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My mom’s classic Spritz Cookie Recipe is the only one you need! These bite-sized cookies are crunchy, sweet, and so festive thanks to a sprinkle of colored sugar.
Shortened from the German word “Spritzen,” which means “to squirt,” Spritz Cookies are the ones I remember mostly fondly from my childhood.
With Christmas music playing in the background, my mom would operate the cookie press, and all four of us kids would gather around, elbowing each other, to help decorate them with colored sugar and candies.
This is my grandma’s Spritz Cookie recipe and the one my mom always made when I was going up. It originally came out of The Christmas Cooky Book from the Wisconsin Electric Power Company and my grandma started making the cookies for Christmas in 1956.
More than six decades later, this Christmas cookie recipe remains a favorite in my family (and soon, I hope yours, too). Spritz Cookies are one of the best baking recipes for children to help bring to life. After parents press out the cookie shapes, younger sous chefs can add colored sugar and candies. Then all that’s left to do is bake the cookies to light, crispy perfection…and savor the sweet results and memories.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Equipment and ingredient notes
- Cookie press: If you don’t own one yet, I highly recommend this OXO model, which comes with 12 different cookie press shapes.
- Shortening: This is what grandma’s Spritz Cookie recipe called for. Swap in an equal amount (1 cup) of butter for even more flavor.
- Almond or vanilla extract: Or any extract you desire, such as orange, lemon, rum, peppermint, or coconut.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, sift or vigorously whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment at medium speed, or with an electric mixer, beat shortening and ¾ cup sugar.
- Add egg and almond extract and beat well. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture until just combined.
- Fill the cookie press with dough according to the manufacturer’s instructions and fit with the disk for the shape you want (snowflakes, Christmas trees, wreaths, etc.). Press cookies out directly onto ungreased cookie sheets. Piped dough that doesn’t look neat can be scraped off again and re-piped. If the dough becomes too sticky, refrigerate for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with colored sugar or decorate with candies as desired.
- Bake until the edges are lightly golden and set, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Spritz Cookie recipe makes about 60 one- or two-bite spritz cookies, depending on the size of your cookie press.
- Storage: Store extra Spritz cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Or, if you live in a cold climate, store them indefinitely in your chilly garage or patio.
- Make ahead: Spritz cookie dough can be made up to 2 days in advance. Wrap in parchment or waxed paper, place in an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to press and bake.
- Freezer: Spritz cookie dough freezes perfectly. Form into a disk, wrap well, label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight or at room temperature, then press and bake the cookies as directed. Check out my how-to on freezing cookie dough for more information.
- Source: This recipe is adapted from the “Mirro Cooky and Pastry” brochure that came with my mom’s cookie press.
- Customize your cookies: Colored sugar, small candy pieces, sprinkles, melted chocolate, and nonpareils are all fun ways to decorate Spritz cookies. You can also add drops of food color directly into the cookie dough for different colors of cookies. Some bakers like to brush the tops of their cookies with light corn syrup to help decorations adhere better.
- Spice Spritz: Add warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to your Spritz Cookies.
- More rainbow cookies: If you love colorful treats, try Confetti Cookies (made with a cake mix!), M&M Cookies, or Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars.
- Fill your Christmas cookie plate: Whether you’re prepping for a holiday Cookie Exchange or hosting your own Baking Day, we’ve got plenty of classic Christmas cookies on Culinary Hill like Christmas Sugar Cookies, Molasses Cookies, Thumbprint Cookies, Linzer Cookies, Pizzelle, Gingerbread Cookies, White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies, Fruitcake Cookies, Peanut Butter Blossoms, and Snickerdoodles.
- Christmas candy: If you love making homemade candy, try Christmas Crack, No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls, Microwave Peanut Brittle, and Millionaire’s Shortbread (shortbread cookies with caramel and chocolate on top).
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. Add 1 or 2 drops of your desired food coloring after adding the extract and before the flour to tint the cookie dough.
