Classic Spritz Cookies Recipe: The Ultimate Guide to Holiday Baking

These delectable, buttery spritz cookies are the simplest and most rewarding cookies you’ll bake this holiday season! Requiring only five basic ingredients, one mixing bowl, and absolutely no dough chilling time, this recipe is perfect for bakers of all skill levels. Grab your favorite cookie press and effortlessly press out a variety of festive shapes, such as classic Christmas trees, elegant wreaths, delicate snowflakes, and any other design your imagination conjures up. Decorate generously with colorful sprinkles for a delightful array of bite-sized holiday cookies. These treats are ideal for gifting to loved ones, freezing for later enjoyment, or piling high into beautifully arranged cookie boxes.

Table of Contents

• Meet the Buttery Christmas Cookie Everyone Loves
• Essential Spritz Cookie Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Guide: How to Make Spritz Cookies
• Mastering the Cookie Press: Tips for Perfectly Shaped Cookies
• Creative Decorating Ideas for Spritz Cookies
• Storage and Freezing Instructions to Keep Your Cookies Fresh
  • Can You Freeze Spritz Cookies? A Guide to Freezing and Thawing
  • Do Spritz Cookies Ship Well? Perfect for Gifting!
• More Favorite Christmas Cookies to Bake This Season
• Detailed Spritz Cookies Recipe

Meet the Buttery Christmas Cookie Everyone Loves

Some of my fondest holiday memories revolve around the comforting hum of my mom’s trusty white stand mixer, churning out endless batches of Christmas cookies. We made a diverse assortment of holiday treats, including classic sugar cookies, delightful thumbprints, and festive candy cane cookies. But none of these quite captured the essence of Christmas like a beautifully arranged tray of buttery spritz cookies.

My absolute favorite part, aside from sneaking a cheeky taste of the irresistible cookie dough, was pressing the various shapes onto the baking sheet. The very name “spritz” originates from the German word spritzen, which translates to “to squirt,” perfectly encapsulating the method of pressing, or indeed squirting, the dough through a patterned disc to effortlessly create those iconic miniature trees, wreaths, and snowflakes. No laborious rolling, no fiddly cookie cutters required!

Spritz cookies share similarities with delicate shortbread cookies, but with one crucial differentiating factor: the inclusion of an egg in the dough. The egg lends the buttery dough just the right amount of structure, ensuring that the cookies maintain their intricate shapes during baking, and preventing them from crumbling in the way that traditional shortbread can sometimes do.

Spritz cookies are nostalgic, festive, and unbelievably fun to make. They’re poised to become the undisputed star of your holiday cookie repertoire, bringing joy and deliciousness to your celebrations.

Essential Spritz Cookie Ingredients

To create these melt-in-your-mouth delights, you’ll need just a handful of simple ingredients. The quality of these ingredients significantly impacts the final product, so choose wisely.

• Butter: Opt for unsalted butter and ensure it is truly at room temperature. If you’ve forgotten to take it out in advance, here’s a handy guide on how to soften butter quickly. Since spritz cookies are predominantly butter-based, it’s highly recommended to use a high-quality butter, such as Land O’Lakes, for the best flavor.
• Powdered Sugar: While some spritz cookie recipes call for granulated sugar, I wholeheartedly recommend using powdered sugar. It imparts a melt-in-your-mouth texture, dissolving seamlessly into the dough and ensuring the cookies remain delicate and tender.
• Egg: The egg acts as a binder, holding the dough together and ensuring that the cookies remain tender rather than becoming crumbly.
• Vanilla Extract: You’ll find variations of these cookies made with vanilla extract, almond extract, or even a combination of the two. Personally, I prefer the classic buttery flavor achieved with all vanilla extract. However, almond extract is a traditional addition in Scandinavian spritz cookies. If you opt for almond extract, use just ½ teaspoon to avoid overpowering the other flavors.
• All-Purpose Flour: This ingredient provides structure to the cookies. However, accurate measuring is essential. Measure your flour correctly – fluff, spoon, and level – to ensure that your dough remains soft and easy to press.

See the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and precise quantities.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Make Spritz Cookies

Don’t let their elegant appearance fool you; these traditional holiday cookies are surprisingly easy to make. The entire process comes together in a single bowl, and there’s no need for chilling. Start by creaming the butter and powdered sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Incorporate the egg and vanilla, and then gradually add the flour. You’ll end up with a soft, pliable dough that cleanly presses through the cookie press, retaining those adorable, intricate shapes in the oven.

Simply press the dough onto your baking sheet and bake for approximately 7 to 9 minutes. It’s as simple as that!

For the best possible results, utilize a cool, ungreased, and unlined baking sheet. A warm pan can cause the butter to melt too quickly, resulting in the shapes spreading and losing definition. I personally swear by my Nordic Ware Naturals sheet pans. If your pan is still warm from a previous batch, give it a quick chill under cold water, thoroughly dry it, and you’re ready to continue.

Mastering the Cookie Press: Tips for Perfectly Shaped Cookies

If you’ve ever attempted to use a cookie press, only to end up with unsightly dough blobs instead of charming little trees and snowflakes, rest assured that you are far from alone. While a cookie press might appear deceptively simple, mastering a few essential tricks can make all the difference between a “Pinterest fail” and a bakery-worthy tray of picture-perfect spritz cookies.

