Spritz Cookies Recipe

Create a new holiday tradition with this classic Spritz Cookies Recipe. These buttery cookies can be easily dressed up with sprinkles or different colors of dough! 

I was provided with The Pampered Chef baking products to review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

I love this time of year — the traditions, the lights and decorations, the spirit of the season… the cookies. Not necessarily in the order.  I love it even more now that I get to experience it with my kids and see this special time of year through their eyes. 

Some of my favorite memories of Christmas time as a child were baking in the kitchen with my mom.  She was always baking something; either for my dad to take with him to work or for our school parties.  (Back when you could bring your own goodies, before all of the sugar regulations we have now!)  My friends at school looked forward to her treats all year.

After my husband became a firefighter, my oldest daughter and I started a new tradition of baking cookies for the firefighters on shift in our neighborhood on Christmas Eve.  We spend the day baking together and package them up to deliver on our way to church that evening.  We make a new recipe every year, and I’ve already discovered the one we will make this year — this Spritz Cookies Recipe.

Why Are They Called Spritz Cookies?

Spritz cookies are actually a type of German Christmas cookie made of flour, butter, sugar and eggs called Spritzgeback.  The word spritz originated from the German word, “spritzen,” which means “to squirt” in English.  These Classic Spritz Cookies are made by literally squirting the dough through a cookie press.

What’s Needed for Spritz Cookies? 

These Christmas spritz cookies come together with few ingredients: 

• Butter
• Granulated sugar
• Egg
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour
• Sprinkles (optional) 
• Gel food coloring (optional) 

How to Make Spritz Cookies With a Press 

This Spritz Cookies Recipe was SO easy to make using The Pampered Chef’s Spritz Cookie Press.  I usually shy away from these types of cookies because I’ve always been disappointed with the cookie presses I’ve used in the past.

This cookie press rotates instead of the typical ratchet style, and it has a much wider barrel that lets you see exactly how much dough is left.  It comes with 9 metal disks with different designs for cookies, and 1 disk to rice potatoes.  It was so easy to fill, change out disks, and even easier to clean.

Here are the basic steps to making these butter spritz cookies: 

1. Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the egg and vanilla. 
2. Add the flour and mix just until combined. 
3. Add the dough to the cookie press and press the dough onto a silicon baking mat. 
4. Decorate cookies with sprinkles, if using. 
5. Bake until done. 

Can I Make Spritz Cookies Without a Press? 

If you don’t have a cookie press to make these Classic Spritz Cookies, you can use a pastry bag instead!  Just fill the pastry bag with the cookie dough and use a star tip to create a swirl design.  Get creative — you really can’t go wrong.  Just remember to keep an eye on them while baking as different sized cookies may take different amounts of time to bake.

Tips for Making Butter Spritz Cookies 

• The butter needs to be softened to room temperature before being creamed together with the sugar. 
• If you want to color the cookies, add the gel food coloring after the dough is combined, but be careful not to over-mix.
• Note that the cookie dough will be quite soft once it’s mixed together. That’s what you want, so don’t refrigerate the dough. 

More Easy Cookie Recipes:

• Salted Caramel Cookies
• Chewy Chocolate Cookies
• Brown Sugar Cookies
• Easy Thumbprint Cookies
• Butterscotch Cookies