Classic Buttery Spritz Cookies Recipe (2024)

Classic Buttery Spritz Cookies are easy and delicious to make in shapes with a cookie press, but can be made without a press too! Favorite holiday cookies that are perfect for decorating and sharing!

Looking for more festive treats? You’ll love homemade candies like Peppermint Bark and Peanut Brittle, as well as easy Fudge and snowy white Wedding Cookies (also known as Pecan Sandies or Snowball Cookies)!

Classic Buttery Spritz Cookies are such festive and delicious cookies! This spritz cookies recipe makes cookies that are buttery, so easy to make and hold their shape well. While they taste similar to sugar cookies, they differ from cut out sugar cookies, which are rolled and cut into shapes with cookie cutters, in that they are typically piped through a cookie press. My Chewy Sugar Cookies are made without cutting into shapes and I share how to make my spritz cookies even if you don’t have a cookie press.

One favorite thing about these cookies is decorating them! I like to decorate mine with a simple glaze and sprinkles. They make for a favorite cookie throughout the year, but especially during Christmas on a Christmas Cookie Tray! I can’t wait for you to try them!

Classic Buttery Spritz Cookies

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

Flavor. The delicious rich butter flavor topped with a simple glaze gives these little cookies so much flavor.

Easy to Make. The dough mixes in one bowl and requires no chilling. Cookies are easy to make with a cookie press or without. Simple to decorate if you wish!

Perfect for Gifting. These spritz cookies hold their shape well so they are perfect for shipping to friends and family.

How to Make Spritz Cookies

The spritz cookie dough comes together very quickly, is so easy to use, and holds its shape well for sending to others.

Spritz Cookie Dough Ingredients

For this cookie recipe, you’ll need these simple ingredients: butter, egg, confectioner’s sugar, salt, vanilla, almond extract, and all-purpose flour.

I recommend that the butter be softened and the egg at room temperature for better mixing with the sugar and flour.

I include both vanilla and almond extracts in this recipe, but if you don’t have almond extract or don’t care for the almond flavor, you can certainly use all vanilla in the recipe.

Make the Spritz Cookie Dough

• Cream the softened butter and confectioner’s sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add in egg, salt, and both extracts.
• Gradually add the flour into the butter mixture until combined, taking care not to over-mix the dough.

Make the Cookies

Now you will proceed with a cookie press if using or shape the dough if not using a press.

Make with a Cookie Press:

Traditionally made with a cookie press, you can make spritz cookies in any shape available with the model you are using. I love how easy my cookie press is to use.

• Load the dough into your cookie press following its directions.

• Press cookies onto a rimmed baking sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 – 2 inches between each cookie. The dough is rather dense and not airy, so there is little spread, but space should be given between each cookie.

Make Without a Cookie Press:

While spritz cookies are traditionally made using a cookie press, you can easily make them without one.

• Scoop dough by the teaspoon and roll it into a ball. Place rolls of cookie dough onto a rimmed baking sheet.
• Gently press your thumb into the center for thumbprints or with your palm or the bottom of a glass to flatten. Alternately, you may lightly dust the counter with confectioner’s sugar and cut cookies with small cookie cutters.

Bake the Spritz Cookies

Bake the cookies in a preheated oven set at 375 degrees for about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven just before they turn golden brown.

Now you can decide how you’d like to decorate the cookies. They can be dusted with colored sprinkles or powdered sugar, drizzled with melted chocolate, or glazed. The glaze for these is simple to make and so delicious.

Here’s how I make it.

How to Glaze the Spritz Cookies

Spritz Cookie Glaze Ingredients

For this simple cookie glaze, you’ll need confectioner’s sugar and milk or half and half. You can top with sugar sprinkles if you want.

Make the Glaze

• To glaze the cookies, arrange a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet.

• Whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and milk or half and half in a small bowl until well combined.

Glaze the Spritz Cookies

• After the cookies have cooled, dip each cookieinto the glaze and return to the wire rack.

• Sprinkle with sugar sprinkles and allow them to dry completely.

While they are amazing without any adornment, they look even more festive with a few sugar sprinkles. I often simply sprinkle minewith colored sugar sprinkles, but I love to use the cookie glaze topped with sprinkles to make them even more special!

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions

This spritz cookie dough does not require chilling before making the cookies. (Chilled dough is harder to press through the cookie press.) But you can make the dough ahead and freeze the cookies as well. These cookies freeze well and taste just as delicious after freezing! You can either freeze cookies after they are baked (plain or glazed) or before baking.

To make ahead the spritz cookie dough – Make the dough as instructed and wrap it well before refrigerating. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When ready to press the dough to make cookies, remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to reach room temperature, then follow the instructions.

To freeze unbaked cookies – Place pressed or formed spritz cookies onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and place into the freezer until the unbaked cookies are firmly frozen, or about 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container layering the unbaked frozen cookies between parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, thaw completely in the refrigerator. Then follow the instructions for baking and glazing the cookies.

To freeze baked cookies before glazing – Allow the baked spritz cookies to cool completely. Place cookies on parchment paper baking sheet and place in the freezer until firmly frozen, or about 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container layering between parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, allow the cookies to thaw in the refrigerator. Then follow the instructions for the Spritz Cookie Glaze.

To freeze baked cookies after glazing – Allow the glaze and any other decorations on the cookies to dry completely. Place the cookies on a rimmed baking sheet, cover them in foil or plastic freezer wrap, and place them in the freezer. After the cookies are frozen, or about 30 minutes, remove them from the baking sheet and place them in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator. Serve once the cookies are completely thawed.

Perfect for Gifting

These are great gifts for friends, family, and neighbors, especially during the holidays! They hold their shape well, so they are perfect for shipping or packaging in a gift basket.

A nice cookie tray filled with cookies and homemade candy makes a thoughtful and much-appreciated gift. Get a head start on all your holiday baking with my Make-Ahead Favorite Christmas Cookies so that you can be a bit more relaxed during the holidays.

Here’s my Classic Buttery Spritz Cookies recipe. I hope you love them as much as we do!

Enjoy!
Robyn xo