Spritz Cookies Recipe (2024)

By Alison Roman

Spritz Cookies Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(820)
Notes
Read community notes

A basic cookie dough recipe is at the heart of this treat, great for any occasion. A cookie press (think of a caulking machine, but with cookie dough) offers lots of versatility, whether you're looking for wreaths for the holidays or hearts for Valentine's Day. Just beat together the ingredients, and place the dough in the press just after mixing. Push the dough through onto parchment paper, decorate with colored sugars and bake. They'll add a bit of color and joy to any cookie platter.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 2 dozen cookies

  • cups all-purpose flour
  • 1teaspoon baking powder
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt
  • cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
  • cups granulated sugar
  • 3large eggs
  • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Coarse or decorative sugar, sesame seeds or poppy seeds

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)

220 calories; 12 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 105 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Spritz Cookies Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

  2. Step

    2

    In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar on medium-high until the mixture is superlight, fluffy and pale, about 5 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl and add in two eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract and beat until everything is well combined, about 2 minutes.

  3. Step

    3

    Add in dry ingredients and beat just to blend, about a minute. Load dough into cookie press and make shapes as desired, pushing dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and spacing cookies 1 inch apart.

  4. Step

    4

    Beat remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water. Using a pastry brush, coat cookies with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar (pearl, sanding and colored sugars all work here), black or white sesame seeds, or poppy seeds. Bake until golden brown and baked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

Tip

  • Cookie dough can be made 5 days ahead, refrigerated (bring to room temperature before pressing them). Cookies can be baked 2 days ahead, wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature.

Ratings

4

out of 5

820

user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

S Harrington

I do not recommend this recipe. I think the main problem is the leavening. The spritz cookie recipes that I have used previously were more of a short dough without baking powder. The baking powder renders them puffy and shapeless. My stars just turned into rounded flower shapes. Additionally, the parchment paper was not workable. They did sort of stick to an ungreased sheet pan however.

I am going back to my Joy of Cooking recipe.

Diane

I am sticking with my Joy of Cooking recipe. The note on "How to make sugar cookies " found below this recipe is confusing . A " Spritz" cookie recipe is all about the butter. I look forward to trying the spice and snckerdoodle recipes. Thanks !

Kim

I usually chill the dough for 20-30 minutes before trying to put it through the press--you won't need to add extra flour and the cookies will be more tender!

Jen

Like many others wrote, the dough did not hold its shape. The first sheet I baked had room-temperature dough, and all cookies spread completely flat. For the 2nd sheet, I refrigerated the pressed dough for about 30 mins., then baked. Same result: spread cookies. They taste great (like extra rich Pepperidge Farm Milanos), but without the shape, they weren’t spritz! I’ll move on to another recipe.

Shelley Dreyer-Green

Christmas Spritz have been my favorite cookie since I was very young. Growing up, I used to make them off and on throughout the year, much to my family's delight! What made them distinctive was the almond flavoring used in most traditional recipes. You can use all almond or both vanilla and almond, but for me, a Spritz without the almond flavoring doesn't live up to the name.

Clarence Beeks

These are delicious but do not hold their shape in baking. I recommend at least another half cup of flour and a 375-400 degree oven with shorter bake time. As another comment points out, the stickiness of the dough requires either fixing the parchment paper to the sheet pan or not using it. Egg wash is not required.

colleen

I did not live this recipe. They seemed pasty in my mouth. I live spritz cookies but will try a different one next time.

Betsy

I agree that you don't need to use parchment paper. Dough will not stick. Just use ungreased cookie sheet. I'm not really sure about the egg wash before baking. Sprinkles, and whatnot, stay on and the egg wash just makes top shiny and slightly brown. I've never used an egg wash on this type of cookie before and they have been just fine. I think having a really good cookie press is key to the shapes turning out. Only tried my xmas tree shape though, but that can be a tough one.

Suzanne in Virginia

I usually make these cookies with almond extract which is better. They were difficult to separate from the cookie press, however and had only a very mild taste. I appreciated the suggestion of poppy and sesame seeds. I also used cumin and M&M’s. The egg wash made them quite beautiful. I made different batches of colors and it took the entire afternoon.

Meg J

I love Allison Roman's recipes, but this misses the mark completely; two eggs is too much. My spritz shapes came out as unrecognizable blobs. Back to the recipe I have used for years; Norwegian Spritz Cookies from Gourmet. One egg, and a little baking powder in the flour for really crisp cookies. No need to brush the cookies with egg wash; the decorating sugar adheres just fine to the buttery dough.

Mary

I agree with others that this is not a worthwhile spritz recipe unfortunately. Stick to Melissa Clarke’s almond spritz recipe!

Tucson Cook

I concur. The standard recipe in Joy of Cooking gives a better result. Not only did the cookies lose their shape because of the baking powder, the metallic taste was evident. It was still fun for the grandkids.

SQ

Allison Roman is always off. There shouldn’t be leavening in a spritz cookie. It’s a classic short cookie. When I see her recipes now I just keep moving.

Danny Joe

COMPLETE fail, relative to the Spritz recipe that came on the side of the cookie press retail box. I followed recipe to a tee. I had TONS of trouble getting the cookies to stick to parchment from the press. Only a small set of the shape disks worked at all. I ended up just pressing them onto the baking sheet directly. The end result... I bunch of shapeless blobs. DISAPPOINTING to say the least.

