These Simple Butter Spritz Cookies are a delicious Christmas tradition. Similar to shortbread cookies, Spritz Cookies are buttery and soft, but these also have a hint of almond flavour. Make them with a cookie press and add sprinkles to make them festive!

a top down view of a black wire cooling rack sitting on a plaid napkin. the cooling rack is full of freshly baked butter spritz cookies decorated with red, white and green sprinkles

Classic and Delicious

I think everyone has seen these little decorative cookies on a Christmas treat plate at some point in time. Most times they are decorated with sprinkles, or a little bit of glaze drizzled over them. Sometimes they’re dyed different holiday colours like red and green. They are a classic Christmas cookie.

a side view of a cooling rack full of freshly baked butter spritz cookies decorated with red, white and green sprinkles

About Spritz Cookies

Spritz cookies are just like shortbread cookies, with the only difference being that they have an egg added to the batter. Other than that, this recipe is just like my Whipped Shortbread but not as crumbly. The nice thing about spritz cookie batter is that it is made to go through a cookie press, hence the name ‘spritz’ which comes from the German word spritzen, meaning ‘to squirt’. Because the dough is soft it can be ‘squirted’ or pushed through a cookie press to make pretty cookie designs.

a side view of a cooling rack full of freshly baked spritz cookies decorated with red, white and green sprinkles

I used this OXO cookie press (this is an affiliate link) to make these Spritz Cookies. It’s easy to use and comes with 12 different designs of steel discs. I used the tree, wreath and snowflake.

Why use a cookie press?

Aside from the fact that a cookie press makes the most adorable cookies, I love the small size of them. This recipe make about 100 little cookie-pressed cookies, which means you have plenty to freeze for later or to give away as gifts to friends and family!

Cookie Press Tips:

Make sure to get all of the air out of the cookie press tube, so press the cookie batter in as much as you can to eliminate any spaces.
Space the cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheet. The cookies don’t spread much, if at all.
Hold the press down firmly on the baking sheet when pressing the batter through the press. And wait a few seconds to allow the cookie to ‘fall’ on to the baking sheet.
It takes practice! Don’t worry if the cookies don’t come out of the press properly, you can just put it back into the batter and try again.
Don’t worry if the cookies don’t look perfect right out of the cookie press. When they bake they smooth out and look nice!

a top down view of white plate sitting on a plaid napkin. the plate is full of freshly baked butter spritz cookies decorated with red, white and green sprinkles

Makes a great homemade gift!

Homemade cookies are always a perfect holiday gift for friends and family! Make a batch and split it up to give away. I like to wrap cookies in decorative tins or plastic containers. I also like to use pretty holiday themed ziplock bags. If you’re looking for more ideas for gifts from the kitchen, make sure to read my homemade gifts post here.

a side view of white plate sitting on a plaid napkin. the plate is full of freshly baked butter spritz cookies decorated with red, white and green sprinkles

Cookie Press: I use this OXO cookie press (this is an affiliate link).
Ingredients: Have the butter and egg at room temperature.
Icing Sugar: Also called confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar (here in Canada we call it icing sugar)
Sprinkles: Sometimes the sprinkles don’t stick well to the raw cookie dough, so you may have to gently press them into the dough, particularly on the more puffy shapes like wreaths. The little trees and snowflakes are easier…the sprinkles fall into the divots and bake into the cookie.
Baking Pan Prep: Do not grease your baking pan, and don’t use parchment paper or wax paper because the cookies just won’t stick when they come out of the cookie press. You can use a silpat sheet though.
Baking Pan: Make sure to cool the baking sheets between batches. When I do this I let the sheets cool enough that I can pick them up with my hands, then I put them in the fridge until I need them.
Cooling Time: Once the cookies come out of the oven, let them cool on the baking pan for about 2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Use a metal spatula to remove the cookies from the baking pan, and onto a wire rack.
Storage: Store these cookies in an air-tight container for up to 5 days…any longer and they will get hard.
Freezing: Store these cookies in an air-tight container or ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Delicious options! Dip cooled cookies in melted chocolate for an extra special touch!

a white plate sits on a wooden table next to some sheets of paper. the plate is full of freshly baked butter spritz cookies decorated with red, white and green sprinkles

Leave a plate out for Santa!