Christmas Spritz Cookies Best Buttery German Spritz
These soft, buttery Christmas spritz cookies are a holiday tradition and one of our family favorites. Sweetened with a few sprinkles and full of classic butter flavor, they melt in your mouth with every bite.
You press the dough through a cookie press to make little trees, stars, and poinsettias. It is a sweet, hands-on way to bake with the kids and get everyone excited for Christmas. They are a perfect cookie for your Christmas cookie platter.
What Are Christmas Spritz Cookies?
Classic Spritz cookies are traditional German butter cookies that are made during the holiday season. German spritzgebäck cookies are from Germany and Scandinavian countries. The word spritz comes from the German word Spritzen, which means “to squirt”.
Buttery spritz cookies are made by using a spritz cookie press, that squirts out the delightful cookies. I have tried 3 different spritz cookie presses and the electric cookie press that plugs in has lasted the longest and makes the best homemade cookies. The Spritz cookie press uses various shapes to make the most beautiful cookies for Christmas time.
Spritz cookies are a cross between a sugar cookie and shortbread cookies. They are perfect for Christmas time as they are easy to make even the first time. They are so much fun to make with simple ingredients and the kids will love all the cute shapes with the cookie press. Even my 3-year-old granddaughter was able to use the press with a little help to keep it steady. She likes the green trees and the red poinsettias and the star shapes.
The Recipe Behind These Cookies
This easy spritz cookie recipe is the traditional German recipe from my best friend’s mom, Inga Schultz. She passed it to me after years of baking in her kitchen when I was a girl.
Each Christmas season I loved spending the day with Mrs. Schultz making her spritz cookies. She used an old hand crank press. She was so kind as to allow me to write down the recipe to pass on to my family.
Why You’ll Love These Christmas Spritz Cookies
- Only a handful of simple pantry ingredients
- The dough comes together fast in one bowl
- Fun shapes the kids can help press
- Soft, buttery, and just sweet enough
- Easy to make ahead and freeze for the holidays
Suggestions for a Spritz Press
- The electric one from Wolfgang Puck at HSN is no longer on their site, and I have found that the one that runs on batteries just does not work well, they run out of power too fast. At our last Christmas cookie-baking party, the hand-operating presses work the best.
- OXO Good Grips 14-Piece Cookie Press Set is the latest press we used with the granddaughter, and it worked perfectly.
- My daughter bought this Spritz Cookie Press, and it also worked well, but the adults had to pull the trigger.
- You know I love the mint green color, Nordic Ware Deluxe Deco Set.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 1 Stick of unsalted Butter, softened
- 1 Stick of Margarine, softened
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- pinch of Salt
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose Flour
- 1 heaping teaspoon Baking Powder
- optional gel food coloring
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- The butter and margarine combo is exactly how Mrs. Schultz always made them, and it keeps the cookies tender. If you want a richer cookie, you can use two sticks of butter instead.
- Use gel food coloring, not liquid. Liquid thins the soft dough, and it won’t hold its shape.
- Softened butter matters. Set it out an hour before you start so it whips up light and fluffy.
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Equipment Needed
- Electric mixer
- Cookie press
- Ungreased cookie sheets
- Cooling rack
I have tried three different presses over the years. The hand operated ones work best, the battery presses run out of power too fast. The OXO Good Grips cookie press is the one my granddaughter and I use now, and it works perfectly.
How to Make Christmas Spritz Cookies
- Beat the softened butter and margarine in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- 2. Add the sugar a little at a time, alternating with the eggs. Then mix in the vanilla.
- 3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together.
- 4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture by hand, a little at a time, and do not overwork it. Adding the flour by hand keeps the dough soft and easy to press.
- 5. Chill the dough about 15 minutes, and chill your baking pans too. The dough grips a cold pan better. Do not over-chill or the dough gets too hard to press.
- 6. Load your cookie press per the instructions. If the dough is too soft, chill a bit more. If it’s too stiff, let it sit out a few minutes.
- 7. Press the cookies onto an ungreased, chilled cookie sheet. Hold the press upright and flat on the pan. Do not grease the pan, the dough needs to grip the cool metal to hold its shape.
- 8. Add sprinkles or sanding sugar now, before baking.
- 9. Bake at 350F for 10 to 15 minutes, until the edges are just set. Move the cookies to a cooling rack.
Tips For The Perfect Buttery Spritz Cookie
This process does take practice but it is very easy. Remember you can always remove the dough from your cookie sheet and put it back in the press.
- Add the all purpose flour by hand a little at a time.
- Do not butter or spray oil the cookie sheet, you need the pressed dough to stick to the pan to form the shape, so use an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Chill your baking pan for 15 minutes in the fridge as the dough sticks to the pan better when the pans are chilled.
- Use a cool cookie sheet each time (Click Here for Extra Cookie Sheets)
- Clean off the cookie sheets after each baking.
- Chill the spritz cookie dough for about 15 minutes.
- Do not over-chill the dough or it will be too hard.
- Do not let it get too soft or it will not hold up as the shape desired.
