Everyone loves these easy-to-make Butter Spritz Cookies! With just six ingredients (plus optional decorations), you have festive cookies that will be loved by both the young and the young at heart. They freeze beautifully and are perfect for keeping on hand for when unexpected guests arrive.
Buttery Old-Fashioned Spritz Cookies
I have such happy memories of Christmas as a child, and among them are making cookies with my Mom.
We made dozens of different types every year, and among my favorites were Christmas spritz cookies.
I loved the whole process - especially when my Mom let me be the one to put the sprinkles on top.
These days, I make spritz cookies with my kids for all sorts of special occasions - Valentine's Day, St. Patricks Day - you name it!
These Butter Spritz Cookies are a slightly adapted version of my Mom’s old-fashioned spritz cookies recipe. They have a light texture and buttery flavor that is a cross between a shortbread cookie and a sugar cookie.
I hope you and your family love these Christmas cookies as much as we do.
Make sure you check out my Spritz Cookie Web Story and my St. Patricks Day Spritz Cookies Story.
Ingredients for Making This Spritz Cookie Recipe
- Butter: Use a good quality of butter in this recipe as it will play a significant role in the overall taste. I recommend using unsalted butter that is at room temperature.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is best in this recipe.
- Salt: Use fine salt.
- Egg: You will want to use a large egg. Make sure you bring it to room temperature first.
- Vanilla: As with the butter, the quality of vanilla extract that you use will determine the overall taste of the cookies.
- Decorations: Food Coloring, melted chocolate chips, and sprinkles are optional but a fun way to liven up your holiday baking.
Tips, Tricks, Variations
- To change the flavor profile, you can use almond extract instead of vanilla.
- Don’t have sprinkles? You could also top your Christmas spritz cookies with chopped nuts or powdered sugar. Finishing with a drizzle of chocolate after baking is also a great idea.
- If you want to substitute whole wheat flour, do so for no more than ⅓ of the total flour to prevent the cookies from becoming too dry.
- To adequately measure flour, stir it in the container and lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cult. Level it off with the straight edge of a butter knife.
- It is important to use softened but not melted butter for this recipe. If the butter is too soft, it will cause the cookies to spread too much. Perfectly softened butter will hold its shape when touched lightly but will have a soft indentation.
- Gel food coloring provides more intense color, but natural food coloring will work as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Spritz cookies are buttery sweet cookies that hold detailed shapes when they are baked. Unlike sugar cookies made with cookie cutters, spitz cookies are made with a cookie press.
They have a flavor similar to shortbread cookies but do have an egg. The egg helps them hold their shape.
A cookie press is an easy to use press that you spoon your cookie dough into to form cookie dough into the desired shape.
How Do I Use a Cookie Press?
Using a cookie press couldn’t be easier.
Select the shape you want and place the disk in the slot at the end of the press. Spoon the dough into the tube and add the lid. Press the cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet. It is so simple that even my eight year old can use it.
Do I Need to Chill My Cookie Dough For This Recipe?
No, you do not. I had no problems getting the cookie dough out of the cookie press with unchilled dough.
Tools Needed to Make Butter Spritz Cookies
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- Baking Sheet
- Cookie Press (I use the Oxo Cookie Press)
- Cooling Rack
- Oven Thermometer - optional, but recommended
- Spatula
- Stand Mixer or larger bowl and handheld electric mixer.
Storage
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about five days.
Can you Freeze Spritz Cookies?
They can be frozen for up to three months.
Thaw them at room temperature to serve, or place them in a 200° F oven for quicker thawing.
How to Make Spritz Cookies
Heat oven to 400° F.
Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer at medium speed.
Add the flour, salt, egg, and vanilla extract.
Beat until combined and then add in your food coloring if you are using it.
Beat until the color is thoroughly distributed.
Fill your cookie press about ¼ of the way full. (Different presses have different recommendations.)
Press the cookies onto an ungreased (and unlined) cookie sheet.
If desired, add sprinkles.
Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. (My cookies took 6 ½ minutes.) The cookies should be set but not brown.
Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
More Dessert Recipes to Try
- For breakfast or a healthy dessert option, it doesn’t get any better than this deliciously easy Pumpkin Chia Pudding.
- For an indulgent treat with the best flavors of the season, give this Pumpkin Flan a try.
- Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies are a fun twist on a classic cookie recipe that only you will know are healthy.
- Maple Cheesecake is a show-stopping dessert that is perfect for special occasions.
Old Fashioned Butter Spritz Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie Press
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg beaten and at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Food coloring and sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar.
- Add the flour, salt, egg, and vanilla extract.
- Beat until just combined.
- If using food coloring, add and beat until it is incorporated.
- Fill your cookie press with about ¼ of the dough, and press the cookies on an un-greased cookie sheet.
- Add sprinkles if desired.
- Bake for 6 to 8 minutes - until the cookies are set but not browned.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
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