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    Recipes » Cookies and Bars » Old Fashioned Spritz Cookies

    Old Fashioned Spritz Cookies

    Published: Dec 1, 2022 by Kate Shungu · This post may contain affiliate links

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    Jump to Recipe
    a variety of spritz cookies on a white platter and on a wire rack.
    a variety of spritz cookies on a wire rack.
    a variety of spritz cookies on a white platter and on a wire rack.
    assortment of white, red, and green spritz cookies on a white cake stand with a red rim.

    These old fashioned Spritz Cookies are soft, buttery, and so festive. They’re great for sharing or gift giving for the holidays!

    old fashioned spritz cookies on a white cake stand with a red rim, next to more spritz cookies on a wire rack.

    Now these may look fancy, but I promise you this recipe for Old Fashioned Spritz Cookies isn’t complicated.

    I shied away from making spritz for years, thinking they took lots of time and energy. The good news is, the cookie press does all the work for you!

    The dough is simple—a simple butter cookie recipe with almond extract. It’s similar to shortbread, but with an egg added so it doesn’t fall apart.

    The dough goes into the cookie press, you push the lever, and you’re left with an adorable miniature cookie. You can keep them as-is or decorate as you like (more on that below!), then bake and serve.

    This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate links support Gift of Hospitality at no additional cost to you. I receive a commission if you choose to make a purchase through these links.

    Jump to:
    • Origin of spritz cookies
    • Do I need a cookie press to make spritz?
    • Top tips
    • Ingredients
    • How to make old fashioned spritz cookies
    • Variations
    • Spritz cookie decorating ideas
    • Can I freeze spritz cookies?
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • More old fashioned cookie recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Related recipes
    a variety of plain and decorated spritz cookies on a wire rack.

    Origin of spritz cookies

    Spritz cookies are a German invention, where they are called “Spritzgebäck”. The word “spritz” comes from the German word “spritzen”, which means “to squirt”, since they are extruded through a cookie press.

    Spritz cookies are also popular in Scandinavia, where they are made and shared at Christmas time.

    Do I need a cookie press to make spritz?

    I highly recommend using a cookie press to make spritz. I own this cookie press from OXO —it’s easy to clean and comes with 12 disks to make different shapes including wreaths, teddy bears, Christmas trees, snowflakes, hearts, etc.

    I also own an electric cookie press that uses batteries. It’s a little clunkier to assemble and clean, but you just need to push a button and it shapes the cookie.

    If you don’t have a cookie press, you can use a piping bag and a large tip to create your own shapes. You’ll likely need to add 1–2 tablespoons of milk to the dough to make it pipe-able.

    spritz cookies decorated with sprinkles and white chocolate on a wire rack.

    Top tips

    • Don’t grease the cookie sheet. The key to the cookies sticking on the cookie sheet is that the cookie sheet is clean, dry, and not greased.
    • Start with a room temperature cookie sheet. This also ensures that the cookies stick (if it’s hot from the oven, the dough will melt slightly and pull away when you lift the press up).
    • You can decorate the cookies both before AND after baking. More on that in the “spritz cookie decorating ideas” section below!

    Ingredients

    flour, butter, vanilla, sugar, and other baking ingredients on a white table.
    • This recipe makes 5–6 dozen cookies, so we’ll need 3 whole sticks of butter.
    • The butter gets creamed with granulated sugar, then we’ll add one egg to keep the dough from being too crumbly.
    • A little bit of baking powder gives the cookies lift. We’ll also need salt and flour.
    • A mixture of vanilla extract and almond extract give the spritz their flavor.
    • You can dye the dough with gel food coloring, and decorate with sprinkles.

    How to make old fashioned spritz cookies

    First, make sure that the butter is room temperature.

    Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

    butter and sugar creamed together in a stand mixer.

    Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

    Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until combined.

    cookie dough in a metal bowl of a stand mixer.

    At this point, you can dye the dough if desired. I split the dough into thirds, then added one third back to the mixer at a time to dye it. I used gel food coloring.

    Load a portion of dough into the cookie press, and press the dough out onto a clean, dry baking sheet. Make sure that the baking sheet is at room temperature as well.

    a cookie press next to a baking sheet of piped spritz cookies that are uncooked.

    The cookies do not spread, so don’t worry about leaving much space between them.

    At this point, you can bake them OR do some decorating with sprinkles first. If the sprinkles don’t stick, brush the tops of the cookies very lightly with water, then add the sprinkles.

    uncooked spritz cookies topped with red and green sprinkles.

    Bake the spritz at 400°F for 7–9 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown.

    Variations

    Old Fashioned Spritz Cookies are super customizable!

    • Make lemon spritz by using lemon extract in place of the almond extract. Add the zest of one lemon to the dough as well.
    • Substitute rum extract for the almond extract.
    • Make chocolate spritz by substituting ½ cup of cocoa powder in place of ½ cup of the flour (so you’ll use 3 cups flour total).
    red, green, and white spritz cookies decorated with sprinkles and white chocolate.

