Christmas Spritz Cookies
These Christmas Spritz Cookies are buttery, tender, and perfectly shaped using a cookie press. They’re quick to make, easy to decorate, and ideal for holiday cookie platters, gifting, and last-minute baking. With warm spices, brown sugar, and classic Christmas shapes, these cookies bring instant festive cheer to the kitchen.
These Christmas Spritz Cookies are buttery, tender, and perfectly shaped using a cookie press. They’re quick to make, easy to decorate, and ideal for holiday cookie platters, gifting, and last-minute baking. With warm spices, brown sugar, and classic Christmas shapes, these cookies bring instant festive cheer to the kitchen.
⭐ Why Make This Christmas Spritz Cookie Recipe
- No chilling — the dough presses beautifully straight away.
- Festive shapes — perfect for wreaths, trees, stars, snowflakes, and classic holiday designs.
- Warm holiday flavor — brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger add a gentle Christmas aroma.
- Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture — thanks to creamed butter and cornstarch.
- Perfect for decorating — add sprinkles, glaze, or dip in chocolate.
- Cookie-press friendly — soft dough = clean, crisp shapes.
This is my base spritz dough I’ve used for years, adapted here with holiday spices and decorations.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Butter – Unsalted butter gives you better control over flavor. Room temperature — not soft or melted.
- Light Brown Sugar – Adds moisture, color, and a light caramel note. You can use white sugar for a crisper cookie.
- Egg – Binds the dough and helps it press smoothly.
- Vanilla + Almond Extract – Classic spritz flavor combination. You can swap almond for rose, orange, or peppermint.
- All-Purpose Flour – Gives structure. No substitutions needed.
- Cornstarch – Creates a tender, shortbread-like crumb.
- Cinnamon + Ginger – Warm holiday spices. Optional but recommended for Christmas spritz cookies.
👣 How to Make Christmas Spritz Cookies
Cookie Dough
- Preheat the oven – Set to 356°F / 180°C. Keep trays ungreased — spritz cookies press best on clean, dry metal.
- Mix the dry ingredients – Whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar – Beat the butter and brown sugar until light, fluffy, and pale — this step creates the signature melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Add egg and extracts – Mix in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract until smooth and creamy.
- Add the dry ingredients – Mix just until the dough comes together. The dough should feel soft enough to press, not sticky.
Press the cookie press
- Color the dough (optional) – Divide into portions and tint with gel food colors for festive red and green cookies.
- Fill the cookie press – Pack the dough in firmly, attach a Christmas-themed disk, and prime the press.
- Press the cookies – Hold the press straight up on an ungreased tray. Press, pause, lift. Tip: If cookies won’t stick, chill the tray for 2–3 minutes.
Bake & Decorate
- Bake 6–8 minutes, just until the edges show a hint of color. Cool on the tray for 10 minutes before moving.
- Glaze or drizzle (optional) – Whisk powdered sugar with water for a simple glaze. Let dry before stacking.
- Decorate (optional) – Add sprinkles or sanding sugar before baking for holiday sparkle.
⭐ Which Cookie Press Works Best?
After years of cookie-press battles, I can confidently say this: a good press makes all the difference. I now use an Italian metal cookie press, which gives clean, consistent shapes every single time. OXO and Wilton also make reliable budget options. Whatever press you use, make sure the dough is soft, the tray is ungreased, and you hold the press straight up for best results.
Tips for Success
- Cream the butter and sugar well — this is your only leavening.
- Use room-temp butter, not softened, not melted.
- Do not chill the dough — it won’t press properly.
- Press onto ungreased metal trays; avoid silicone or parchment.
- Chill the tray, not the dough, if cookies won’t release.
- Bake lightly — spritz cookies brown fast.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Quick Fix |
|---|---|
| Cookies won’t stick when pressing | Use an ungreased metal tray. Wipe completely dry. Chill tray 2–3 minutes if needed. |
| Cookie shapes look messy / not defined | Butter was too soft. Start with firm room-temperature butter and avoid over-mixing. |
| Dough too stiff for the press | Let dough soften 5 minutes or add 1–2 tsp milk until it presses smoothly. |
| Cookies spreading | Dough is too warm. Chill pressed cookies on the tray for 5–10 minutes before baking. |
Frequently asked questions
These cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to a week. You can freeze the dough for up to a month or freeze the cookies for up to three months.
You certainly can. However, you want to bring the cookie dough back to room temperature so it’s soft and can be pressed out of the cookie press. Stiff cookie dough will be hard to press out and can even break your cookie press.
