These are my favorite spritz cookies! Using a cookie press, shape this easy buttery cookie dough into intricate shapes and have fun decorating with sprinkles, chocolate, and chocolate chips. No cookie dough chilling required and the cookies freeze and ship wonderfully.
I originally published this recipe in 2018 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and additional success tips.
What Are Spritz Cookies?
The base dough is very similar to my sugar cookies, butter cookies, and pinwheel cookies. Each are shaped a different way, and spritz cookies are shaped with a cookie press. They’re buttery and sweet and, with the right recipe, hold their intricate shape when baked. Spritz cookies are also similar to shortbread cookies, but spritz cookies usually contain an egg. Eggs help the spritz cookies hold their shape when baked, so they don’t crumble like shortbread cookies do.
The word “spritz” actually comes from the German word spritzen which means “to squirt.” This refers to squirting or pushing the cookie dough through a cookie press. I don’t know why, but I always associate the word spritz with “spritely” because spritz cookies remind me of something little spritely fairies would eat!
One reader, Julie, commented: “The cookies came out great, and tasted delicious! I’m very new to baking, so I ordered the OXO cookie press, read all of your tips, and was thrilled with the results. If I could make these, anyone can! I can’t wait to make these again! ★★★★★”
Another reader, Patti, commented: “I have been making spritz cookies forever. I saw that you were using the same cookie press that I have so I decided to try your recipe. This is the nicest my cookies have ever looked since I started baking them. ★★★★★”
What Is a Cookie Press?
I added a cookie press to my baking tools collection a few years ago. Inside this baking tool is a metal plate with a stenciled shape. A cookie press presses your cookie dough through the metal plate to create beautifully shaped cookies. It’s actually a lot easier than a rolling pin and cookie cutters!
- I recommend this OXO cookie press. This is not a sponsored post; I genuinely love this cookie press. It’s the easiest to use and comes with 12 different shapes you can swap out. Just read the hundreds of positive reviews. It also makes a wonderful holiday gift! I always include it in my annual guide full of Holiday Gifts for Bakers.
How to Make Spritz Cookies
This is my favorite recipe for spritz cookies. I love it so much that I published it in my cookbook Sally’s Cookie Addiction. Here’s why this is my favorite:
- Uses very basic ingredients
- 1-bowl recipe: Like snowball cookies, another easy and classic Christmas cookie!
- No dough-chilling required
- Fun to decorate, with no separate icing recipe required: Use sprinkles, chocolate chips, melted chocolate; and try tinting some of the dough a color.
- Freezer-friendly: After thawing, they still taste fresh!
- Ship wonderfully: These cookies hold their shape during the journey! Learn more about how to ship cookies.
The dough comes together in 1 bowl, using a mixer. There is no baking powder or baking soda needed; these buttery spritz cookies are dense, not airy. They hardly spread, so you can fit a bunch onto your baking sheets. Since the cookies are small, you can use 1 batch of dough to make a variety of shapes with your cookie press. You can even tint some of the cookie dough red or green like you see in my pictures!
How Do I Use a Cookie Press?
Each press comes with a set of instructions and the OXO cookie press I recommend is super user-friendly. Select a plate, such as the snowflake shape, and place it in the bottom compartment. After your cookie dough is prepared, spoon it inside the tube. Attach the top of the cookie press to the tube. Hold the cookie press upright, with the bottom pressed against your baking sheet. Press the lever until it clicks and lift up the cookie press. The shaped cookie will be on your baking sheet! *If the cookie dough sticks to the cookie press, use your fingers or a knife to release it and place onto the cookie sheet.
- No Cookie Press? Instead, use a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch (13 mm) open star tip and use my butter cookies or chocolate butter cookies recipe, which is this cookie dough with a little milk to help make it pipe-able. 🙂
Can I admit I prefer making these over decorating sugar cookies with royal icing? Spritz cookies are much neater and faster to make, and are festive right out of the oven!
