Spritz Cookies
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy. Press, bake, decorate! Easily whip up over 6 dozen buttery spritz cookies—with no dough chilling required, they’re the perfect fuss-free and festive addition to your holiday cookie trays. Buttery spritz cookies, a German classic, add a whimsical touch to any holiday cookie platter. Named after the German word “spritzen,” meaning “to squirt,” these cookies get their unique shapes from a cookie press—an essential tool easily found online or in kitchen shops. This recipe yields over six dozen cookies, making them perfect for cookie swaps, holiday parties, or sharing with friends. They’re also a great baking project with kids! Decorating is the most fun part—tint the dough with food coloring for a rainbow of hues or drizzle with icing and add sprinkles to transform them into edible works of art. So, grab your cookie press and get baking! What You’ll Need To Make Spritz cookies Butter: Provides richness and flavor to the cookies and contributes to their tender texture. Sugar: Sweetens the dough and gives them a light and delicate crumb. Egg: Adds structure, helps bind the ingredients together, and prevents the cookies from becoming too crumbly. Almond Extract: Provides a subtle yet distinct almond flavor. A little goes a long way! Vanilla Extract: Adds warm, aromatic flavor to the cookies. All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the dough; measure using the spoon-and-level method to ensure accuracy. Food Coloring: Optional but adds a fun, festive touch. Light Corn Syrup or Glaze Icing: Acts as an adhesive, ensuring that decorative elements adhere to the cookies securely. Sparkling Sugar, Nonpareils, or Sprinkles: Adds texture and visual appeal to the cookies. Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements Butter: Provides richness and flavor to the cookies and contributes to their tender texture. Sugar: Sweetens the dough and gives them a light and delicate crumb. Egg: Adds structure, helps bind the ingredients together, and prevents the cookies from becoming too crumbly. Almond Extract: Provides a subtle yet distinct almond flavor. A little goes a long way! Vanilla Extract: Adds warm, aromatic flavor to the cookies. All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the dough; measure using the spoon-and-level method to ensure accuracy. Food Coloring: Optional but adds a fun, festive touch. Light Corn Syrup or Glaze Icing: Acts as an adhesive, ensuring that decorative elements adhere to the cookies securely. Sparkling Sugar, Nonpareils, or Sprinkles: Adds texture and visual appeal to the cookies. Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements Step-by-Step Instructions Preheat the oven to 350°F and set two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter, sugar, and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the flour. Mix on low speed until combined. Initially, the dough will appear crumbly, but keep mixing and it will eventually come together. If you wish to color the dough, add a few drops of food coloring at this stage and continue mixing until the color is evenly distributed. Ensure your baking sheets are at room temperature, and do not grease them or line them with parchment paper. Load the cookie press with some of the dough. Hold the cookie press upright and directly above a baking sheet. Firmly press out the cookies, ensuring they are spaced about 1½ inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are just starting to turn golden around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. To decorate the cookies, lightly dab, drizzle, or brush a small amount of light corn syrup over each cookie. Then, either gently dip them into the sprinkles or sprinkle the decorations directly over the cookies. The baked cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days; freeze for longer storage. You May Also Like RecipeComments (19)Add Comment Recipe Comments (19) Add Comment Ingredients 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature ¾ cup sugar ½ teaspoon salt 1 large egg ½ teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2¼ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off Food coloring (optional; see note) 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature ¾ cup sugar ½ teaspoon salt 1 large egg ½ teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2¼ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off Food coloring (optional; see note) For Decorating Light corn syrup or glaze icing Sparkling sugar, nonpareils, or sprinkles Light corn syrup or glaze icing Sparkling sugar, nonpareils, or sprinkles Special Equipment Cookie press Cookie press Instructions Preheat the oven to 350°F and set two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter, sugar, and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and mix on low speed until combined. Initially, the dough will appear crumbly, but it will eventually come together. If you wish to color the dough, add a few drops of food coloring at this stage and continue mixing until the color is evenly distributed. Before you begin, ensure your baking sheets are at room temperature. Do not grease them or line them with parchment paper, as the cookie press won’t work effectively on surfaces that are warm, parchment-lined, or greased. Follow the directions provided by your cookie press manufacturer for attaching a decorative plate. Load the cookie press with some of the dough. To press out the cookies, hold the cookie press upright and position it so that it is directly touching the baking sheet. Firmly press out the cookies, spacing them about 1½ inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, or until the cookies are just starting to turn golden around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches (as mentioned above, the cookie press will not work on warm baking sheets). To decorate the cookies, lightly dab, drizzle, or brush a small amount of corn syrup over each cookie. Then, either gently dip them into the sprinkles or sprinkle the decorations directly over the cookies. Remember, a little corn syrup goes a long way, so use it very sparingly. Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cookie dough can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in plastic, for up to 3 days. Allow it to reach room temperature before pressing and baking. The baked cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For freezing, first cool the cookies completely, then store them in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper, for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature before serving. Note on Food Coloring: For optimal results in coloring your spritz cookie dough, I recommend using gel food coloring. It's more concentrated than its liquid counterpart, allowing you to achieve rich colors with less product and without altering the dough's consistency (excess moisture from liquid coloring can impact the dough’s ability to maintain its shape). Gel food coloring is available in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. Remember, a little goes a long way; start with a small amount and add gradually to reach your desired hue. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter, sugar, and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and mix on low speed until combined. Initially, the dough will appear crumbly, but it will eventually come together. If you wish to color the dough, add a few drops of food coloring at this stage and continue mixing until the color is evenly distributed. Before you begin, ensure your baking sheets are at room temperature. Do not grease them or line them with parchment paper, as the cookie press won’t work effectively on surfaces that are warm, parchment-lined, or greased. Follow the directions provided by your cookie press manufacturer for attaching a decorative plate. Load the cookie press with some of the dough. To press out the cookies, hold the cookie press upright and position it so that it is directly touching the baking sheet. Firmly press out the cookies, spacing them about 1½ inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, or until the cookies are just starting to turn golden around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches (as mentioned above, the cookie press will not work on warm baking sheets). To decorate the cookies, lightly dab, drizzle, or brush a small amount of corn syrup over each cookie. Then, either gently dip them into the sprinkles or sprinkle the decorations directly over the cookies. Remember, a little corn syrup goes a long way, so use it very sparingly. Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cookie dough can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in plastic, for up to 3 days. Allow it to reach room temperature before pressing and baking. The baked cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For freezing, first cool the cookies completely, then store them in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper, for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature before serving. Note on Food Coloring: For optimal results in coloring your spritz cookie dough, I recommend using gel food coloring. It's more concentrated than its liquid counterpart, allowing you to achieve rich colors with less product and without altering the dough's consistency (excess moisture from liquid coloring can impact the dough’s ability to maintain its shape). Gel food coloring is available in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. Remember, a little goes a long way; start with a small amount and add gradually to reach your desired hue. Nutrition Information Powered by Serving size: 1 cookie Calories: 39 Fat: 2 g Carbohydrates: 4 g Sugar: 2 g Fiber: 0 g Protein: 0 g Sodium: 15 mg Cholesterol: 8 mg Serving size: 1 cookie Calories: 39 Fat: 2 g Carbohydrates: 4 g Sugar: 2 g Fiber: 0 g Protein: 0 g Sodium: 15 mg Cholesterol: 8 mg This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. See more recipes: Cookies & CandyDessertFreezer-FriendlyHolidaysMake-Ahead Cookies & Candy Dessert Freezer-Friendly Holidays Make-Ahead