookie dough isn’t sticky and it does come out in beautiful shapes but it doesn’t come off the press every single time.
I have made peace with this. As I have tweaked the dough recipe, I have found that the drier you make the dough, the more crumbly the cookie. And with a crumbly cookie, you don’t always get a perfectly shaped cookie. It’s a fine line folks!
If the cookie dough sticks to the press when you lift it off the baking sheet, just gently remove it and place it back on the baking sheet. No stress!
There are so many ways to customize your spritz cookies. Here are a few ideas.
- Add some color. Feel free to add a few drops of food coloring to your spritz cookie dough. I like to do this around the holidays with red and green.
- Add spices. Try adding a little cinnamon or pumpkin spice to your dough to make these unique!
- Switch up the extract. I add almond extract, but like I said you can add vanilla, or how about coconut extract, rum extract, or even lemon extract or add flavor to the cookie or the icing.
- Add a chocolate twist. Try melted chocolate or white chocolate and dip the bottoms or sides of the cookies. You could even drizzle the chocolate on top for a pretty presentation.
Proper Storage
- Room temperature. Once the glaze has hardened, you can stack your spritz cookies in an airtight container. Store for up to 5 days at room temperature.
- Freeze. You can also freeze these spritz cookies for up to a month. Just bake, let cool, and transfer to an airtight container. Thaw at room temperature and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 16 minutes
- Yield: 72 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
Buttery and festive, these Spritz Cookies are ready in just 20 minutes with a handful of pantry staples. A nostalgic classic cookie that’s a must-bake for every holiday cookie tray.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla if you prefer)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/4 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract, if desired
- sprinkles to decorate
Instructions
- Cookies: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and powdered sugar on medium speed for 1 minute, until combined.
- Add in the egg, almond extract, and salt and mix for an additional minute, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour, mixing until just incorporated.
- Place about 1 cup of dough (depending on the size of your press) into the cookie press. Press cookies onto the baking sheet using the press. Arrange the cookies about 1 inch apart and bake for 6-7 minutes or until lightly golden at the edges.
- Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
- Icing: Whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Dip the tops of each cookie into the glaze. Sprinkle if desired. Allow the cookies to set completely before storing.
Notes
- Store airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days for best freshness.
- You can freeze these cookies in a large, zip-top bag for up to a month. I don’t recommend freezing them if you have used glaze, as they become sticky as the glaze thaws. Glaze them when they’re at room temperature and allow to set.
- I like to use 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract. The combination is subtle and my personal favorite!
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Last night at 8 o’clock I decided to try this recipe for spritz cookies. I wasn’t going to make them this year because sometimes they turn out and sometimes not. I had never used powdered sugar before. These are WONDERFUL! They didn’t stick and came out beautiful! I had never iced them before, but they are so good with it. Wish I could show you a picture. Thank you for the recipe!
Cookies are spritzed fine, but they end up losing a lot of their shape. I tried putting a sheet in the freezer for a while. Better, less flat, but still look melted. Don’t know why they don’t look like they do coming out of the spritzer.
Are you sure that you line the baking pan with parchment paper? The cookies don’t come out of the press and stick to the pan. I thought the reason for parchment paper was not to have cookies stick to it? Confused.
The cookie dough will still stick to the parchment! You don’t have to use parchment paper if you prefer. It just makes for easier clean up!
I love that I came across this spritz cookies recipe! They turned out perfect and everyone loved them! I had to print out the recipe to pass out to others!
Turned out terrible! Ran all over the pan! Had to throw the whole batch away!
This recipe got my attention because of the powdered sugar..Can’t go wrong there. I split the dough into 3rds and colored red.and green with the white. Most likely handled the dough to much, but once I chilled it a couple minutes it pressed out fine. I’ve an old Mirro press from back in the day. Still does the job..
Glaze and colored sugar.. My granny would be proud..
I have been looking for years for a Spritz cooking recipe that work. This is definitely the perfect cookie. It was so easy to press and tasted delicious. I honestly wanted to cry. I’m finally able to make the cookies that bring me such strong and loving memories of my mother. Thank you!
I wanted to make this recipe, but under the ingredients list there’s no measurements of the ingredients. This is the first time I come across a recipe that gives you a list of ingredients, but doesn’t tell you how much are the ingredients to put in.
Hi! The full list of ingredients is the recipe card at the bottom of the post 🙂 Just click “jump to recipe” at the top!
I still don’t see the recipe!
I am sorry you don’t see it! I see it there. Here’s the direct link to the printable recipe. Hope this helps! https://cookiesandcups.com/perfect-spritz-cookies/print/85293/
I rarely leave comments, but these were so delicious! Tasted like shortbread, which isn’t a bad thing!
I chilled my cookie sheets and didn’t use parchment paper. Worked fine. I also cut the recipe in half, which meant halving the egg. Recipe turned out well, with 2 tbsp. of egg. Thanks for a spritz cookie recipe that works!
I love these cookies. I have started giving them in a cookie tin as gifts. Everyone I have given them to exclaims about them! I originally learned about Spritz cookies from my German-born mother-in-law. This recipe is the best I’ve found. I do cut the salt a bit and am very careful not to use too much flour to avoid that floury taste many home-made cookies have. Also, not crazy about the all almond flavor so I do add vanilla instead of all almond extract. I think the powdered sugar makes all the difference because it blends so easily. Thank you for the delicious recipe❣️