Buttery Spritz Cookies - An Easy Christmas Cookie Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a spritz cookie and a butter cookie? ›

What is the difference between spritz and butter cookies? These cookies are nearly identical, except for one ingredient: egg. Egg makes the Spritz cookie dough a bit easier to work with, but it also helps the cookies keep their shape when baked.

No do not use parchment paper and do not grease the cookie sheet either. Spritz are butter cookies so they need something grippy to grip onto. And since there is so much butter in the recipe they come off the cookie sheet very easily.

Helpful Hints and Tips for Perfect Spritz Cookies:

Do not chill the dough before using. The dough should be at room temperature so it can be piped through the press. If your cookies start to spread or your kitchen is warm, try chilling the pans in the refrigerator for a few minutes before piping the cookies on the pan.

*If your dough feels too stiff and like it would be difficult to press, add vanilla extract or water (a teaspoon at a time) until you achieve a soft, workable dough. *If your cookies are not sticking to the cookie sheet well, try refrigerating the pans for 10 to 15 minutes to chill them.

Insulated Cookie Sheets

Pros: Cookie sheets are insulated to prevent the bottoms of the cookies from browning too much or too quickly and are ideal for when you're baking thin or delicate cookies, or treats should be lightly colored, such as spritz cookies and shortbread.

If the dough is sticking to the bottom of the press instead of adhering to the pan, it might be too soft. Place it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 minutes and try again. Butter is highly recommended when making Spritz cookie dough.

If it's too cold, it'll be hard to squeeze out of the pres. If it's too warm, it'll be too soft, and it won't hold its shape when baked. Holding your hand on the tube will warm the dough, so try to use just one hand on the trigger – place your other hand on the cookie sheet to keep it from moving.

The ungreased cookie sheet must be cold for the dough to adhere. If the dough will not stick to the pan, try placing the cookie sheet in the freezer for a few minutes. Do not use parchment paper or a Silpat mat. The dough will not stick when pressed.

Simply adding the flour to the stand mixer and beating it in runs the risk of overdeveloping gluten and giving you a tough or dense cookie (not what you want after all that work with the creaming). Instead, the best method is to add the flour and mix it in by hand, stopping as soon as no dry flour remains.

Generally that floury taste can be attributed to several things. Too much flour, bad recipe, improper mixing or underbaking, but the most common culprit is too much flour. Too much flour is most usually caused by scooping with the measuring cup and is probably the most common kitchen mistake made today.

How do you decorate spritz cookies after baking? ›

Classic Buttery Spritz Cookies

Serve your spritz cookies plain or sprinkle them with jimmies, sugars or nonpareils for some added color. You can even ice them or dip them in melted chocolate or Candy Melts Candy for even more decorating options. Christmas spritz cookies also make for fun and delicious holiday gifts!

Warm Cookie Sheets

If you're batch baking your cookies, make sure you're placing cookie dough on cooled cookie sheets. If the cookie sheets are too warm, they can cause the cookies to spread.

Loading the Cookie Press

To save time, buy premade cookie dough that comes in a log shape. Avoid using cookie dough that has big pieces like chocolate chips or nuts in it.

There are many reasons why your cookie dough may be crumbly. The most obvious culprit: not enough liquid to keep the dough together. Double check all liquid ingredients. Did you accidentally skip an egg?

As Levy Beranbaum writes in The Baking Bible, replacing a little bit of the flour in the dough with cornstarch results in “a more delicate cookie that is also easier to pipe or push through a cookie press.” Adding cornstarch helps tenderize tough gluten, contributing to a softer cookie dough with a finer crumb after ...

The name spritz comes from the German word spritzen, meaning "to squirt" because the soft dough is squirted or pushed through a cookie press to make fancy designs. Butter is responsible for the tender, rich texture and flavor of these incredible cookies.

Spritz cookies have one additional ingredient that shortbread cookies are missing: egg. Adding egg yolk to the dough makes it a bit easier to work with and helps the the cookies hold their cute shapes.

Mainly texture. Sugar cookie dough is firm enough to be rolled out and cut. Spritz dough has to be soft enough to extrude through a press.

Butter cookies, also known as Danish butter cookies, are cookies originating in Denmark consisting of butter, flour, and sugar. They are similar to shortbread cookies. The butter cookie is often categorized as a "crisp cookie" due to its texture, caused in part by the quantity of butter and sugar.