The Sweet Parlor · cookies · German · holiday · gifting

Spritzbaaken

Name: Spritzbaaken
Total time: 40 min
Yield: about 60 cookies
Ingredients: 226 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature; 100 g granulated sugar; 1 large egg yolk; 5 ml vanilla extract; 3 ml almond extract; 240 g all-purpose flour; 2 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt

German pressed butter cookies — rich, tender, and delicate with vanilla and a hint of almond. "Spritz" comes from the German word for squirt: the dough goes through a cookie press into rosettes, wreaths, or ribbons. Holiday staple. Under 40 minutes start to finish, and they keep two weeks in a tin.

15 min prep 8–10 min per sheet ~40 min total

Spoon cost

Effort ●●○○○ Time ●○○○○ Quick

Vegetarian

Cookiesfrom one batch

Units

Ingredients

Butter temperature is everything. It must be genuinely soft — leaves a fingerprint indent easily, but is not shiny or greasy. Too cold and the dough won't press cleanly. Too warm and it slides instead of holding its shape.

Easier, if you like

The OXO Good Grips Cookie Press (Target, Williams Sonoma, Amazon, ~$25) is the easiest press to use — the ratchet mechanism is forgiving and the discs swap easily. Highly recommended if you don't already have one.
Colored sugar sprinkles (baking aisle, any grocery store) pressed on before baking — the easiest way to make these look festive without any extra work.

Method

Cook's notes

Butter temperature is everything. Room temperature means soft enough to leave a clear fingerprint when you press it, but not shiny, oily, or melty. Too cold: the dough tears in the press. Too warm: it slides on the pan and the shapes collapse.

Ungreased pan is not a typo. The dough needs to grip the pan when you press and lift the press away. Greased pans cause the dough to slide with the press and the shape gets dragged instead of stamped.

If the dough is too soft after pressing — shapes spreading immediately — refrigerate the pressed sheets 10 minutes before baking.

Decorate before baking, not after. Colored sugar and sprinkles bake right in and hold. Post-bake decoration doesn't stick without frosting.

They keep two weeks in an airtight tin — excellent for making ahead or gifting.

Vegetarian as written; almond-free version easy

Skip the almond extract if serving to someone with a nut allergy — increase vanilla to 8 ml (1½ tsp) instead. The cookies are still excellent.

Brown butter version: brown the butter first, let it solidify in the fridge until firm, then bring back to room temperature and beat as usual. Adds a nutty, caramel depth to the flavor.

Gluten-free: Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour works but makes the dough slightly stickier and harder to press. Chill the dough 30 minutes before pressing.