If you have never made these classic Simple Spritz cookies before, you may not realize that these gorgeous little cookies, with all of their different shapes and colors, are some of the quickest and easiest Christmas cookies you can make. You may not realize that they take half the time of cut out cookies and only use ingredients you probably have on hand already. You may not realize that changing shapes is as simple as unscrewing a ring and putting a new stencil on – in a matter of a few seconds.
The end result is a clean tasting butter cookie that will bring oohs and ahhs from other folks who may not realize that it is even possible to make cookies like this at home because they’re so used to only seeing them in grocery stores.
They will then realize that a whiz you are in the kitchen 🙂
You’ll need: Baking Powder, Milk, Egg, Vanilla Flavoring, Butter Flavoring (or almond*), All purpose flour, softened butter, and sugar.
*A lot of spritz cookie recipes call for almond flavoring so if you like almond flavoring you should definitely add it. If you are like me and really and truly dislike almond flavored things, you should skip it and add butter flavoring or another that you like in it’s place. Big fan of almonds, but not a cheerleader for the flavoring.
P.S. Speaking of things I’m not a fan of. I ate a snail in the Dominican Republic last week. Considering I’ve eaten an almond flavored cookie before, it just seemed fair. Won’t be doing that again but I had the opportunity and took it. I figure folks who eat snails just must not be good hunters. If you’ve got to settle for the slowest moving creature ya know…
You’re also going to need a cookie press.
There isn’t any way around this if you want to make Spritz cookies but I can tell you how to get one pretty cheap 🙂 There are all types available in all price ranges. Personally, I would stay away from anything plastic. This one has plastic parts but the majority of it, the parts that take the pressure, are stainless and that makes it work really well. This one retails for about $25 but if you get it at Michael’s Arts and Crafts or Hobby Lobby, you can use a coupon for 40-50% off. Michael’s has their coupon available online to print or you can get it on their phone app. Hobby Lobby also has theirs available online and if you’re in the store and want to use it you can just pull up their webpage and show the cashier the coupon. I got this one at Hobby Lobby. So I used a coupon and paid a little over $12 for a new one.
I already own a cookie press of course, but I have no idea where it is. Why? Well you see, we moved a little over 3 years ago. You know how, when you move, there are always those few boxes that never get unpacked? Yup. They’re in our attic and my original cookie press along with my vintage Davy Crockett coffee mug are in those. ~sighs~ Maybe my old one will be discovered by archeologists someday. If I’m lucky, just for fun, it’ll be discovered by archeologists who make up their own history and end up in a museum somewhere, with a sign that says it was the original cookie press of Davy Crockett himself.
You’ll want colorful sprinkles and a funnel if you want to do a cute little technique I’m going to show you later. Funnel is optional, cute sprinkles are a must 🙂
Place softened butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
And beat the mess out of it until it’s well blended and fluffy.
Add in egg, milk, and flavorings and beat again until well mixed.
Then add in flour and baking powder.
I sometimes add 1/4 teaspoon salt here as well. The original recipes don’t call for it but I find that little bit helps. It’s up to you. I add it when I think about it and don’t when I forget.
Mix that really well and you have your cookie dough!
Fill your cookie press (it will come with instructions to show you how) and fit it with your first shape stencil.
Press out until your cookie sheet is filled.
This one just has a trigger grip. I squeeze and one cookie comes out. Move it to another spot, squeeze, move it to another spot, squeeze….
It’s a pretty fast process.
Decorate cookies with colorful sprinkles before baking.
Oh and here is what I used that funnel for.
I made these little flowers and sprinkled them with yellow sugars first. Then…
I gently placed a funnel on top of the centers and poured in red sprinkles.
When you lift up the funnel it looks like this. It is a cute touch but only took a second or two for each one.
Low Maintenance but beautiful cookies!
Because not once have I ever looked at a recipe and said “Ya know, it looks good and all that, but I just wish it were more complicated!”
Enjoy your beautiful cookies!
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 + 1/2 cups softened butter softened at room temp
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon butter flavoring or other flavoring of your choice. Almond or Lemon would be nice
Instructions
- In mixing bowl, place butter and sugar and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, and flavorings and beat again until well combined. Add in flour and baking powder and beat once more until a good dough is formed (will only take a minute or so), scraping down sides as needed.
