Tritz Spritz Cookies Recipe
We make spritz cookies all. the. time. If there’s a holiday, there’s a cookie press disk for it, trust. Christmas cookies in our house are typically sugar cookies and spritz cookies, butterscotch cookies my sister-in-law makes, and those crunchy almond powder sugar covered snowball cookies. My mom made these growing up all the time, and so did my granny, so they’re engrained in my soul. The girls and I go to my best friend/sister-from-another-mister’s house (hey Desiree!) each December and bake cookies with her daughter, where we make these. Annual Cookie Bake is one of my most favorite things about Christmas. The girls love it, we love hanging out, and everyone leaves with 45 dozen cookies, exhausted, and full of wine, cookies, and memories.
These little cuties have so many variations on how you can make them, by adding different extracts like lemon, orange, peppermint, almond, vanilla, berries, cinnamon… the list goes on. By nature, spritz cookies aren’t too sweet, which makes them perfect for decorating with sanding sugar or glazing them.
I have been using a secret ingredient, and a crucial tip to get the best spritz cookies ever.
Let’s get to making this spritz cookies…
First, you’ll want to preheat your oven to 375 F.
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Then put your cookie sheets in the freezer. That’s the secret tip. This is so the cookies will stick easier to the cookie sheets as you squeeze them out of the press. My favorite cookie sheets are actually jelly roll pans. Also, my freezer is so unorganized. Shh.
In your mixer bowl, you’ll add your sugar and softened butter. I love this lil’ old Kitchen Aid mixer, it’s such a workhorse!
Cream these two delicious things together, I usually let mine go for 2-3 minutes. It shall look light and fluffy when it’s ready.
As you’re creaming your butter and sugar, go ahead and measure out your flour and baking powder.
Can I address how cute and weathered my Pioneer Woman measuring spoons are!?
Sift.
I love sifting flour. Something about a cute flour sifter and the sound it makes, fills me with such joy! Strange, I know.
Assemble your wet ingredients, and be sure to use something cute to hold them in! I use the heck out of my Pioneer Woman measuring cups and pitcher.
Actually, I use ALL my Pioneer Woman goodies constantly… these are my absolute faves:
Get ready… this is where the secret ingredient comes in.Â
Vanilla bean paste (Amazon has the kind I used and it’s a better deal than in the market). VANILLA BEANS, Y’ALL. I used vanilla extract, aaaaaaaaaaand vanilla bean paste. Such a lovely depth of flavor – use it in all the things.
Add the wet ingredients, to the butter and sugar in the mixer, and mix them up.
Then, you’ll add the dry mixture right in. Just dump it. Very unorthodox, but that’s how I do.
At this point, I will openly admit that my kids and I tasted the dough, and it was fantastic.
A word of caution…Â do not put this dough in the fridge. It’s not sugar cookie dough, and it will definitely break your cookie press if it’s too hard. Ask me how I know that. Â If it’s getting too warm, and the butter in the dough is making it a little melty, you can put it in the fridge, but make sure it’s room temp before you move on.
Grab your cookie press, open the end, pull the plunger back, and fill it up. My cookie press is the most basic Wilton press, and it’s my absolute favorite press I’ve ever used. Seriously.
Add the shape disc, grooved side facing in, and put the end back on.
Out of one full cookie press, you’ll get a full cookie sheet of spritz cookies. They don’t spread, so you can pack them in.
Pull your cookie trays out, and get squeezing! I typically do one click for each cookie. Except the wreath shape, I do two. Once you’ve got them pressed, decorate them with all your favorite things! If you want to glaze, do it after you bake ’em.
I know most recipes in baking are done at 350, but I do these at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Halfway through the 8 minutes, I will rotate my trays, then finish the timer. Let them sit on the cookie tray for a minute or two, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
If you want to glaze them, go for it. My kids like to use the cookie icing or sanding sugars, they really just inhale them off the cooling rack.
Tritz Spritz Cookie Recipe:
Tritz Spritz Cookie Recipe
The best spritz cookie recipe, perfect to double, and bake for all holidays!
