Buttery Spritz Cookies are those small, delicate cookies you press straight onto the baking sheet, the kind that show up on holiday trays and somehow disappear first. They’re tender without being crumbly, lightly sweet, and full of simple butter flavor. If you’ve never used a cookie press, this is an easy place to start. The dough comes together quickly, pipes cleanly, and bakes in minutes. No big fuss. Just classic cookies that feel a little special, whether you’re sharing a plate with neighbors or sneaking one with your afternoon coffee.

Ingredients for this Buttery Spritz Cookies

1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (135 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional but lovely)
2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Optional add-ins: 1 teaspoon lemon zest, gel food coloring, or 1–2 teaspoons milk if needed for consistency
Decorations: sanding sugar, nonpareils, or chocolate for drizzling

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Grab a couple of unlined, ungreased, cool metal baking sheets. Skip parchment and silicone mats here. The dough needs direct contact with the pan to stick when you press it.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Two to three minutes with a hand mixer is plenty. You’re looking for a soft, fluffy spread, not a hard workout.
Beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract. The mixture may look a little silky and loose. That’s good.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour with the salt. Add it to the butter mixture and mix on low just until combined. It should form a soft dough that holds a shape. If it’s crumbly, add 1 teaspoon of milk. If it’s sticky, let it rest 5 minutes.
If you want colorful cookies, divide the dough and tint each portion with a tiny dab of gel coloring. Knead gently until uniform. Don’t overmix; you want tender cookies, not tough ones.
Load the dough into your cookie press fitted with your favorite disk. Flowers and stars always look tidy. Hold the press flat against the cool baking sheet and press once, then lift cleanly. If the dough doesn’t stick, see the FAQ below for quick fixes.
Space cookies about 1 inch apart. They don’t spread much, which is a gift when you’re trying to fit several dozen on two pans.
Decorate if you like. A pinch of sparkling sugar or a few nonpareils makes them look bakery-worthy with almost zero effort.
Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, just until the edges look barely golden. They should stay quite pale. Overbaking takes them from tender to sandy in a blink.
Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack. Repeat with remaining dough, making sure your baking sheet is cool before pressing the next batch. Warm sheets can cause the dough to slide, which is frustrating.
Once cooled, you can drizzle with melted chocolate or dip one edge for a little flourish. Or keep them plain and let the buttery flavor speak up.

A little note from the trenches: if you’re baking with kids or friends, set up a pressing station and a decorating station. It turns into a calm assembly line, and the cookies look more uniform. Also, that first cookie out of the press is often a test cookie. Eat it, adjust, move on.

Cook and Prep Times

Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 7 to 9 minutes per batch
Total time: 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the number of batches
Yield: About 60 small cookies (5 dozen), depending on disk shape and size

Nutritional information

These are estimates per cookie, assuming 60 cookies and no extra chocolate:

Calories: ~55
Fat: ~3 g
Saturated fat: ~2 g
Carbohydrates: ~6.5 g
Sugar: ~3.5 g
Protein: ~0.7 g
Sodium: ~20 mg

Keep in mind that decorations or chocolate will add a bit more. If you’re tracking closely, weigh your total batch and divide by the number of cookies for a more exact count.

Frequently asked questions

Why won’t my spritz cookies stick to the baking sheet?

Three likely reasons. First, the pan might be lined or greased. The dough needs friction to grip the metal, so use an unlined, ungreased, cool baking sheet. Second, the dough may be too firm. If it’s cracking or refusing to press, mix in 1 teaspoon of milk and try again. Third, the sheet might be warm from the oven, which makes the dough slide. Rotate between two or three pans so you always have a cool one. When pressing, hold the press flat on the sheet, press once firmly, wait a beat, then lift straight up. A quick twist of the wrist can help release the shape cleanly.

Can I make Buttery Spritz Cookies without a cookie press?

Yes, with a small workaround. Use a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip and pipe rosettes or S-shapes. The dough is soft, so it pipes well. You can also roll teaspoon-sized balls and press them gently with the bottom of a glass, though they won’t have that classic spritz look. Flavor and texture will still be lovely. If piping feels stiff, add 1 teaspoon of milk to loosen the dough.

How do I store or freeze them so they stay fresh?

Once completely cool, store the cookies in an airtight tin or container at room temperature for up to 1 week. They actually taste even better on day two, when the butter flavor settles in. To freeze, you have two options. Freeze the baked cookies in layers separated by parchment for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, uncovered, so they don’t get tacky. Or freeze the dough. Press it into logs, wrap tightly, and thaw in the fridge overnight. Bring to room temp until just soft enough to press, then bake as usual. If you’re adding sprinkles, do that before baking so they adhere well.

Final tip before you preheat: try one batch plain first, no food coloring, no extra flavoring. Taste the dough’s core personality. Then decide if you want to play with almond, lemon, or a drizzle of dark chocolate. There’s something deeply satisfying about a plate of Buttery Spritz Cookies that look neat, taste simple, and go perfectly with a cup of tea. Slow down, take a bite, and let that buttery crumb melt. That’s the whole point.