This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page.
My Favorite Spritz Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 84 bite-size cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These are my favorite spritz cookies! Using a cookie press, shape this easy cookie dough into intricate shapes and have fun decorating with sprinkles, chocolate, and chocolate chips. No cookie dough chilling required and they freeze and ship wonderfully.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 and 1/3 cups (291g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- optional: gel food coloring, sprinkles, chocolate chips, and melted chocolate for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Line 2 or 3 large baking sheets with silicone baking mats, or use nonstick baking sheets with no liner. (Do not use parchment paper because the cookie dough, when pressed out of the cookie press, will not adhere to it.) While the oven is preheating, and if your refrigerator or freezer has room, it’s helpful to chill your lined baking sheets. It sounds odd, but dough coming out of the cookie press adheres much better to a cold surface.
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- On low speed, beat in the flour and salt. Turn up to high speed and beat until completely combined.
- Press the dough: Follow cookie press manufacturer’s directions to fit your cookie press with a decorative plate. Scrape some of the dough into your cookie press. Hold the cookie press perpendicular to the cold lined baking sheet and press out the cookies 2 inches (5 cm) apart. If desired, decorate the shaped cookie dough with sprinkles or press a chocolate chip into the center. Note: It’s helpful to lightly brush the shaped cookie dough with water before adding sprinkles—this helps them stick.
- If the cookie dough becomes too soft as you work, chill the shaped cookie dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before baking.
- Bake until very lightly browned on the edges, 7–9 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, drizzle with melted chocolate.
- Cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for up to 4 days before pressing the dough through the cookie press. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months; allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before continuing with step 5. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months; thaw before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | OXO Cookie Press | Cooling Rack | Gel Food Coloring (if desired for tinting the cookie dough) | Sprinkles (such as Red Sanding Sugar, Green Sanding Sugar, Sapphire Sanding Sugar, or Christmas Nonpareils)
- Almond Extract: Almond extract adds such a wonderful flavor and I don’t recommend skipping it. If desired, you can leave it out completely or add another 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract in its place. You can also substitute with 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, lemon extract, or another flavor extract you enjoy. Adding 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon is delicious too!
- Food Coloring: I tinted 1/4 of the cookie dough green with 1 very tiny drop of green food coloring. I recommend gel food coloring. Use sparingly; 2 drops is plenty for the entire batch.
- No Cookie Press? No problem! Instead, use a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch (13 mm) open star tip and use my butter cookies recipe, which is this cookie dough with a little milk to help make it pipe-able.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I love this recipe real easy ive made it 2 times so far and never had any problems so thank you Linda
I envy everyone who had a great result with this recipe. I am making them in Norway so maybe ingredients are slightly different and I used my age old cookie press. It wouldn’t release and this recipe didn’t work out at all even trying your advice about cold cookie sheets. I ended throwing out the dough and the cookie press. Will order a new cookie press and try again next year.
I am right there with you—my cookies were an absolute fail.
I also was unable to press the cookies. I followed the recipe exactly, including spooning the flour. I ended up rolling the dough and using cookie cutters. The flavor is good. It’s just not what I was planning to bake.
Karen, pay closer attention to the flour and butter mix, if its off and on the dry side, no press will work. Good Luck.
I haven’t tried this recipe but they are all so similar. I’ve used many cookie press. The OXO is the way to go! And start with an easy shape such as the heart. If it doesn’t look good toss is back in dough bowl and keep trying til you get the hang of it. There is a tension that you will feel in the handle that is just right.
I have an antique cookie press that you turn the dial at the top. It didn’t’t do well until I refrigerated the dough for awhile. Freezer briefly in hind sight would be faster. We opted to get a new Oxo cookie press today to give that a try! Cookies tasted great though.
Any way to use THIS recipe but just make them into rollable dough?
Hi Johanna! We highly recommend our sugar cookie dough – it’s VERY similar to this dough. But let us know if you try this dough instead!