- Do not overhandle the cookie dough.
- Pack the dough firmly in the press cylinder, a little dough at a time.
- Hold the press upright & set it on the baking tray to make the cookies.
- Press the button on the press until you feel some pushback, continue to press and lift up, and release the button.
- Use a gel food coloring so that you do not water the soft dough down with liquid food coloring.
- After baking transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
How to Make Spritz Cookies Without a Cookie Press
No cookie press? You can still make these. Roll the dough into a log and slice thin rounds, or roll small balls and flatten them with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.
You can also pipe the dough through a large star tip in a piping bag. It takes a little more muscle, but it makes pretty rosettes and stars. The cookies won’t be as detailed, but they taste just the same.
Spritz Cookie Flavors and Variations
- Almond: swap the vanilla for 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Lemon: add 1 tablespoon lemon zest and a splash of lemon extract
- Chocolate: replace 1/4 cup of the flour with cocoa powder
- Gingerbread: add cinnamon, ginger, and a spoon of molasses
- Chai: stir in cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger for a warm, spiced cookie
- Sandwich cookies: press matching shapes and sandwich them with a little frosting
How to Decorate Spritz Cookies
Half the fun is the decorating. Plan your colors before you start so the kids can jump right in.
- Sprinkles: press them on before baking so they stick
- Sanding sugar: adds a little sparkle and crunch
- Colored dough: tint with gel food coloring for green trees and red poinsettias
- Powdered sugar glaze: a simple milk and powdered sugar drizzle after baking
- Dipped edges: dip cooled cookies halfway in melted chocolate
Pro tip: Add sprinkles and sanding sugar before baking, and save the glaze and chocolate for after the cookies cool.
Storing Christmas Spritz Cookies
Keep cooled cookies in a cookie jar or airtight container for up to a week. I tuck a saltine cracker in the container, it soaks up any moisture and keeps the cookies fresher longer.
Spritz cookies freeze beautifully if you bake early. You can also chill the dough for a few days, just let it warm to room temperature before pressing so it’s the right consistency.
What to Eat With These Cookies
These are perfect for a holiday cookie platter. Set them next to a few other favorites:
Frequently Asked Questions
A: Yes. Spritz cookies are traditional German butter cookies, and they are popular in Scandinavian countries too. The name comes from the German word spritzen, which means to squirt.
A: Use an ungreased, chilled cookie sheet. If the pan is greased or warm, the dough slides instead of gripping, so the shapes won’t hold. A cold pan makes all the difference.
A: Yes. Roll the dough into a log and slice thin rounds, roll balls and flatten them with a sugared glass, or pipe the dough through a large star tip. They won’t be as detailed, but they taste the same.
A: Yes. Baked spritz cookies freeze well for up to two months. You can also freeze the raw dough, just thaw it to room temperature before pressing.
A: It is usually too cold. Let it sit out a few minutes to soften. If it gets too soft to hold its shape, chill it again for a bit.
Easy Christmas Spritz Cookies
These soft, buttery Christmas spritz cookies are a traditional German butter cookie made with a simple cookie press. Passed down from my best friend’s mom, they are tender, just sweet enough, and so much fun to bake with the kids. Press them into trees, stars, and poinsettias for your holiday cookie tray.
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 38 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 1 Stick of unsalted Butter, softened
- 1 Stick of Margarine, softened
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- pinch of Salt
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose Flour
- 1 heaping teaspoon Baking Powder
- optional gel food coloring
Instructions
- Put softened unsalted butter & Margarine in an electric mixer until the butter mixture is fluffy.
- Next, add the sugar 1/2 cup at a time alternating with the eggs.
- Add Vanilla Extract.
- Mix the flour, salt & baking powder.
- Add by hand the Flour mixture to the Butter mixture a little at a time.
- Do not overwork.
- Chill the dough for about 15 minutes.
- Chill your baking pan for 15 minutes in the fridge as the dough sticks to the pan better when the pans are chilled.
- Load your Spritz Cookie Press per the instructions.
- If the dough is too soft, chill a little more, if too stiff let the dough sit out.
- Press the cookies onto an ungreased Cookie Sheet.
- Add any sprinkles or sanding sugar at this time before baking.
- Bake at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring, not liquid, so you don’t thin the dough.
- Do not grease the pan, the dough needs to grip the cool metal to hold its shape.
- Store in an airtight container up to a week, and tuck in a saltine cracker to keep them fresh.
- Baked cookies freeze well for up to two months.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-15
- Category: Cookie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: German
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 84
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 68.7 mg
- Fat: 2.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.9 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 16.2 mg
I always love buttery cookies on Christmas. This is an awesome post. Thanks for sharing!
Your colorful cookies are very festive! I make tons of spritz and am always looking at different presses. You mention and electric one, but the link doesn’t pull up an electric one, what brand are you using?
Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving:@)
I have a Wolfgang Puck Electric Cookie Press. I purchased it on HSN. I could not find a link to it. If I find it I will send you the link, I use to use the Easy press that is battery operated, It works well but using a lot of batteries.