Cathy

Anybody else have trouble getting the dough that comes out of the cookie press to stay on the parchment paper? Mine were all misshaped because I had to use a knife to get the dough to stay down.

Emma

I don’t know what all of the negative comments are about. I made these and they came out perfect. I don’t have a cookie press so I used cutters. It makes A TON.

ROK

Because its actually supposed to work as a recipe for Spritz cookie, using a cookie press, Which you don't even own?

dvnlilly

This recipe yields far more than 2 dozen. I ended up with like triple that.

Paige

What a mess. Egg wash glued the cookies to the sheet, broke apart trying to remove them. Embarrassing.

lollyemm

I actually broke my cookie press with this dough, so while I wouldn’t recommend it for that use I did roll and cut/stamp cookies instead and we couldn’t stop eating them. Tasty, but maybe not as a spritz recipe...

Lucy Bell

Too too much butter, yes puffy, yes too delicious

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Spritz Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to using a cookie press? ›

If it's too cold, it'll be hard to squeeze out of the pres. If it's too warm, it'll be too soft, and it won't hold its shape when baked. Holding your hand on the tube will warm the dough, so try to use just one hand on the trigger – place your other hand on the cookie sheet to keep it from moving.

What consistency should spritz cookie dough be? ›

*Perfect spritz dough has a soft malleable texture that is not too sticky or stiff. Creamed butter and sugar is the foundation of great spritz cookies.

Why won t my spritz cookies come out of the press? ›

Place it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 minutes and try again. Butter is highly recommended when making Spritz cookie dough. If margarine or solid vegetable shortening is used, the dough may turn out too soft to release from the press.

Should you use parchment paper when baking spritz cookies? ›

No do not use parchment paper and do not grease the cookie sheet either. Spritz are butter cookies so they need something grippy to grip onto. And since there is so much butter in the recipe they come off the cookie sheet very easily.

How do you keep spritz cookies from spreading? ›

Helpful Hints and Tips for Perfect Spritz Cookies:

Do not chill the dough before using. The dough should be at room temperature so it can be piped through the press. If your cookies start to spread or your kitchen is warm, try chilling the pans in the refrigerator for a few minutes before piping the cookies on the pan.

How do you soften cookie dough for a cookie press? ›

Take the cookie dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 15-30 minutes. This allows the fats in the dough (like butter) to soften, making the dough more pliable. Gently knead the dough with your hands. This helps distribute warmth and encourages the fats to soften.

Why do my spritz cookies taste like flour? ›

Improper flour measurement is the #1 cause of your cookie dough being too dry or the cookies tasting like flour.

What do I do if my Spritz cookie dough is too dry? ›

There are a few things you can do to add liquid to your cookie dough if it is too dry and crumbly. One option is to add milk, water, or another liquid until the dough is the right consistency. You can also try adding melted butter or shortening. If your dough is still too dry, you may need to add more flour.

Why are my spritz cookies tough? ›

Simply adding the flour to the stand mixer and beating it in runs the risk of overdeveloping gluten and giving you a tough or dense cookie (not what you want after all that work with the creaming). Instead, the best method is to add the flour and mix it in by hand, stopping as soon as no dry flour remains.

Why are my spritz cookies spreading? ›

Warm Cookie Sheets

If you're batch baking your cookies, make sure you're placing cookie dough on cooled cookie sheets. If the cookie sheets are too warm, they can cause the cookies to spread.

When making spritz cookies do you decorate before or after baking? ›

If you decide to use icing make sure the cookies are cooled completely before decorating them and don't add any sprinkles before baking. This spritz cookies recipe bakes quickly so keep an eye on them, you don't want them to brown they should just be starting to turn ever so slightly golden at the edges.

Why is my Spritz cookie dough crumbly? ›

There are many reasons why your cookie dough may be crumbly. The most obvious culprit: not enough liquid to keep the dough together. Double check all liquid ingredients.

Is it OK to use foil instead of parchment paper for cookies? ›

Aluminum Foil with Oil: Good for Baking, Especially at Hotter Temperatures. Aluminum foil with oil is another good substitute for parchment paper. As with a greased baking sheet, the fat may subtly impact the way your food cooks. Additionally, there is a chance that some of the food may stick to the pan.

Can you use regular cookie dough in a cookie press? ›

More flour, not less, will help with sticky dough. You cannot use any dough in a press—if you can actually get it to press, most cookie doughs will not hold the spritz shape when baked. The key here is the butter and flour.

Are cookie presses worth it? ›

However, an electric cookie press gives you a consistent and continuous pressing, which is ideal especially when decorating with icing. It can also save you time over a manual model. Note that using an electric cookie press does not mean you can press heavier doughs and batters.

Should I press down cookie dough before baking? ›

If the dough is chilled before baking then the cookies will be slightly more rounded, so if you want slightly flatter cookies then bake them as soon as you have mixed up the dough. But we would not recommend flattening the cookies completely as this will affect the texture.

Do you press cookies before or after baking? ›

You can certainly press the balls of dough with a floured fork before cooking. They will spread even more in the cooking process. If you over flatten them. before cooking, they will.

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