There’s just something about Holiday Spritz Cookies that brings back the best memories. I’ll bet you can remember your grandma, or perhaps your aunt, bringing a plate of these pretty little cookies to your Christmas gatherings. Light and buttery, each bite delivers a delicious snap.
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You squeeze the dough through a cookie press right onto the pan, and out pop trees, wreaths and flowers. My one trick? I chill the baking sheet first, so every shape comes out clean. Just because they aren’t crazy sweet doesn’t mean you won’t be going back for more! In fact, they’re often the first to disappear!
Why You'll Love These Holiday Spritz Cookies
- Pantry ingredients: Butter, sugar, egg yolks, flour, salt and two extracts. Nothing you have to hunt for in December.
- No-fuss shaping: The press turns soft dough into beautiful shapes. No rolling pin, no cookie cutters.
- A true classic: When it comes to holiday desserts, I really love sticking with the classics. Vanilla and a splash of almond give these that old-fashioned flavor everyone remembers.
- Made for sharing: They’re easy to package and transport, which makes them great for a cookie exchange, a bake sale or a party tray. I love filling a small decorative holiday tin with these gorgeous little gems and gifting them to my friends and family.
Want a second almond treat for the plate? My chewy Almond Paste Cookies have that same sweet, nutty flavor and look lovely next to these.
Ingredient Insights
- Unsalted butter: It’s the star of the show. Be sure you’re using a high-quality butter for the best flavor results! Let it soften to room temperature so it creams smoothly. Unsalted lets you control the salt.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the dough and also gives the edges a light crisp.
- Egg yolks: Using just the egg yolk, without the white, adds richness and helps bind everything together.
- Vanilla extract and almond extract: Vanilla adds warmth, and the almond is what makes them taste like spritz. A little goes a long way.
- All purpose flour: Gives the mixture enough body to hold its shape, both coming out of the press and in the oven.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and also brings out the butter.
- Colored sugars or sprinkles: Festive sprinkles stick right to the unbaked tops, so decorating takes seconds.
How to Make Holiday Spritz Cookies
Holiday spritz cookies come together in two bowls, one for the dry ingredients and one for everything else. The printable card below has the full recipe with amounts.
Step one: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Chill your cookie sheet in the refrigerator to help keep the dough from spreading.
Step two: In a small bowl, stir together the flour and salt, then set aside.
Step three: In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Step four: Add the egg yolks, vanilla extract and almond extract. Mix just until combined.
Step five: Add the flour mixture a little at a time, mixing on low speed until fully combined.
Step six: Fill your cookie press with the dough and form shapes on the chilled, ungreased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.
Step seven: Top with colored sugar or sprinkles.
Step eight: Bake until the edges just begin to turn golden brown.
Step nine: Let them rest on the pan for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool.
How to Use a Cookie Press
To make these lovely little Christmas spritz cookies you’ll need a cookie press. I’ve been using mine a few years now and it has never let me down! If it's your first time, give yourself a pan or two to get the feel for it.
- Start simple: The tree and wreath disks are the easiest to learn on. Save the intricate shapes for later.
- Stand it up straight: Rest the bottom flat against the cold, bare pan. Skip parchment paper, silicone mats and cooking spray so the cookies can grip.
- Click once, then lift: Squeeze the trigger once and lift straight up. The cookie should stay behind.
- Redo the duds: Lopsided one? Simply scrape it off and then put it back in the barrel.
Substitutions and Variations
- Vanilla only: Skip the almond for a softer, simpler flavor.
- Tinted dough: Stir in gel food coloring a drop at a time until you reach your desired color, then make green trees or red wreaths. Gel gives bright shades without thinning anything out.
- Minty twist: Use peppermint extract in place of the almond. 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: The Christmas sprinkles and shapes are really the only things that make this recipe unique to the holidays. Switch to pastel colors for Easter or red, white and blue for the Fourth of July.
- Toppings: Try colorful sprinkles, nonpareils or coarse sanding sugar before baking.
Crissy's Tips for Holiday Spritz Cookies
- Chill the pan, not the dough: A chilled sheet helps the cookies grip, but a cold batch is too stiff to push through the press. Leave it at room temperature.
- Rotate your pans: While one bakes, keep a second in the fridge. A warm pan won't hold the shapes.
- Go easy on mixing: Stop as soon as everything comes together, since overmixing can make them tough.
How to Store Holiday Spritz Cookies
- Room Temp: Once completely cool, keep them in an airtight container or tin for up to 2 weeks.
- Refrigerator: No need, because they're happy on the counter.
- Freezer: Freeze baked cookies in an airtight container, with parchment between the layers, for up to 2 months.
- Freezing the Dough: Wrap it tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then let it sit out until it's soft enough to press.
- Thawing: Leave frozen cookies in their closed container until they reach room temperature so they don't get soggy.
- Make Ahead: Baking holiday spritz cookies for a party or exchange? Make them a week or so early, or freeze a batch at the start of the holiday season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to common questions about holiday spritz cookies.
The name comes from the German word spritzen, which means to squirt, since you squirt the dough through a press. They’re a longtime Christmas tradition in Germany and the Scandinavian countries.
If it's too cold and stiff, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes. If it's so soft that it clings to the press instead of the pan, chill it briefly and try again.
Yes. Spoon the dough into a sturdy piping bag with a large star tip and pipe small rosettes. It takes some muscle, and the shapes won't be as crisp, but they'll taste the same.
Sugar cookie dough is usually rolled and cut or dropped by the spoonful, and many recipes use baking powder. Spritz dough is soft enough to push through a press, and mine has no baking powder or soda, which helps the pressed shapes hold.
Whether they land on a dessert table or in your own cookie jar, these little Christmas butter cookies are fun, festive and just so impressive! See what I did there? Haha! Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
More Easy Christmas Cookies
- Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies
- Hershey Kiss Cookies
- Snowball Christmas Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies
Holiday Spritz Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- â…” cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Colored sugars or sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Chill your cookie sheet in the refrigerator to help keep the dough from spreading.
- In a small bowl, stir together the flour and salt, then set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture looks light and fluffy.
- Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix just until combined.
- Add the flour mixture a little at a time, mixing until the dough is fully combined.
- Fill your cookie press with the dough and press shapes onto the chilled cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
- Sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles.
- Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown.
- Let the cookies rest on the pan for 3 to 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
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Hi Chrissy,
Thank you for this recipe. I got a cookie press and this was my first time making these with my granddaughter! I’m so glad that I tried your recipe first! They turned out so good we were jumping up and down!Â
My cookies turned out great! Followed exact recipe. Will use this again! Thank you!Â
I also like to color some of my dough red and green and then put a little of each color in the cookie press. If you put it in so the 3 colors red, green and plain are laying side by side you get some very pretty Christmas colored rainbow cookies.
I love Jesus too!!
And these cookies came out so cute and yummy 😋.I was so excited to try a new cookie recipe this year and yours will be added to my Christmas tradition year after year.
Merry Christmas 🎄
I love this cookie, but cannot get the dough to release from the cookie press.
Please tell me what I am doing wrong.