Here’s how to achieve flawless shapes every single time:

1. Start with the right baking surface. Spritz cookie dough requires a surface it can grip onto in order to release cleanly from the press. This means:
   • Use an ungreased, unlined baking sheet.
   • Do NOT use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. The dough won’t adhere to these surfaces, and your shapes will fail to release properly.
2. Make sure your dough is the right consistency. The dough needs to be soft enough to press cleanly, but not so soft that it smears or sticks to the bottom of the press. Finding the perfect balance is key.
   • If the dough is too stiff, it won’t come out of the press. Allow it to sit on the counter for approximately 5–10 minutes to soften slightly. (This is yet another reason why accurate flour-measuring is absolutely essential!)
   • If the dough is too sticky and clinging to the bottom of the press instead of adhering to your baking sheet, pop it in the refrigerator for a mere 5 minutes. A quick chill helps it release cleanly, but avoid letting it get too cold, or it won’t press at all.
   • And, as always, ensure that your dough is truly at room temperature.
3. Hold the press straight up and down. This is, without a doubt, the #1 mistake that people make! Angling the press, even slightly, will result in wonky, misshapen cookies. Instead, position the press flat against the cookie sheet, squeeze once, and lift straight up. Avoid twisting or shimmying the cookie press as you lift it. A steady, vertical motion is crucial.
4. One click = one cookie. I highly recommend my OXO cookie press as it consistently delivers incredibly consistent results. One click gives you one perfectly shaped cookie. If the first cookie appears thin or incomplete, prime the press by pumping the lever until you get an even amount of dough emerging from the disc. Then, begin afresh on your baking sheet.

Don’t be discouraged if your initial few shapes aren’t perfect. Simply scrape the dough off, return it to the bowl, and try again. This dough is incredibly forgiving and won’t become tough from occasional re-pressing. Practice makes perfect!

Creative Decorating Ideas for Spritz Cookies

Now that you’ve mastered the art of using a cookie press, let’s delve into the most enjoyable aspect of the process: decorating! Even straight from the press, spritz cookies boast an undeniable charm, resembling adorable trees, snowflakes, flowers, and wreaths. But, in my household, the decorating tradition is half the fun. My children delight in adding a generous helping of alllll the sprinkles, transforming these bite-sized beauties into Christmas cookie box showstoppers.

1. Color the dough with gel food coloring. Gel food coloring is an invaluable tool here. It delivers bold, vibrant colors without compromising the dough’s texture by adding excess moisture. Liquid food coloring, in contrast, can alter the consistency of the dough. Divide your dough into smaller portions, enabling you to craft an array of festive shades.
2. Add sprinkles before baking. Sprinkles won’t adhere effectively after the cookies are baked, so be sure to add them immediately after pressing. Sanding sugar, nonpareils, and miniature holiday shapes work particularly well.
3. Add chocolate after baking. Once the cookies have completely cooled, dip or drizzle them in your melted chocolate of choice. For added flair, sprinkle with crushed candy canes or other festive holiday toppings.
4. Go classic with red cinnamon candies. Evoking fond memories, a tiny red cinnamon candy adds pure nostalgia. It encapsulates that vintage, Grandma’s-cookie-tin vibe in the most endearing way.

Or, you can opt to keep them plain! Truthfully, a perfectly baked, buttery spritz cookie is a thing of beauty in its own right.

Storage and Freezing Instructions to Keep Your Cookies Fresh

These exceptional, buttery cookies are the undisputed MVPs of the holiday season, owing to their impressive shelf life, excellent freezability, and suitability for shipping. Here’s how to keep them wonderfully fresh from December 1st right through to the final cookie exchange before the New Year:

Once the cookies are completely cool, place them carefully in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 1 week. If you’re stacking the cookies, be sure to layer them with parchment paper to prevent sticking.

Can You Freeze Spritz Cookies? A Guide to Freezing and Thawing

Absolutely! Freezing spritz cookies is a convenient way to preserve their deliciousness for future enjoyment.

• To freeze baked cookies: Arrange the baked cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze them until they are firm to the touch. Once frozen, transfer the cookies to a freezer bag or an airtight container. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, simply remove the desired quantity of cookies from the freezer and allow them to thaw at room temperature.
• To freeze unbaked dough: Shape your cookie dough into a disc. Wrap the disc tightly in plastic wrap, ensuring that all surfaces are covered. Then, place the wrapped dough in a freezer bag, removing any excess air. You can store the unbaked dough in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, transfer the dough to the refrigerator and allow it to thaw until it is pliable. Before loading the dough into the cookie press, allow it to come to room temperature. Cold dough will not press cleanly, so be sure to take this essential step!

Do Spritz Cookies Ship Well? Perfect for Gifting!

Indeed, spritz cookies are remarkably well-suited for gifting and mailing, which adds to their appeal. They are small in size, naturally sturdy, and capable of retaining their elegant shapes. Pack the cookies tightly within a cookie tin, carefully layering them with parchment paper to prevent any damage during transit, and they’ll arrive looking just as charming as when they left your kitchen.

More Favorite Christmas Cookies to Bake This Season

Looking to expand your Christmas cookie collection? Here are a few more delightful recipes to try:

• Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
• Chocolate Sugar Cookies
• White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
• Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
• Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles

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