Each model is slightly different, but in general, here’s how it works: Select a cookie press plate and place it in the press. Transfer your cookie dough into the cookie press tube, then pop on the top. Position the cookie press with the plate-side down, and press the bottom on top of your prepared baking sheet until you hear a “click.” Lift up the press and repeat until you press out as much of the dough as you can, using multiple baking sheets if necessary.
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Spritz Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- Cookie press (This is my favorite! See note 1.)
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup shortening (see note 2)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla extract (see note 3)
- Colored sugar or candies, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, sift or vigorously whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment at medium speed, or with an electric mixer, beat shortening and sugar.
- Add egg and almond extract and beat well. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture until just combined.
- Fill cookie press with dough according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Press cookies out direct on to ungreased baking sheets. Piped dough that doesn’t look neat can be scraped off again and re-piped. If the dough becomes too sticky, refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle with colored sugar or decorate with candies as desired. Bake until the edges are lightly golden and set, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Cookie press: If you don’t own one yet, I highly recommend this OXO model, which comes with 12 different cookie press shapes.
- Shortening: This is what grandma’s Spritz Cookie recipe called for. Swap in an equal amount (1 cup) of butter for even more flavor.
- Almond or vanilla extract: Or any extract you desire, such as orange, lemon, rum, peppermint, or coconut.
- Yield: This Spritz Cookie recipe makes about 60 one- or two-bite spritz cookies, depending on the size of your cookie press.
- Storage: Store extra Spritz cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Or, if you live in a cold climate, store them indefinitely in your chilly garage or patio.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
So glad I found this recipe! I’ve been making Spritz for 20+ years but lately haven’t been too impressed with my all butter, 1/2 cup sugar recipe. I made your recipe as is and one with 1/2 butter, 1/2 Crisco shortening. I loved the texture of the all shortening but preferred the taste with 1/2 butter so will probably stick with that. The texture with 1/2 butter was great for me too. Nice to have two good options!
Thank you for trying this recipe, Barb! I’m glad it stood well against a 20+ year recipe, and is now another option for your. I appreciate you taking the time to write. I hope you have a great holiday! – Meggan
Looks like my recipe but I have trouble with cookie guns/presses. What cookie gun/press do you use?
Hi Cynthia, I use a vintage Mirro cookie press I bought on Ebay. Take care! – Meggan
Thanks for the recipe. I used 1/2 butter, 1/2 Crisco, which is what my mother would have used. So glad I found your site.
You’re welcome, Cmn! Happy you found us, too! Take care! – Meggan
What kind of shortening did your mom use and what type of shortening did you use to make the spritz cookie Mirro recipe
Were actually “buttery” without the butter! Pretty impressive. My secret pleasure is having these in the morning with a cup of coffee!
Spritz cookies are the annual Christmas cookies in our house. We have been baking them yearly for close to 20 years. The tree shape on the press with green coloring and red sugar sprinkles are in high demand here! The recipe is simple, easy to make, and tastes great.
Hi! Same here! Super simple and delicious! Merry Christmas! – Meggan
This is your comment on your recipe: My mom’s classic Spritz cookies recipe is the only one you need! These tiny cookies are crunchy, buttery, and perfect with a sprinkle of colored sugar.
Why do you say they are ‘buttery’ if there is no butter in the recipe.? My recipe uses butter and they are delicious also.
Hey there, so “buttery” in this context refers to the flavor, not the ingredients, but you aren’t the first one to be concerned by my description. Shortening also produces a buttery flavor, at least in my opinion, especially in these cookies and in pie crust. However. I am going to change it so I don’t describe the cookies as buttery anymore. I’m so sorry about that! Thanks for letting me know.
How are they buttery, without butter? I’ve never seen a spritz recipe with shortening in it….
I too purchased an old mirro press on eBay, it is the only one that really works well with spritz dough.
Hi Juli, they just are! Did you use the Spritz recipe that came with the Mirro press? That’s what this is. It’s straight out of that battered 1950’s cookbook. It’s the one my mom always made and it’s the best… at least in my opinion. No butter.