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These beautiful little Spritz Cookies are so easy to make with just 6 ingredients! There are tons of tasty flavor options and fun ways to decorate these soft and buttery holiday treats.
A lot of cookies spread too much in the oven to be shaped into detailed designs, but with these soft and light spritz cookies, it’s a different story. With the help of a handy dandy cookie press, you can control the shape of every single cookie in the batch. And you can make each one unique with a different color or decorating method! You really couldn’t ask for much more in a holiday dessert. This recipe came from a vintage cookie book from my grandmother’s church.
This recipe will give you plenty of cookies to deck the halls with. It makes 80 total, which means that you can package them up in cute little tins or mugs for all of your friends and neighbors while still having enough for your annual Christmas cookie tray. And since they’re relatively small in size, you don’t have to stop at just one when it comes time for dessert.
A spritz cookie is a type of butter cookie that’s made with egg yolks. The egg yolks provide extra softness and chewiness, but you still get that classic butter cookie flavor. Spritz cookies are similar to cut-out sugar cookies, as they hold their shape when baked.
Ingredients You’ll Need
These cookies can be thrown together on a whim with no trip to the supermarket necessary. They’re made with 6 simple kitchen must-haves!
- Unsalted Butter: Brought to room temperature.
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg Yolks
- All-Purpose Flour: Either use a food scale or the spoon and level method for an accurate flour measurement.
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract: Feel free to substitute this with almond extract, lemon, anise—whatever you’d like! You could also use a combination of vanilla and peppermint extracts for added festiveness.
I’ve outlined my fail-proof method for making homemade spritz cookies in the instructions below. Happy baking!
Prep for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat. Do not use parchment paper – the dough needs something to adhere to. If you don’t have a silicone baking mat, don’t line the pan.
Cream Butter & Sugar: In a stand mixer, combine the butter with the sugar and beat on medium speed until well creamed together. This should take several minutes.
Add Egg Yolks & Vanilla: Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
Add Dry Ingredients: Add the dry ingredients and beat until the dough forms.
Shape Cookies: Following the manufacturer’s directions, assemble your shape in the cookie press, then spoon the dough into the press, trying to eliminate as many of the air pockets as possible. Tap the cookie press on the counter to help nudge the dough down.
Hold the cookie press perpendicular to the cookie sheet and press out one cookie at a time. These can be placed fairly close together as the dough does not spread. Add any sprinkles prior to baking.
Bake: Bake the cookies at 350°F for 7-9 minutes. 7 minutes will produce a soft and buttery cookie while 9 minutes will result in a crisper, more shortbread-like cookie. I suggest sticking with a shorter bake time, as the cookies continue baking for a bit when they leave the oven.
Let Cool: Remove your cookies from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Tips for Success
Don’t jump into the recipe just yet – look over this quick list of tips and tricks to help ensure flawless spritz cookies.
- Don’t Skimp on the Creaming Time: You want that butter and sugar super well creamed together before you continue making your cookie batter. The mixture should become noticeably lighter in terms of both color and texture.
- How Do I Remove Air Pockets? Remove air pockets from your cookie dough by gently tapping the press on the counter or using a spoon to press the dough inside.
- Bake One Tray at a Time: Make sure you work in batches and place each baking sheet in the center rack of the oven. Trays on the bottom tend to heat up too quickly, causing the bottoms of the cookies to over-brown.
- Use Room Temperature Baking Sheets: If your baking sheet is warm when you place on the cookie dough, it will cause the dough to soften too much. If you’re re-using a pan for an additional batch, you’ll have to let it come to room temperature first.
Decorating Ideas
There are so many easy ways to dress up these cookies for holidays or other special occasions. Have fun with them!
- Multicolored Spritz Cookies: You can make different colored cookies by separating your cookie dough into sections and dying each portion with a couple drops of gel food coloring (don’t used liquid food coloring – it will change the dough’s consistency). I suggest mixing in the color with a stand mixer. It’s much easier than using a spoon, and using your hands over-softens the cookie dough. When using the cookie press, shape the uncolored dough first and wipe down the press between colors.
- Sprinkle Spritz Cookies: I love adding Christmas-themed sprinkles to my spritz cookies when I’m making them during the holiday season. If you’d like to try this, just remember to add the sprinkles prior to baking.
- Glazed Spritz Cookies: Once your cookies have cooled, feel free to add a drizzle of your favorite vanilla glaze on top.
- Chocolate Dipped Spritz Cookies: There’s a famous saying at my house – “when in doubt, add chocolate.” Whether you drizzle it over your cookies or dip them into it, melted chocolate makes a lovely addition to this dessert. Just don’t add it until the cookies have finished cooling.
Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature once they’ve cooled completely. They will last for up to 5 days.
Can I Freeze These?
You can totally freeze your spritz cookies if you’d like. Place them on a lined baking sheet once they’ve cooled completely and flash-freeze them until they’re frozen solid. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or storage bag and freeze them for up to 4 months. Thaw out frozen cookies on the counter before enjoying them.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 52 minutes
- Yield: 80
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
These beautiful little Spritz Cookies are so easy to make with just 6 ingredients! There are tons of tasty flavor options and fun ways to decorate these soft and buttery holiday treats.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup (126g) granulated sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 ½ cups (350g) all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract (or almond)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat.
- In a stand mixer, combine the butter with the sugar and beat on medium speed until well creamed together, this should take several minutes.
- Next add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- Then add the dry ingredients and beat until the dough forms.
- If you plan to color the dough, separate, and dye each color as desired. You’ll need just a couple drops of gel color. You can mix by hand or return it to the mixer to beat the together.
- Following the manufactures directions, set your shape in the press, then spoon the dough into the cookie press, trying to eliminate as many of the air pockets as possible. Gently taping the press on the counter or using a spoon to press the dough inside will help.
- Hold the cookie press perpendicular to the cookie sheet and press out one cookie. These can be placed fairly close together as the dough does not spread.
- Add sprinkles if desired.
- Bake at 350°F for 7-9 minutes. See notes regarding baking time. Remove from oven and let them cool on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
- Flavoring the dough: Free free to use a combination of vanilla and almond extract. Other seasonal flavors like lemon, anise—whatever you’d like! You could also use a combination of vanilla and peppermint extracts for added festiveness.
- To Store: Keep cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze: Place cooled cookies on a lined baking sheet and flash-freeze until frozen solid. Then, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw on the counter before enjoying.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
More Christmas Cookies to Try
Looking for more fun holiday cookie ideas? You’re in for a treat with the following recipes!