- Place dough in cookie press and add a stencil to the bottom according to cookie press directions. Pipe out onto ungreased cookie sheets and sprinkle with colored sugars. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until just lightly browned around the edges. Repeat until all dough is used.
*Most spritz cookie dough has to be refrigerated to firm up before use but this one doesn't.
Makes about 6 dozen
Don’t Forget The Apples…
Last week in the Dominican Republic I was at a school and the Spanish speaking team put on a skit about the true meaning if Christmas. A translator stood behind me quietly interpreting all they said. “What do you most look forward to at Christmas?” “The apples! The apples!” Some children shouted back.
The interpreter felt the need to explain so he told me that at Christmastime there is always enough food so children really look forward to eating because they know there will be enough for everyone.
Instead of fretting over lists and wrapping gifts, for them Christmas is about having enough, and the joy of knowing that.
I thought of our kids and folks in the US and how commercialized it has become. We aren’t bad people for wanting things. The sadness is when we look forward to the things so much that we don’t appreciate the spirit and experience of Christmas, not to mention the true meaning of unconditional and sacrificial love for each of one of us.
As I look down my list of gifts now though, I see those eyes of children light up when asked what their favorite thing about Christmas is and my heart says “The apples. Don’t forget the apples.”
Take joy in having enough today.
Don’t forget the apples.
Gratefully,
Christy
Follow me on Instagram for behind the scenes photos!
Yum 
Wow, just the sort of thing I’ve been looking for! I’ll be making these tomorrow for sure. Thanks Christy xx
This made me tear up! (the story, not the recipe :-). Thank you for the reminder! I will share this with my family and we will most certainly ‘not forget the apples’!
I’ve never heard of spritz cookies nor have I ever seen a cookie press! Haha….oh you must think I live a deprived life.
Your little pink mixing paddle is so cute!
We made these all weekend with a Wilton press I got brand new in the box for $1.50 at a thrift shop! 🙂
Merry Christmas Christy!
Oh and to add, I am also not a fan of almond flavoring. It doesn’t even taste like almonds!
Christy, I have been looking for a cookie press. I have an old one some place, but it is old and often wants to fall apart when I pull the trigger. I had looked at OXO, but can’t find one local. I printed off a coupon, but it expires today, so don’t know if I can make it there today since I have a Christmas party to host tonight. Do they honor the coupon when it is outdated? Seeing you use a funnel to fill the center of the flower makes me allow you to give you my tip. I use a 1/4 of a candied cherry in red and green. Oh my the flavor is so yummy. I use them on my all butter cookies through a press and it only has butter, sugar and flour in the recipe. Let me know if you would like the recipe.
Linda
This is the first year I had attempted to make spritz cookies. I had never made the before because I truly felt intimidated by the simply complexity of them. (yes I know I just did an oxymoron lol) The biggest problems I had was squeezing off the cookies (thought I broke my pinky lol) and it wasn’t until my final 8th dozen, did I become truly adept at using the cookie press. I wish I had seen this post a week ago when I made the spritz cookies because it was the only one I’ve seen where it instructs putting the sprinkles on the cookie before baking! Ingenious! lol. Since I didn’t have that information before, I have 8 dozen spritz cookies to decorate now. Ugh. Thank you for all the hard work you do and thank you so very much for sharing!
My favorite quote, “not once have I ever looked at a recipe and said “Ya know, it looks good and all that, but I just wish it were more complicated!” 🙂
I need 3 dozen cookies for a little girls’ cookie exchange…how many will this make? I already have a press from Pampered Chef, but I never use it. Good excuse now!
Christy, thank you for posting this recipe…I saw my cookie press just the other day and thought I need to dust this off and use it..lol. So, thanks for the inspiration to make cookies. My granddaughters also thank you 🙂
Thanks for spritz recipe. As for your closing remarks, it brings my heart joy to hear those precious children will receive the Christmas apples so happily! I’m glad they at least get them then.
