The holidays can be stressful. Especially if you have to bake a metric ton of holiday cookies for your large family’s holiday cookie swap. No sweat! These easy Almond Spritz Cookies will be your savior!
So, what are spritz cookies? A spritz cookie is basically a butter cookie using a cookie press to make cute cookie shapes and they are typically served around the holidays.
The word spritz comes from the German word “spritzen” which means to squirt because they “squirt” out of a cookie press!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Simple and beautiful – these press cookies are super simple to make and they come out nearly perfect every time because they are formed using a cookie press.
- Buttery and flavorful – who doesn’t love the taste of butter in baked goods? This cookie press recipe is delicious from the butter, but they can take so many different flavors! This one being almond.
- Easy prep and clean up – This recipe pretty much uses one mixing bowl and your cookie press which makes cleaning up a cinch!
Ingredients and substitutions
As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:
- Butter – this press cookie uses 1 stick of butter. I don’t recommend using salted butter here since there’s so much butter, salted butter will make the cookies way too salty since we only need a pinch of salt in this recipe.
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour because a spritz cookie needs that little bit of toothiness. Cake flour contains cornstarch which gives a melty feeling like this brown butter melting moment cookie which isn’t the mouth feel you want for a spritz cookie.
- Sugar – regular granulated sugar is all you need for this recipe
- Salt – just a large pinch of kosher salt is used to enhance the flavor and complexity.
- Almond extract – the almond flavor comes from almond extract. You can totally use vanilla if you only have that, but go crazy and experiment with different flavorings such as maple, orange, or peppermint for a festive holiday flavor.
- Egg yolk – one egg yolk is all you need, save the white for another recipe, like this homemade almond paste.
- Sprinkles – these are optional but recommended for the fun factor.
Tools you’ll need
- A stand mixer or electric hand mixer will be handy to help you make the cookie dough.
- A cookie press is a must here, they wouldn’t be spritz cookies without a cookie press.
How to make almond spritz cookies
The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
First, soften your butter on the counter for a few hours. The time really depends on the weather that day. A warm day will warm the butter quicker so just check. If you can push your finger into the butter and it gives a little it’s ready.
Next cream your butter with sugar in your stand mixer bowl until it’s light and fluffy. Add your egg yolk and almond extract and beat until combined.
Add the flour and the salt into a small mixing bowl and mix to distribute evenly. With the mixer on the lowest speed slowly add the flour mixture to the stand mixer bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. The resulting dough should be soft and easy to handle.
Fill your cookie press with the cookie dough and line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats. Hold the cookie press perpendicular to the baking sheet and press out the cookies, spacing them 1-2 inches apart
Note: this photo doesn’t show the silicone mat since I was testing how the cookies come out with different baking sheets, but the silicone mat turns out to be my favorite.
Once you’ve filled your baking sheet, get creative and use sprinkles, colored sugars, or whatever decorations you want to decorate your cookies with. Chill your cookies in the fridge or freezer while your oven preheats to 375°F.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
More baker’s tips
- Filling your cookie press – It’s easier to fill your cookie press if you roll the dough into a log, slightly smaller diameter than your cookie press and just plopping it in.
- The mat matters – I tested this recipe on a buttered cookie sheet, parchment lined baking sheet, and a silicone mat. The silicone baking mat worked the best by far. It’s a good splurge because you’ll use them over and over again. Parchment paper will work if you don’t have a silicone mat. I just didn’t like how it will occasionally lift up with the cookie press when you’re trying to release the dough. You just have to make sure to hold it down.
- Two clicks is all you need – I found that two clicks on your cookie press yields the best size and results for this . This will give you 22 cookies from this batch of dough.
- Feel free to double and triple the recipe if you’re preparing a lot of cookies for the holidays.
Storage
These Almond spritz cookies will last 3-5 days in an airtight container at room temperature. That is, if you even have any left over. Or you can freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
FAQs
There are two things that may have happened. If you chilled or froze your dough before putting it in the cookie press it will be impossible to press out of the cookie press. Just make sure your dough is room temperature before you put it in your cookie press.
If you added too much flour, it’s a different story. Perhaps you packed the flour into your measuring cup, it will be too much. At this point you’ll have to start over, but you can still salvage the cookies by manually dividing the dough, rolling them into balls by hand, and pressing to flatten on your cookie sheet, bake as normal. They’ll still taste fine, if not a little dry. Start over, fluff, scoop and level when measuring your flour and don’t press it into your measuring cup.
Everyone has different opinions on this. Some say don’t use parchment paper or silicone mats, some prefer plain versus buttered cookie sheets. I’ve made these year after year for our family’s cookie swap and they’ve always come out the best using a silicone baking mat.
In my experience, the dough sticks to the mat and the mat has enough weight that it won’t lift up with the dough when you pull the cookie press up to release. But test it out and see what works best for you!
Sure you can! You can try these chocolate spritz cookie variation or get creative! Try adding some peppermint extract or orange extract or some citrus zest or just add vanilla for more simplified flavor.
More holiday cookie recipes
- Pie Crust Cookies
- Brown Butter Macadamia Snowball Cookie
- Snickerdoodles
- Marzipan Filled Rugelach
- Pistachio Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
📖 Recipe card
Almond Spritz Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie Press
Ingredients
- 4 oz unsalted butter (1 stick, 113 g, room temperature)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (67 g)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (137 g)
- A large pinch of salt
Instructions
- Cream softened butter with sugar in a mixing bowl using the whisk attachment until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and almond extract and beat until combined.
- Sift flour into a small bowl and mix in the salt to distribute evenly. With the mixer on the lowest speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the stand mixer bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. The dough should be soft and easy to handle.
- Fill the cookie press with the cookie dough and line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Hold the cookie press perpendicular to the prepared baking sheet and press out the cookies, spacing about 1 – 2 inches apart.
- Add sprinkles, color sugars or any decorative touches desired to your cookies. Chill in the fridge or freezer while the oven preheats. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 – 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool.
Notes
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, a regular mixing bowl and an electric hand mixer will work just as well. Or you can cream the butter by hand with a whisk and just use a spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients.
- I recommend silicone baking mats for this recipe but parchment paper will also work if you don’t own any silicone baking mat. Just make sure to hold down the paper when lifting up the cookie press when using parchment paper because you may experience the parchment paper lifting up with the dough.
- This recipe can make up to 3 dozen cookies depending on how much dough is pressed out per cookie. I used 2 clicks of the cookie press here for larger cookies and the recipe yields 22 cookies.
- You can easily double or triple this recipe to make a lot more when preparing for the holidays.
Nutrition
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Hi! Can this recipe be doubled? It sounds delicious!
Hi Mary, you should be able to double it without any issue.
The best almond spritz recipe I have tried. I have been searching for years to find a recipe that reminded me of my great grandmothers I don’t think I could get any closer than these.
Thank you
Thank you so much Demi! I’m so happy it reminded you fo your great grandmother’s, what an honor!
Yes I’m an almond lover and these cookies look delicious and pretty and fun all at once. Great recipe