    Spritz cookie decorating ideas

    The possibilities are endless with this. You can decorate both spritz cookies both before and after baking. Here are a few ideas for both:

    Before baking

    • Add non-pareil sprinkles (the tiny ball-shaped ones) or sanding sugar to the tops. Brush the cookie dough lightly with water so they stick better.
    • Press dragées into the cookies (these are the larger pearl-shaped sprinkles).
    • Dye the dough with gel food coloring.
    • Add a candied cherry to the middle of each wreath spritz.

    After baking

    • Drizzle with melted white chocolate or milk chocolate. You can also dip the cookies halfway into the chocolate.
    • Add sprinkles on top of the melted chocolate
    • Add any type of sprinkle after baking by brushing the tops of the baked cookies very lightly with corn syrup.

    I found this variety container of sprinkles to be helpful!

    a variety of plain and decorated old fashioned spritz cookies on a wire rack.

    Can I freeze spritz cookies?

    Spritz cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Place them in a resealable freezer bag or a freezer-safe dish with a piece of wax paper between layers of cookies.

    Defrost the cookies at room temperature for several hours.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why are my spritz cookies not sticking to the pan?

    In order for spritz to stick to the pan, the pan should NOT be greased. Don’t even use parchment paper or a silicone mat—just pipe directly onto the pan. The pan should also be clean, dry, and at room temperature before attempting to pipe cookies onto it.

    Are spritz cookies the same as shortbread?

    Spritz cookies are similar to shortbread in that they contain a higher ratio of butter to flour than a typical cookie. However, spritz cookies contain an egg, so they won’t crumble when baked.

    When do you decorate spritz cookies?

    You can decorate before or after baking. See the decorating ideas above for more specific instructions.

    white platter with a red rim filled with colorful spritz cookies.

    More old fashioned cookie recipes

    • Grandma’s Rum Balls
    • Cocoa Drop Cookies
    • Snowball Cookies with Pecans (Mexican Wedding Cookies)
    • 7 Layer Bars
    • Easy Sour Cream Cookies
    • Poinsettia Cookies (these are SO festive!)

    Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!

    cup of ambrosia and slice of banana cake.

    📖 Recipe

    assortment of white, red, and green spritz cookies on a white cake stand with a red rim.

    Old Fashioned Spritz Cookies

    Published by Kate
    Buttery, tender, and oh-so-fun to decorate, this old fashioned spritz recipe is a great addition to your holiday baking!
    5 from 3 votes
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    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 25 mins
    Cook Time 8 mins
    Total Time 28 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine German
    Servings 60 cookies
    Calories 81 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 egg
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon almond extract
    • 3½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • For decorating: assorted sprinkles gel food coloring, melted white chocolate

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 400°F.
    • Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (you can also use a hand mixer). Beat for 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
    • Beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract, then scrape down the sides.
    • Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and beat until just combined. Add food coloring if desired.
    • Transfer the dough to a cookie press. Pipe the cookies onto an UNGREASED baking sheet (no need to leave much room between the cookies—they won’t spread).
    • Top with sprinkles if desired.
    • Bake for 7–9 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the edges. Let cool and decorate as desired.

    Notes

    Troubleshooting for cookies not sticking to the pan: make sure the pan is UNGREASED (no parchment or silicone mat either), clean, and dry. The pan should also be at room temperature (not warm from the oven). 
    Freeze the cookies in a resealable freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Place a piece of wax paper between layers. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. 
    Variations: replace the almond extract with lemon extract or rum extract. Replace ½ cup of the flour with cocoa powder for chocolate spritz (so use 3 cups flour and ½ cup cocoa powder). 
    Decorating ideas: dye with gel food coloring, decorate with Christmas sprinkles either before or after baking, drizzle with chocolate or white chocolate after baking. 
    You can decorate with sprinkles before or after baking. If adding them before baking, brush the tops of the cookies lightly with water if the sprinkles won’t stick. If adding them after baking, brush the tops of the cookies with a thin layer of corn syrup so they stick. You can also use a combination of white chocolate + sprinkles after baking. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 81kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 28mgPotassium: 10mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 146IUCalcium: 7mgIron: 0.4mg
    Keyword spritz cookies
    Tried this recipe?Follow me at @giftofhospitality and let me know how you liked it!

    Related recipes

    • Easy Sour Cream Cookies
    • Cocoa Drop Cookies
    • Snowball Cookies with Pecans
    • Marshmallow Fudge
    « Easy Sour Cream Cookies
    Poinsettia Cookies »
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    About Kate

    I’m a believer, wife, mom, and big fan of old cookbooks. I live in Chicago with my husband and two young sons. I love discovering old fashioned recipes that will transport you back in time! Read more...

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    Kate from Gift of HospitalityI’m Kate. I love discovering old fashioned recipes that will transport you back in time. Learn more here
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