These cookies bake in as little as 6 to 8 minutes; any longer than that and you will have toast (yes, hard cookies).
If you use parchment paper, it will be hard to press the cookies because the parchment paper will lift up every time you pick up the press. The best way to get perfectly shaped cookies with the press is to use the press directly on an ungreased cookie sheet. Don’t worry, they do not stay stuck to the tray.
While there are many affordable brands in the market, my favorite is this Italian brand, and the next highly recommended would be the OXO and Wilton.
Christmas Spritz Cookies – Easy Holiday Cookie Press Recipe
This holiday season, bring the flavor of Christmas into your home by baking these delicious Christmas spritz cookies. You can share them at parties, add them to your holiday cookie platter, and pass them out to your neighbors
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) Unsalted Butter soft, room temperature
- ½ cup (110 g) Light brown Sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 large Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- ½ tsp Almond extract
- 2¼ cups (280 g) All-Purpose flour
- 4 tbsp (60 g) Cornstarch
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Cinnamon ground
- ¼ tsp Ginger ground
- 1 cup Powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp Water
- 1 cup Sprinkles variety
Method
- Prep – Preheat the oven to 356°F / 180°C/ Gas Mark 4.
- Wet ingredients – In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Next, add the egg, then the vanilla and almond extracts. Scrape the bowl and mix again until creamy.1 cup Unsalted Butter, ½ cup Light brown Sugar, 1 large Egg, 1 tsp Vanilla extract, ½ tsp Almond extract
- Dry ingredients – In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, spice, and cornstarch, and set aside. Then add the flour mixture – the dough is softer than other cookies. That's so you can press it easily from the cookie press. (Optional) Divide the dough into 3 or 4 portions. You can color the dough with gel food color at this time.2¼ cups All-Purpose flour, 4 tbsp Cornstarch, ½ tsp Salt, ½ tsp Cinnamon ground, ¼ tsp Ginger ground
- Fill the cookie press – Fill the dough into the cookie press with a Christmas disc. Every cookie press is different, so make sure to read the instructions carefully and set it up as directed.
- Press cookies directly on the ungreased baking sheet (no parchment paper). Hold the cookie press at a right angle (straight up) to the baking tray, press down, hold, then lift up. If you have any points, press them down with a wet finger.
- Bake the cookies in a preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes. These do bake quickly, so keep a close eye on them. You need to take them out as soon as you see the edges get a slight color.
- Cool on the baking tray for just 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies are delicious on their own without any frosting. But you can certainly decorate them with melted chocolate and sprinkles.
- For the sugar glaze – combine the powdered sugar and water until you have a smooth pouring consistency. Color and transfer to piping bags. Decorate as desired (watch the video for ideas)1 cup Powdered sugar, 2 tbsp Water
- Dry and Store – Let the frosting or glaze dry before you stack them away, otherwise they will stick to each other. These cookies will stay in an airtight container or cookie jar for up to a week.1 cup Sprinkles
Notes
- Cream the butter and sugar well — this is your only leavening.
- Use room-temp butter, not softened, not melted.
- Do not chill the dough — it won’t press properly.
- Press onto ungreased metal trays; avoid silicone or parchment.
- Chill the tray, not the dough, if cookies won’t release.
- Bake lightly — spritz cookies brown fast.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Mention @veenaazmanov_kitchen or tag #veenaazmanovkitchen!- Christmas Tree Cookies Gingerbread
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Because I have celiac disease I would need to make these with gluten free flour. Bob’s Red Mill flour is my go to when baking Do you think that will work?Cindy
Cindy I have not tried with gluten-free so I can’t say for sure if they will work.
Such cute little spritz cookies. Perfect as gifts or even for parties. I had a cookie press and use to make spritz cookies for my kids birthday parties. Someone borrowed it and after so many years hasn’t come back to me. I guess its time for me to buy a new one and will look out for th brand you’ve recommended.
Thanks, Mayuri. Yes, this Italian brand is the best I’ve had so far.
These are the cutest Christmas cookies ever!! I love the detailed explanation and steps also. Creative with a festive touch, love them!
Thank you, Adrianne.
These spritz cookies are so adorable! I’m always looking for more cookie recipes this time of year and now I have another one for my collection!
Thanks, Jamie. I hope you try these
These Christmas Cookies look so amazing! This is the perfect sweet treat to make with kids!
Absolutely, perfect treat for kids.
I like your tip about using cornstarch. I actually don’t use it to much so looking forward to seeing how it makes the cookie lighter!
Thanks, Beth. I hope you try these