Restless Chipotle

  • About
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • Recipe Box
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • Recipe Box
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • Recipe Box
×
Home » Recipes » Shaped Cookies

Spritz Cookies

Published: Dec 11, 2023 · Updated: Apr 6, 2025 by Marye

Try this simple German Spritz Cookies recipe, featuring a cozy almond flavor that's just right for any occasion. They are a buttery, crumbly classic for the holidays.
Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 20 minutes minutes
Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
Overhead view of spritz cookies on a white plate.
Overhead view of a plate of spritz cookies with a title text overlay for Pinterest.

This easy recipe promises delightful cookies that are ideal for holiday trays, coffee dates, or as a sweet gift from your kitchen. Bake a batch and watch them disappear as quickly as they came out of the oven!

A white plate filled with Christmas sprinkle-coated spritz cookies.
Table of Contents
  • 🗝️ Key takeaways
  • 🧾 Ingredients
  • 📖 Variations
  • 🔪 Instructions
  • 🍴 Equipment
  • 🥫 How to store spritz cookies
  • 💭 Things to know
  • 👩‍🍳 FAQs
  • 📚 Related recipes
  • 📞 The last word
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Spritz Cookies
  • 💬 Comments

🗝️ Key takeaways

  • German spritz cookies are simple, delicious, and so much fun to make with the whole family.
  • These decorative butter cookies are the perfect addition to your Christmas cookie platter this holiday season and make great gifts.
  • The key to preventing dry, crumbly cookies is to remove them from the oven before the edges of the cookies start to brown.

Classic spritz cookies are delicate and buttery with hints of sweet vanilla and almond flavors.

The melt-in-your-mouth texture is impossible to resist—they’ll disappear from your cookie tin faster than you can say, "Merry Christmas!"

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

An overhead image with text overlay of the recipe ingredients.

📖 Variations

  • If the grocery store is already sold out of unsalted butter, you can use salted butter and simply omit the extra salt from the recipe.
  • Add a bit of paste or gel food coloring to your spritz cookie dough for a pretty pop of color!
  • Replace the almond extract with more vanilla extract if you’re not a fan of almond flavor.
  • There are so many different shapes you can make. Form spritz cookies into Christmas trees, snowmen, stars, flowers, or candy canes.
  • Decorate your cookies with any type of festive sprinkles that you like, or use colored sugar crystals before baking for texture!
  • Dip your baked cookies in melted chocolate to make ‘em extra tasty. You can use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, or white chocolate chips—pick your favorite!

🔪 Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Four overhead images with text overlay depicting the main recipe steps.
  1. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Then, stir in the flour, salt, egg, extracts, and food coloring.
  2. Pack the cookie dough into your cookie press.
  3. Press your cookie shapes onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
  4. Add sprinkles and bake.

🍴 Equipment

Spritz cookies get their unique shape from a cookie press—you'll need one to quickly form the decorative dough designs.

  • cookie press
  • electric mixer or stand mixer
  • mixing bowls
  • measuring cups
  • measuring spoons

🥫 How to store spritz cookies

If (by some Christmas miracle) you have leftover spritz cookies, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

You can freeze German spritz cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to one month.

Simply thaw frozen cookies at room temperature until they're soft enough to enjoy again.

Santa's red glove reaching into a bowl full of sprinkled Spritz cookies.

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: If you don't have a spritz cookie press, use a pastry bag or piping bag fitted with a large open star tip instead. Add one or two teaspoons of heavy cream to the cookie dough if it's too tough to pipe.