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup butter (softened)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 whole egg (beaten)
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp vanilla bean paste (adjust to taste)
-
Preheat oven to 375F.
Place cookie sheets in freezer.
In medium bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
In stand-mixer bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy (about 2 minutes).
Add the egg, milk, vanilla, vanilla bean paste and mix again until fully combined (about 2 minutes).
Add the flour mixture, and mix well. Take out your cookie sheets from the freezer.
Fill your cookie press, add the desired disc, press your cookies (1-2 clicks per cookie) close together, then decorate.
Bake the cookies about 8 minutes, rotating your trays halfway through the baking time (4 minutes). Let the cookies sit on the tray for a minute or two, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
If you choose to double this recipe:
- Continue with 1 egg (do not use 2)
- Â Adjust your vanilla bean paste to 1 1/2 Tablespoons, unless you like that kind of thing.Â
Wash your cookie sheet, and re-cool in the freezer between each batch for easier pressing.
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I have so many memories with spritz cookies, and I am pretty sure my kids will have the same. What are your favorite memories with Christmas baking? Let me know below, lovies!!
Game changing tip you just shared girlfriend! I have noted this in the cookie baking log book.
I have always dreamed of gathering with others and having a huge cookie baking session. One day possibly…
These look SO yummy!!! And the addition of vanilla bean paste is pure brilliance! I am obsessed with the perfect vanilla flavor– DELISH!!!!!
I love it that you have a cookie named after you 🙂 I’ve not used vanilla bean paste and will definitely get some soon. And the tip for the freezer brilliant (your freezer looks better than mine LOL). I have a cookie press that’s still in the box so I’ll have to bust it out just for these beauties!
These are so cute and look so yummy!!! I have 2 cookie presses and have never used them, well once and it was not pretty, lol!! I am going to give it another go with your recipe this year and I think I may start a new cookie baking tradition with all the women in our family!
Seriously…the best part of your post are the chubby little fingers stealing a cookie in your first pic. OMG….love these spritz cookies and thanks for all your helpful tips.
Your cookies are so pretty! I have not every tried vanilla paste but I am looking forward to making these!
What a lovely tradition you have with making your sweet cookies!! Can’t wait to try them 🙂
Woah! I never knew to place my cookie sheets in the freezer. That’s such a great idea. I need to try this with the bean paste too. I bet they’re super yummy! Thanks for participating 🙂
These look like such a great recipe! I don’t own a cookie press, but I think I need one this Christmas. I love that this cookie is a family favorite and holds lots of memories! I will try and make them this Christmas and add them to our family favorites!
These are the cookies we made when I was a little girl. I still have the original cookie press from the 1950s in copper and black. It works great. Can’t wait to try your secret tip, never did that before!
I have NO IDEA what the cooky press disc name is but it is a long straight line with sawteeth on one edge. I used to pipe the length of the cooky sheet with these, sprinkle with a variety of sprinkles (I am a sprinkle/sugar hoarder!). You can do a whole sheet quickly with 4 or 5 strips (this is also a good way to use up the end of the dough when energy, time, and patience has waned).. When slightly cooled, cut them into squares, rectangles and diagonals! With different toppings, you have a large variety of “different” cookies really quickly! My mother had an old Mirro cookie press and my favorites were the wreathe and Christmas tree made with a cream cheese recipe; melt in you mouth goodness! I used to be in a group who did a cooky swap; mere amatueurs; they only brought 2 doz each to trade, but it sure fleshed out your baking to add 6 eachx4 of different cookies!
My mom always made “cooky press cookies” when we were kids (now 67). I loved the cream cheese ones she always made as wreathes. The trick is to have the dough exactly the right temp in a hot kitchen. Takes practice! When I run out of 1) time, 2) patience, I use the tip that has a sawtooth edge and spritz them the length of the cooky sheet. Sprinkle them with different sugars/jimmies. When slightly cooled, I cut some into rectangles, then cut the rest on the diagonal to make diamonds. Looks like you worked hard. My ultimate compliment is, “They look like bakery cookies.”