Thank you for this post, especially the little note at the end. It hit a chord with me, as I have been thinking of being grateful to simply have enough
Ahhhh! Something happened to my internet service here, and I thought this comment was lost. Anyway, see the rest further down…
Such pretty cookies. I have made spritz cookies before but never as pretty as these. A tip I would add is to keep the dough at room temperature, don’t chill it. And if you have a chilly kitchen like I do, set the bowl near the oven to keep warm.
Christy, you brought tears to my eyes today. My Dad, who passed away two years ago, always made Spritz cookies. His press was not electric. Pressed all by hand and each one was perfect. One year, my husband helped him with the cookie making. My Mom and I were the packers. Maybe, it is time to bring out the cookie press this year.. Thanks for the sweet memories..
Spritz! How I love them (even the almond flavoring in my original recipe). My family has made these for decades, due to our scandinavian heritage and our inherited love of sweets. I love the way you wrote about how easy they are, and how impressive they look and taste. I call it the wow factor. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I bought a press on clearance after Christmas last year but haven’t used it yet. Thanks for the reminder! I think even the baking-challenged, like me, can handle these. Thanks, also, for the reminder as to what is important as Christmas (and the rest of the year too)!
Spritz are a holiday favorite of my family as well! We’re Swedish (of course, among many other nationalities) and every Christmas the Spritz come out! Although, we use the cookie press to make a long “snake” and then shape it into an S. My 4 year old calls them “S cookies”. I love them with the almond flavoring 🙂
Love these little butter cookies! I made a ton of them after Thanksgiving and hid them away for Christmas. The longer they sit, the better they taste, but they don’t usually last long unless I hide them. 🙂
About your note on adding some extra salt – should the butter in the recipe be salted or unsalted? I’ve been procrastinating about trying to use the cookie press that I bought maybe 10 years ago – I look at it every year & then put it back in the cabinet. I think this may be the year I overcome my fears 🙂
I love how these cookies look but never made them because of the almond flavoring. (The smell of almond flavoring reminds me of Playdoh.) I’m going out today to get a cookie press and some butter flavoring, my kids are gong to be happy tonight.
Thanks for all the great recipes!
Does the recipe call for salted or unsalted butter?
I used unsalted this year but I think it would be better with salted.
Christy–try using almond paste instead of the bottle almond flavoring. Makes all the difference in the world. These cookies are so much fun to make and best part is they pop in your mouth so easy too! LOL!
Christy-I am so happy to hear someone say they don’t like almond flavoring but they do like almonds. My husband can’t understand how that can be. I have some butter flavoring and a new cookie press so I am definitely going to try these gorgeous cookies. You haven’t steered us wrong yet. I wish you a very blessed and Merry Christmas!
These look amazing! I bought a cookie press a couple years ago and have never used it. I usually make decorated tea cakes that take all day to make and decorate. This sounds so much easier! I’ve always wanted to try Spritz cookies. I don’t know why I haven’t…but I will now. Thanks Christy, your recipes always inspire me.
Thanks so much for posting. These look yummy. This is just what I’ve been looking for. About to shop now for the cookie press. Thanks again.
Thanks for publishing the spritz cookie recipe. My mother used to make these every Christmas but she called them butter cookies. I have her old cookie press wrapped carefully away in my closet, now that I have a recipe that I can actually find, my mother’s are in a box somewhere, I can make these again.
Thank you for the memories of Christmas past.
And of Christmas present.
I sometimes buy the gingerbread cookies mix and load it into the cookie press with the gingerbread man disc. They turn out soooo good.
I have a cookie press but have not used it in years. This recipe will force me to dig through the catacombs to find it. Secondly, thanks for the comments at the end of the post. The comments make me feel happy and sad at the same time. Your humanity is what sets your blog head and shoulders above others.
I made these years ago. My cookie press is somewhere in storage where it is along with all of my other things since 2000. I divided the batter out in 5 bowls and added the 4 colors to the 4, leaving one bowl plain. I also put sprinkles on them. You have red, yellow, blue and green cookies along with some plain ones too. I wouldn’t do the same cookie shape for one color. I would change the shape so I could make several colors out of each shape. I had a colorful tray of cookies.
Please someone tell me the secret to getting them to come off the bottom of my press. Last year I gave up and actually threw out the dough.
It’s really in the recipe. Some I’ve worked with were a bear! This one is easy every time I make them.