  • Butter has to be softened to create a smooth, creamy mixture. Let it sit at room temperature for at least an hour before you get started.
  • Measure your flour carefully—adding too much to your cookie dough will create crumbly, dense cookies.
  • The soft dough is fragile, so be gentle when shaping your cookies and placing them on the sheet pan.
  • Adjust the baking time according to the size of your cookies. If your cookies are on the larger side, add an extra 1-2 minutes of baking time.
  • There’s no need to grease your baking sheets or line 'em with parchment paper since these are very buttery cookies. However, you can use a silicone mat so they don't pick up flavor from the pan's patina.
  • I know 5-8 minutes is not long, but trust me—it’s all they need! Remove them from the oven once they set and lose their glossy shine but before they turn golden brown.
  • Immediately—and carefully—transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack to cool. This will prevent any "carry-over" cooking!
  • Use a drop of corn syrup to help attach other edible decorations to your baked cookies, like a larger, decorative sprinkle.

Get recipes to your inbox! Join the FREE membership group and get kitchen organizer packet ($9.99 value) as our gift.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

What are spritz cookies?

Spritzgebäck cookies (called spritz cookies for short) are a traditional German butter cookie. It used to be a popular cookie to make during the Christmas season in Europe. Then, many of our grandparents brought the recipe here to America, and we grew up enjoying them!

Why are they called spritz cookies?

The name comes from the German word "spritzen," which means “to squirt.” That’s because spritz cookies are made by pressing soft, buttery dough through a cookie press or bag, making various intricate shapes.

Are spritz cookies the same as shortbread cookies?

Not quite. Spritz cookies and shortbread cookies both contain flour, sugar, and lots of butter. However, shortbread cookies don’t contain eggs, so they’re drier and more crumbly than spritz cookies.

How do I make spritz cookie dough in advance?

It's easy! You can wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to a day. Let the covered dough warm up on the counter a bit to soften before shaping and baking.

Can homemade spritz cookie dough be frozen?

Yep! Cookie dough freezes well. Wrap the log of dough tightly and store in the freezer for up to one month. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight.

You can also shape the cookies, flash-freeze them, then put them in a bag or container. Bake from frozen, adding an extra minute or two as needed.

A white bowl filled with Christmas sprinkle-covered Spritz cookies shaped as Christmas trees and wreaths.

📚 Related recipes

  • Lavender Shortbread Cookies are crisp, crumbly, and buttery with a hint of lavender—perfect for showers, afternoon teas, or holiday parties!
  • Chewy and soft, Bakery Sugar Cookies have a sweet, classic flavor everyone loves. Include these on your holiday tray this year.
  • Peppermint Blossom Cookies are one of the prettiest and tastiest Christmas cookie recipes, with a white chocolate peppermint kiss right in the center.
  • Hawaiian Shortbread are buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies that are full of macadamia nuts.
  • Close up of holiday decorated snickerdoodle cookie bars.
    Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars
  • Closeup of polar bear cookies on a cookie sheet.
    Christmas Polar Bear Cookies
  • Closeup of cinnamon crinkle cookies that have been decorated for the holidays.
    Chewy Cinnamon Cookies
  • A collage of different Christmas cookies from this post.
    91 Best Christmas Cookies

📞 The last word

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

Overhead view of spritz cookies on a white plate.

Spritz Cookies

5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved! Rate Recipe
Prevent your screen from going dark
Try this simple German Spritz Cookies recipe, featuring a cozy almond flavor that's just right for any occasion. They are a buttery, crumbly classic for the holidays.
Course cookies
Cuisine American - Vintage,Christmas,Holiday
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Servings:72
Calories:43
Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • food color, colored sugar, sprinkles, and decorations as desired

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed
  • Stir in flour, salt, egg, almond extract and a few drops of food color if desired.
  • Place dough in cookie press.
  • Hold the cookie press perpendicular to your cookie sheet and press out the cookies carefully.
  • Form desired shapes on ungreased cookie sheet.
  • Decorate with sprinkles or sugar as desired.
  • Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until set but not brown.
  • Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Notes