I tried this recipe today and absolutely love it!!!! The cookie was amazing. Buttery and smooth. I made several different cookies, some lemony, some chocolate covered and even strawberry jelly covered in the middle …my boys loved just simple sugar doused cookies lol …awesome recipe, it’s a keeper ❤️
I’m surprised by all the negative reviews! We made this exactly as written and had zero problems with sticking or spreading. The cookies came out perfect and were all eaten within 24 hours. Will be the go-to recipe every holiday now.
I was really disappointed with the recipe recommended by the manufacturer of my spritz cookie maker so I tried this one and love the flavor and how delicate the cookies. I was also impressed by how easily they came out. This was the first spritz recipe that was not troublesome to eject. I lost some of the definition in the shape, but am overall pleased with the recipe.
These were just perfect!
Normally I just use the Wilton recipe that is on the Spritz cookie press box, but decided to try something different this year. All I can say is bleh. The dough tastes good (reduced the salt because it sounded like a bit much), but like others I had such a hard time pressing these out. I eventually got it to work after chilling the dough a bit and using “easier” shapes. After that frustrating step, baking was another issue. The dough spread more than normal (probably because I had to reload it several times back into the press since it wasn’t sticking to the tray) and the time took longer than expected. I did 10 minutes on one batch and realized they were still raw. I didn’t use silicon mats based on other reviews, but then that meant they didn’t want to easily release. Again the flavor is good, but the hassle took the fun out of making Spritz cookies.
This recipe worked good. I make it exactly as written. Next time I think I would put in a little more vanilla or almond extract, but they were good. I did not chill the dough and they worked fine with my cheap spritz “machine” They kept their shape well, oven temp and time were perfect. I will make them again!
The taste of these cookies were great but no matter what I do I can’t stop them from turning into blobs. I’ve tried adding extra tablespoons of flour, I measured the butter temperature to make sure it wasn’t too soft, and I even chilled the cookies in the fridge for 2 hours before baking. I followed times recommended to make sure I didn’t mix too long. Am I doing something wrong?
Hi Maria! These spritz cookies will spread– the shapes are never as crisp and defined as they are before baking. However, to reduce over-spreading, continue to do everything you listed you’re doing, but remove the egg white. This is a little trick I’ve worked on with this dough that helps– simply use 1 egg yolk instead of 1 whole egg. Let me know if you try it.
Hi Sally! I used the egg yolk rather than the whole egg as you recommended and it worked! My cookies no longer look like unidentifiable shapes but like what I pressed them out as! Thank you again 🙂
The only thing different between this and my mother’s recipe is that yours has no baking powder – I use 1/2 tsp and they are great and don’t stick and don’t spread in the over, they just puff into perfect spritz cookies.
Can I use salted butter and just not add the additional salt? Asking because I already have it in my freezer.
Hi Marianne, if using salted butter, you can reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
i made the cookies because the showed first in google, lots of positive reviews too. sadly the cookies are really bad, a waste of ingredients. too soft, not crunchy at all, too floury/sandy, too salty and sweet. a total failure
Cookies are delicious–the almond extract is a great addition. I bought the OXO cookie press and had some trouble with the dough sticking, until it got really warm, and I got the hang of yanking it off the cookie sheet kind of fast. Only complaint is that the cookies are SO small! They are one-bite wonders, for sure. Will make another batch to decorate with chocolate ribbons, though.
Hi Sally,
I haven’t made spritz cookies in quite a while since I’ve always had trouble with the dough releasing from the press onto the sheet. I want to give your recipe a shot since none of your other recipes have ever failed me. After reading one of the tips about using thin baking sheets, I’m worried I will have problems because all my cookie sheets are the double insulated kind. Do you think this will be a problem? I really don’t want to run out and buy thin cookie sheets just for one type of cookie if I don’t have to. Any ideas? Thanks.
Hi Bella, They should be just fine. We use the same cookie sheets we always do for these cookies!
