Spritz Cookies Recipe (2024)

By Alison Roman

Spritz Cookies Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(818)
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; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 104 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

818

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 secret to making spritz cookies? ›

Tips To Make the Best Spritz Cookies
  1. Cream Butter and Sugar. Be sure you cream butter and sugar well...it might take longer than you think! ...
  2. Add Your Egg. Add your egg ONLY after butter and sugar is fully creamed together.
  3. Avoid Overworking. ...
  4. Press! ...
  5. Skip the Grease. ...
  6. Decorate. ...
  7. Bake.

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? ›

If the dough is sticking to the bottom of the press instead of adhering to the pan, it might be too soft. Place it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 minutes and try again. Butter is highly recommended when making Spritz cookie dough.

Should spritz cookie dough be sticky? ›

Press cookies out directly onto ungreased cookie sheets. Piped dough that doesn't look neat can be scraped off again and re-piped. If the dough becomes too sticky, refrigerate for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with colored sugar or decorate with candies as desired.

Should you use parchment paper when baking spritz cookies? ›

Do not line with parchment paper either (like I did). Your cookie will release better directly onto an ungreased baking sheet. Use dough at room temperature. Spritz cookies won't spread much so they can be placed fairly close together allowing you to get more on a baking sheet.

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? ›

Use an ungreased cookie sheet.

Greasing your pan will cause your cookies to spread, so make sure to use an ungreased baking sheet. Also avoid using parchment paper on your cookie sheet.

Can I use premade cookie dough in a cookie press? ›

Loading the Cookie Press

To save time, buy premade cookie dough that comes in a log shape. Avoid using cookie dough that has big pieces like chocolate chips or nuts in it.

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.

What is the difference between a spritz cookie and a butter cookie? ›

What is the difference between spritz and butter cookies? These cookies are nearly identical, except for one ingredient: egg. Egg makes the Spritz cookie dough a bit easier to work with, but it also helps the cookies keep their shape when baked.

How to keep spritz cookies from spreading? ›

Chilling cookie dough helps prevent spreading. The colder the dough, the less the cookies will over-spread into greasy puddles. You'll have thicker, sturdier, and more solid cookies. Whenever I make cookies, I plan ahead and chill the cookie dough overnight.

Why are my spritz cookies going flat? ›

If you're heavy-handed when measuring, that extra sugar means extra liquid and more spread when baking in the oven. Using too little flour could lead to flat cookies, too. Learning how to measure ingredients is key to good baking.

How do you make spritz cookies not stick to the pan? ›

So check your disc if your Spritz dough is not sticking to your pan. You must use cooled off cookie sheets so the cookies will stick to pan and come out of the press with no problem. Cookie sheets can not be warm. That is the answer.

How do you get spritz cookies to work? ›

The ungreased cookie sheet must be cold for the dough to adhere. If the dough will not stick to the pan, try placing the cookie sheet in the freezer for a few minutes. Do not use parchment paper or a Silpat mat. The dough will not stick when pressed.

How to prevent spritz cookies from spreading? ›

Chilling cookie dough helps prevent spreading. The colder the dough, the less the cookies will over-spread into greasy puddles. You'll have thicker, sturdier, and more solid cookies. Whenever I make cookies, I plan ahead and chill the cookie dough overnight.

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