Spritz Cookies (2024)

Published: Dec 10, 2017 · Modified: Nov 16, 2023 · by Debra with 12 Comments · 2096 words. About 11 minutes to read this article. · This post contains paid links and affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Spritz cookies are traditional German Christmas cookies made with a cookie press and lots of butter! My recipe only has five ingredients and a few secrets that make these the best buttery spritz cookies you've ever tasted.

My family's recipe for spritz cookies is better than your family's recipe for spritz cookies. Why? Salted butter and egg yolks. These are my grandmother's secrets and they work, trust me, she made dozens and dozens of them every Christmas.

First, salted butter in a spritz cookies recipe will change your life! This is a super old-fashioned 1960's Betty Crocker type recipe, and I don't even know if they sold unsalted butter back then. (They did...but you know what I mean.)

Second, I'm not messing around with just one egg to hold everything together. We're using 3 egg yolks! They make the cookies rich, tender, and delicious.

Finally, you don't need a mixer of any kind! A mixing bowl and a wooden spoon will do! And if you want more Christmas cookie recipes with festive shapes, try Basler Brunsli!

Spritz cookies ingredients

Classic spritz butter cookies are a must for Christmas and so easy to make! It's one of the most unfussy Christmas cookie recipes, made with simple ingredients that every grandmother has in her kitchen!

• Flour: Standard AP flour
• Salted butter: Yes, SALTED butter! Using salted butter in cookies ensures that you get just the right amount of salt in every bite. (But if you really want to use unsalted, just add ½ teaspoon of salt.)
• Egg yolks: This recipe has three egg yolks, which act as much more than a binder, and gives the cookies a beautiful texture and added richness.
• Sugar and pure vanilla extract: Most spritz cookie recipes have almond extract, but that can taste artificial. Just using vanilla complements the sugar and allows the buttery flavor to shine through.
• Food coloring, sprinkles, sanding sugar: Decorating spritz cookies for Christmas is optional, but can be fun. Because they are small, you just need a little bit of something to give them lots of pizazz! I use regular food coloring because I like the old-fashioned spritz colors that my grandmother made, but use gel food coloring if you want super bright colors.

How to make spritz cookies

Step 1: Cream the butter, sugar, and wet ingredients

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Add the egg yolks, softened butter, and sugar to a mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon, a fork, or a hand mixer to cream them all together.

Step 2: Add food coloring if using

Add a few drops of food coloring to the butter mixture and stir until it's completely incorporated and no streaks remain.

TIP: If you want to make two or more colors of dough in one batch, divide the dough after you add the flour and then add food coloring. It is a stiff dough and you may have to work it in with your hands to get all the streaks out.

Step 3: Add the flour and form the spritz dough

Add the flour to the bowl and stir using a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until well mixed. You'll probably have to bring it together with your hands as you would pie dough to finish it. Make sure there are no white spots of flour remaining.

Step 4: Place dough into the cookie press

Select shape, put the dough into the cookie press, and press cookies out onto a cookie sheet. They really don't spread when they bake, so you can get a lot onto one cookie sheet.

Step 5: Bake those buttery spritz cookies!

If you're decorating with sprinkles or sanding sugar, do that now, then bake for 6-8 minutes, until the cookies are set but not browning.

Allow to cool for 3-4 minutes on the cookie sheet, then carefully transfer them to a parchment lined wire rack to cool completely.

Continue with various shapes and colors.

Tips for foolproof spritz cookies

• Make sure the dough is room temperature. This is probably the most important thing when making spritz cookies. Do not chill the dough!
• Don't use parchment paper or non-stick cookie sheets for spritz cookies. This dough needs something it can stick to a little in order to come off the press. The cookies have so much butter in them, I've never had a problem with them sticking to a regular cookie sheet when they bake.
• Let the cookie sheets cool before you reuse them for the next batch! Don't use a hot cookie sheet for spritz! They will slippy-slide all over the place and just turn into blobs.
• I like to use insulated baking sheets for spritz cookies. Since they are so small and buttery, this type of cookie sheet seems to keep them from getting too brown on the bottom.
• It's fine to use your hands when making spritz! This is not a precious dough, it needs to be at room temperature and it's got a fairly sturdy consistency. Don't be afraid about using your hands to bring the dough together, to divide it, or when transferring it to the cookie press.

Tips for using a cookie press

• You need a good cookie press. The cheap ones tend to break almost immediately. I'm never giving up my vintage 1970s splendor of a cookie press, but this Marcato cookie press is made of anodized aluminum and steel, has a 10-year warranty and comes in fun colors! Sally's Baking Recipes recommends this OXO cookie press, and I swear by OXO products, so it also seems like a good choice.
• When pressing out the cookies, start with the cookie press completely flush/in contact with the cookie sheet. Don't press the dough out if the press is still hovering above it. I literally twist my neck and get down at eye level with the cookie sheet when I'm pressing out the cookies so I can see when to stop pressing and lift the press off the sheet. I usually get one or two that are too much dough and one or two that are too little, then I get into a rhythm with them.
• Stop pressing the dough out and wait a beat before you lift the press up. That one little second of waiting seems to really help to set the cookie shape and allow the dough to release from the press. So the rhythm goes: Cookie press resting flat on cookie sheet, press dough out, stop, then lift.

My cookie press: I have a vintage Super Shooter electric cookie press that I got from my mom. My mother has no idea where this came from. No idea. She borrowed it from someone? Someone gave it to her? Did you give it to her? Anyone claiming this thing? Well, too late. It's mine now. The plug gets real hot when you use it, but it's fine, it's fine. Love your cookie press? What kind is it? Tell me in the comments!

FAQ

Make ahead and storage

You can make the cookie dough a day ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Make sure to allow the dough to come to room temperature before you press them out.

Spritz butter cookies can be baked way before Christmas. My grandmother made them in early December! Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month.

More cookie recipes

• Alfajores are traditional Argentinian sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche!
• These festive Amaretti Cookies with co*cktail Cherries are perfect for a holiday cookie swap!
• Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies are a one-bowl recipe.
• You can't get any simpler than Palmiers (Elephant Ear Cookies), they only have two ingredients!
• Everyone wants more chocolate so Gluten-Free Triple Chocolate Buckwheat Cookies ought to do the trick.

Spritz butter cookies are an easy Christmas baking recipe!

• Made in one bowl, and you don't need a mixer of any kind. (You can use one if you really want to...)
• Quick, no chill dough, ready in 5 minutes!
• Spritz cookies are small and don't really spread, so you can bake a lot at one time!
• Can be made in fun festive colors and decorated with colorful sprinkles!
• Spritz Christmas cookies keep for up to one month, which makes them a great make ahead choice for holiday baking!

If you enjoy this recipe,please leave me a 5-star rating in the recipe card! It really helps others find my content and helps my business grow!Sign up for mynewsletterfor recipes delivered to your inbox and follow me on Instagram and Pinterest! Thank you!

Recipe