The thickness of the sheet isn’t going to make a difference- the dough doesn’t know the difference between thick and thin. It’s the surface of the sheet that matters. I think people qere pointing out that they were using thin cookie sheets meaning basic, not at all expensive sheets that aren’t nonstick or those really nice ones that are really smooth even after years of use. The “cheaper” type has almost a texture after years of use and that, plus chilling the sheet if necessary, causes the dough to cling, pulling it from the press. Regardless of the sheet you use, you can likely just chill it for a few minutes before pressing if you’re having trouble with dough sticking to the press. And wash in between batches- the butter left behind from one batch will cause the next batch to not cling to the pan. I only use the old, thin sheets and always do this when baking any kind of cookies, otherwise the second batch doesn’t spread right.
These turned out really great. I couldn’t find my cookie press so used a decorator tip. Not quite as pretty, but they baked perfectly, held their shape and taste delicious! Will use this recipe again!!
Just like every single one of Sally’s recipes, these cookies turned out perfectly. I recommend using a thin cookie sheet which I put into the freezer before using with a room temperature dough. Instead of almond extract, I used two teaspoons of Cook’s vanilla bean paste. They turned out delicious.
Could I use chilled brown butter instead of regular butter in this recipe? I’ll take any opportunity to use brown butter!
Absolutely! Here’s our post on browning butter – we suggest reading the section titled “Is There a Loss of Moisture?” for some tips on using brown butter in recipes.
Thank you so much for the recipe! The cookies are very tasty! I really appreciate you taking the time to explain why, I didn’t know why the temperature of the butter is important before but now I do and that helps me remember to plan ahead and take the butter out. The cookie press is easy to use, my daughter had fun using it. I did have trouble when using the parchment paper, but I followed the recommendations of others to just release the cookies directly on the pan and waited a few seconds, that worked.
I’m not a huge fan of almond flavor. Would it work to just use vanilla instead, or is the almond extract imperative?
See recipe notes for details on almond extract!
Absolutely perfect! I have a brand new cookie press I wanted to try and this was a great recipe. My cookie press is electric, requiring the dough to be VERY soft to push through. Due to that, I did add milk as she suggests for using a piping bag. So tasty, and definitely not too salty as another comment had said.
I bake spritz cookies every year using the the same recipe. Decided to try a new recipe. Very disappointed. Cookies spread too much. Followed the recipe exactly. I’ll go back to mine.
Oh my, so disappointed, spent a long time spritzing and decorating to have them melt into globs in the oven. They were to give to the old peoples home..not gonna happen now. Gotta bake different cookies.
how do you drizzle chocolate on sugar cookies without making a mess?
It always makes a mess! We like to drizzle the cookies over parchment paper so we can simply lift off the cookies after drizzling and discard the parchment paper.
I tried these yesterday, and they turned out great! But like some other readers, I had trouble with the dough sticking to the press at first. I tried using a silpat and parchment, but the cookies stayed on the press. Finally I tried a plain, ungreased baking sheet, and it worked! I washed the pan between batches too. I didn’t worry about the dough temperature. Maybe that will be helpful for someone.
These came out perfect and it was my first time using a cookie press! I think the room temp butter and egg made the difference.
Very sticky dough. Did not work for me at all. Even after chilling way too sticky.
These are great! My first time using a cookie press I’ve owned for 25 years correctly. Used it when I got it, but used the wrong kind of batter and never tried it again, until now. Turned out great! I found that my cookies wouldn’t release if the pan had any residue from the previous batch. After I fixed the problem they released every time.
Just not enough almond flavor for me. First time around , the dough was too soft so chilled for 15 minutes and they came out of the press ok.
I got a cookie poured as an early Christmas present and I’m excited to try these! It came with a maple leaf disk, and I was thinking of making a maple-flavored batch. Do you think I could substitute maple extract for the almond?
Absolutely- sounds delicious 🙂