Holiday Spritz Cookies

I’ll bet you remember these little buttery Spritz Cookies from the Christmases of your childhood. If you’ve never pressed a batch yourself, they’re so much fun to make!

These pressed butter cookies are easier than they look, too. The dough is just butter, sugar, egg yolks, flour and a little vanilla and almond extract.

You squeeze it through a cookie press right onto your baking sheet, add sprinkles and bake them for a few minutes. You’ll have plenty to share.

Why You’ll Love Them

They’re light, buttery cookies with crisp little edges and just a hint of almond. They aren’t crazy sweet, but that doesn’t stop anyone from going back for more. They’re usually the first to disappear from my Christmas cookie tray!

My cookies are made with basic ingredients you probably have on hand, and the press does all the shaping, so you won’t need a rolling pin or cookie cutters.

I love filling a small holiday tin with them for friends and family, and they hold up well for a cookie exchange. If you want a second almond treat for the plate, my chewy Almond Paste Cookies look lovely right next to these.

Spritz Cookie Ingredient Notes

There’s nothing fancy in these cookies, but a few of the ingredients really count.

Unsalted butter: This is a butter cookie, so the butter really matters. I always use a good one for that rich, buttery flavor, and I let it sit out until it’s soft, so it creams up smooth and fluffy.

Egg yolks: Just the yolks, no whites, because the yolks make the dough rich and tender without making it sticky.

Vanilla and almond extract: Vanilla adds warmth, and that little bit of almond extract is what makes them taste like real spritz. Don’t skip it!

How to Make Spritz Cookies

I cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, mix in the yolks, vanilla extract and almond extract, then add the flour just until a soft spritz cookie dough forms.

I press different shapes onto a chilled, ungreased baking sheet, add sprinkles and bake at 350°F just until the edges turn golden brown, then let them cool on a wire cooling rack.

Grab the recipe card below when you’re ready to press, because it has every amount and step written out.

How to Use a Cookie Press

I’ve been using my cookie press for years, and it has never let me down. If it’s your first time making Spritz Cookies, give yourself a pan or two to get the feel for it.

Start simple: Most cookie presses come with a whole stack of disks. I always start with the Christmas trees and wreaths because they’re the easiest, so save the intricate shapes for later.

Stand it up straight: Rest the bottom of the press flat against your pan, so the dough touches the sheet.

Click once, then lift: Squeeze the trigger one time and lift straight up. The cookie should stay behind on the pan.

Redo the duds: Lopsided one? Just scrape it off and then put the dough right back in the barrel.

My Best Tips

Sprinkle before baking: I add the Christmas sprinkles or colored sugar right after I press each pan, before it goes in the oven. They stick best to the soft, unbaked dough.

Don’t overmix: Stop as soon as the dough comes together, or the cookies can turn out tough.

Substitutions & Variations

• Vanilla only: Skip the almond for a softer, simpler flavor.
• Tinted dough: Stir in gel food coloring a drop at a time for green trees or red wreaths. Gel gives bright colors without thinning the dough the way liquid food coloring can.
• Minty twist: Use peppermint extract in place of the almond, and start with less, since it’s strong.
• Chocolate dipped: Dip half of each cooled cookie in melted chocolate or white chocolate, add sprinkles, and let them set on parchment paper.
• Any time of year: Spritz Cookies aren’t just for Christmas, either. Swap the shapes and sprinkles for pastel colors at Easter or red, white and blue for the Fourth of July.

How to Store Them

Room temperature: Once they’re completely cool, keep them in an airtight container or a cookie tin for up to 2 weeks. Store them in a single layer or with parchment between the layers so the shapes don’t break.

Freezer: Freeze baked cookies in an airtight container with parchment between the layers for up to 2 months. Leave them in the closed container while they come to room temperature, so they don’t get soggy.

Make ahead: For a party or cookie swap, I bake them a week or so ahead, or I freeze a batch at the start of the holiday season.

You can freeze the dough, too. Wrap it tightly, and it keeps for 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, then let it soften on the counter before you press it.

Spritz Cookie FAQs

What’s the secret to Spritz Cookies that stick to the pan?

It’s all about your pan! You want a cold, bare pan and dough at room temperature. Use an ungreased cookie sheet with no parchment paper, silicone mat or cooking spray, because the dough needs something to grip.

If the dough is too cold and stiff, let it sit out a few minutes. If it’s so soft it clings to the press instead of the pan, chill it briefly and try again.

Can I make Spritz Cookies without a cookie press?

Yes. Spoon the dough into a sturdy piping bag or pastry bag with a large star tip and pipe small rosettes. It takes a little muscle and the shapes won’t be as crisp, but they’ll taste just the same.

Why did my Spritz Cookies spread?

Usually the dough or the pan got too warm. Press them onto a cold, bare pan, and if your kitchen is warm, chill the dough for a few minutes before you press.

Soften the butter for the dough, but never melt it, or the shapes will slump in the oven.

What’s the difference between spritz cookies, butter cookies and sugar cookies?

Spritz cookies are a kind of butter cookie that’s pressed instead of rolled or scooped. Sugar cookie dough is usually rolled and cut or dropped by the spoonful, and many recipes use baking powder.

Spritz cookies start with a soft dough that pushes easily through a press, and mine has no baking powder or soda, which helps the pressed shapes hold.

On a dessert table or in your own cookie jar, these little Spritz Cookies are fun, festive and just so impressive! See what I did there? Haha! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

More Christmas Cookies

• Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies
• Hershey Kiss Cookies
• Snowball Christmas Cookies
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
• Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies