Spritz Cookies are the most delicious and beautiful Christmas cookies. Follow my simple steps to make this amazing holiday treat!
Cookie making day around the holidays is one of my favorite with my kiddos. We are always looking to add new fun recipes to our cookie exchange, and these Spritz Cookies are my new favorite! This recipe comes from Wilton, meant to go with their cookie press.
These cookies look absolutely gorgeous, but they couldn’t be easier to make. Don’t miss all our tips and tricks to make these amazing classic cookies.
What Makes These Cookies Special
Aside from the eye appeal of these festive cookies, they are easy to make and so delicious. With no dough-chilling required and lots of ways to make them extra festive, this is a great cookie recipe to make with your kids, enjoy around the holidays, or give as gifts. Made into fun shapes with a cookie press, the buttery dough is flavored with almond and vanilla. All of these components make this the best spritz cookie recipe.
How to Make Spritz Cookies
Here is a brief overview of how this spritz cookie recipe comes together. For the full recipe including all measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and set aside.
- Cream sugar and butter. In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, then the milk, and then add in the vanilla and the almond extract.
- Add the flour mixture. Combine the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix just until they are combined.
- Press the cookies. Fill the barrel of the cookie press with the cookie dough. Press into cookies onto the rimmed ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake the cookies. Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown.
Using A Cookie Press
A cookie press is the kitchen gadget that we use to make spritz cookies into their fun shapes. The spritz cookie press that I share below is perfect. If you don’t have a cookie press, you can use a piping bag with decorative tips.
When pressing your cookies, it is important that you press them onto an ungreased, unlined, cold baking sheet. You want the dough to come out of the press and stick to the cookie sheet so that it doesn’t get stuck in the press.
Cookie Press
Cookie Tips
These tips and tricks will help your recipe for spritz cookies turn out perfectly every time.
- Measure your flour correctly. Since this is such a crucial part of any baking recipe, it has its own section below.
- Don’t overmix the dough. When you combine the wet and dry ingredients, it is important to mix them just until they are combined. Start with the mixer on very low, then once you are able, turn it up all the way until the flour is just combined. The goal is to combine the flour mixture without over-mixing it, so mixing for the minimal amount of time is what you want to do.
- Make sure your baking powder is fresh. Baking powder should be replaced every six months so that it is fresh. Test the freshness of your baking powder by mixing a little bit with some water. It should bubble up right away. If it doesn’t you should buy new baking powder for this recipe.
- Use room-temperature butter. If your butter is too hard, it won’t whip together with the sugar. It should be soft enough that you can dent it with your finger, but not be able to push it all the way through. To do this quickly, cut the butter into one-inch pieces and let them sit on the counter for 30 minutes. I do not recommend microwaving it.
- Do not grease your cookie sheet. This is such a key point of this recipe. If you grease your sheet pan or use parchment paper, the dough will not stick to it and won’t release from the cookie press.
Baking Sheets
Measuring Flour
Getting too much (or too little) flour in this baking recipe can make or break how the cookies turn out. Follow these simple steps anytime you are measuring flour for a recipe.
- Start by whisking the flour in the container or bag it’s stored in.
- Use a spoon to scoop the flour from its container into a dry measuring cup. Do not use the measuring cup to scoop it from the container or it will pack, resulting in more flour than what you need.
- Use the flat edge of a spatula to level off any extra flour.
Customize Your Spritz Cookies
Make your spritz cookies festive and full of holiday magic! Here are a few ways to customize them for the holidays.
- Make colored spritz cookies. This is a fun way to make your tree-shaped cookies green, etc. If you want to make all of the cookies the same color, add a few drops of food coloring to your dough when you add the flavored extracts. If you only want to color some of them or use different colors, mix all of the dough as the recipe says and then divide it into a separate bowl for each color. One or two drops of food coloring are plenty to color the dough.
- Add sprinkles: Adding colored sprinkles, nonpareils, or sugar is another way to dress up these cookies! Add them right after your cookies come out of the oven.
- Chocolate drizzle: Once the cookies have been baked and cooled, drizzle melted chocolate over them. Either milk chocolate or white chocolate (or even candy melts!) would be amazing on these.
Make Ahead
You can make this dough up to three days in advance and store it in an airtight container until you are ready to make your cookies. Allow the dough to come to room temperature before putting it in your cookie press.
Once baked, spritz cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. If you want to make them further in advance than that, see my tips below for freezing them.
Freezing Cookies
This recipe for spritz cookies is great to make ahead and freeze. Once they are baked and have cooled, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container and store in the freezer for up to three months. Allow to thaw before eating.
Other Holiday Cookie Recipes
Looking for other delicious treats to make this season? Here are a few of my favorite irresistible cookie recipes!
If you make this spritz cookies recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave a comment and let me know. I love hearing from you, especially when you make my recipes for holidays and celebrations!
Spritz Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (420 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature (339 grams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (198 grams)
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons milk (I used skim, but higher fat content would be fine)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Set aside two rimmed baking sheets.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 6 minutes. Add in the egg, then the milk, and then add in the vanilla and the almond extract.1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, 1 egg
- Add in the flour mixture. Start with the mixer on very low, then once you are able, turn it up all the way until the flour is just combined. The goal is to combine the flour mixture without over-mixing it, so mixing for the minimal amount of time is what you want to do.
- Fill the barrel of the cookie press with the dough. Press into cookies onto the rimmed baking sheets. For best results, do not grease the pan or use parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. Immediately add sprinkles to the hot cookies. Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
did you make this
Spritz Cookies
Recipe from Wilton
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