How to make spritz cookies without a cookie press
No cookie press? You can use a heavy vinyl decorating bag (check Wilton)  instead. Fit it with a large, open star tip and press the cookies through the decorating tip.
You can also roll the dough into small balls then press down with the bottom of a glass.
Storage:
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
You can freeze German spritz cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to one month.
Tips:
    • Butter has to be softened to create a smooth, creamy mixture. Let it sit at room temperature for at least an hour before you get started.
    • Measure your flour carefully—adding too much to your cookie dough will create crumbly, dense cookies.
    • The soft dough is fragile, so be gentle when shaping your cookies and placing them on the sheet pan.
    • Adjust the baking time according to the size of your cookies. If your cookies are on the larger side, add an extra 1-2 minutes of baking time.
    • There’s no need to grease your baking sheets or line 'em with parchment paper since these are very buttery cookies. However, you can use a silicone mat so they don't pick up flavor from the pan's patina.
    • Immediately—and carefully—transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack to cool. This will prevent any "carry-over" cooking!
    • Use a drop of corn syrup to help attach other edible decorations to your baked cookies, like a larger, decorative sprinkle.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 43kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 29mg | Potassium: 6mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 82IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

More Shaped & Rolled Cookies

  • Oreo chocolate chip cookies on a piece of white parchment.
    One Bowl Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Overhead view of a pile of lavender shortbread cookies.
    Lavender Shortbread Cookies Recipe: Easy Slice and Bake
  • Closeup of purple and green swirled Beetlejuice Halloween cookies with eyes.
    Beetlejuice Inspired Halloween Cookies
  • Raspberry thumbprint cookies drizzled with white chocolate stacked on a plate.
    Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Love it? Share it!

101 shares
  • Facebook
  • Flipboard

About Marye

Meet Marye Audet, a wizard in the kitchen and a storyteller at heart. Marye is like your eccentric but fun aunt who knows all the secret recipes and isn't afraid to spill them.

Comments

No Comments

5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Love it? Give it 5 stars!




Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

Hey Y'all, I'm Marye

Welcome to my kitchen! ☕

NY Times bestselling author. 10 cookbooks. Mom of 8 kids. Homeschooling mom for 22 years. Addicted to Hallmark Christmas Movies. Collector of old cookbooks.

Find out more

🍉 Summer Cookouts

  • Overhead view of potato salad in a glass bowl
    Mom's Homemade Potato Salad
  • Overhead view of the finished watermelon basket filled with an assortment of fruit.
    How to Make a Watermelon Basket
  • Closeup of a finished hamburger in a bun.
    Retro Lipton Onion Soup Burger (Vintage Recipe)
  • Closeup of a star shaped cake covered in white chocolate with red and blue sprinkles.
    Zebra Cake Recipe: Little Debbie Copycat

🫖 Picklefork Stories

Picklefork town crest.
Click here to visit Picklefork

👑 Reader Favorites

  • Square overhead of chicken for feature image.
    Crockpot Angel Chicken
  • Close up of the sauce showing the creamy texture.
    Copycat Red Robin Campfire Sauce Recipe
  • Wooden spatula removing fried potatoes out of iron skillet.
    Crispy Fried Potatoes in a Cast Iron Skillet (Southern Style)
  • Blue cocktail with a red and white straw.
    Sex in the Driveway Cocktail
  • A sliced loaf of english muffin bread.
    Easy English Muffin Bread – No Knead, Perfect for Toasting!
  • Two finished loaves of Amish white bread cooling on a table.
    No-Fail Amish White Bread

Footer

^ back to top

About

  • About Marye Audet-White
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Contact
MaryeAudet Whiteandherchildren Dec

Featured In:

Places Restless Chipotle has been featured

We improve our products and advertising by using Microsoft Clarity to see how you use our website. By using our site, you agree that we and Microsoft can collect and use this data. Our privacy statement has more details.

Copyright ©2006 - 2025 Restless Chipotle Media, LLC

Picklefork Tales Copyright ©2025 Marye Audet, Restless Chipotle Media

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




Let us know what you thought of this recipe:

This worked exactly as written, thanks!
My family loved this!
Thank you for sharing this recipe

Or write in your own words:

A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.