Almond Spritz Christmas Cookies
Almond extract flavors these small butter cookies, while a cookie press gives them softly defined flower shapes. Red and green sprinkles go on before baking; the finished cookies should be pale, with only faintly golden edges.
Press the dough onto a clean, dry, ungreased baking sheet. The dough needs to grip the bare metal as the press lifts, so test one cookie before filling the tray.
Makes about 36–40 cookies. Prep time: 25 minutes. Bake time: 7–9 minutes per batch, plus cooling.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (225g)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (135g)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (280g)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- About 3 tablespoons red and green holiday sprinkles, or as needed (35g)
How to Make Almond Spritz Christmas Cookies
- Prepare the oven and sheets: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Use clean, dry, room-temperature metal baking sheets. Do not grease them or line them with parchment or a silicone mat; the dough needs to grip the bare sheet to release from the press.
- Cream the butter and sugar: Beat the softened butter and sugar until smooth and somewhat fluffy, about 3–4 minutes. Beat in the egg, almond extract, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Mix the dough: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture in portions and mix just until a soft, cohesive dough forms. Do not chill the dough before pressing.
- Test the press: Fit a cookie press with a flower or rosette disc and load it with a manageable amount of dough. Press one cookie onto a bare baking sheet. It should stay on the sheet when you lift the press. If it lifts with the press, check that the sheet is clean, dry, unlined, ungreased, and not warm. If the dough is stiff, let it stand briefly at room temperature.
- Press and decorate: Press individual flower-shaped cookies onto the sheet, leaving a little space between them. Add red and green sprinkles immediately, tapping them gently into the dough without flattening the petals. If the sprinkles will not stick, brush the tops with only a trace of water before adding them.
- Bake: Bake one sheet at a time for about 7–9 minutes, starting to check at 7 minutes. Remove the cookies when their surfaces look set, their centers remain pale, and their edges are faintly golden. Cookie size and oven behavior can change the timing, so do not wait for the centers to brown.
- Cool: Leave the cookies on the sheet for about 2 minutes, until firm enough to lift. Transfer carefully to a rack and cool completely. Let baking sheets return to room temperature before pressing the next batch.
Using a Cookie Press
Follow your press’s operating instructions and load it in manageable portions. If the dough will not pass through the disc easily, it may be too cold or stiff; let it soften briefly at room temperature rather than forcing the press.
A piping bag or hand-shaped rounds are possible fallbacks without a cookie press, but they will not reproduce the pressed flower shape. This dough has not been adjusted specifically for piping.
Can I Use Almond Paste Instead of Almond Extract?
Almond paste is not a one-for-one substitute for almond extract. It would require a different dough formula; use extract for this version.
Storing and Freezing
Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3–5 days. For longer storage, freeze the baked cookies in a freezer-safe container or bag with paper between layers for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition
Approximate nutrition per cookie, based on a yield of 38: 90 calories, 1g protein, 5g fat, and 10g carbohydrates. Per 100g: about 460 calories, 5g protein, 26g fat, and 52g carbohydrates. Values vary with cookie size, sprinkle quantity, and ingredient brands.
Almond Spritz Christmas Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie press with flower or rosette disc
- Metal baking sheets
- Mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (225 g)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar (135 g)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (280 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- About 3 tablespoons red and green holiday sprinkles, or as needed (35 g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Use clean, dry, room-temperature metal baking sheets without grease, parchment, or a silicone mat.
- Beat the softened butter and sugar until smooth and somewhat fluffy, about 3–4 minutes.
- Beat in the egg, almond extract, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in portions and mix just until a soft, cohesive dough forms. Do not chill.
- Fit the cookie press with a flower or rosette disc and load it with a manageable amount of dough. Press one test cookie onto the bare baking sheet; make sure it stays on the sheet when you lift the press.
- Press the remaining dough into individual flower shapes, leaving a little space between cookies. Add sprinkles immediately, tapping them gently into the dough.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 7–9 minutes, starting to check at 7 minutes. Remove when the surfaces are set, centers are pale, and edges are faintly golden.
- Leave the cookies on the sheet for about 2 minutes, then transfer carefully to a rack to cool completely. Let the baking sheets return to room temperature before pressing another batch.
Tips
- Use bare, clean, dry, ungreased metal sheets so the dough grips the surface as the press lifts.
- Test one cookie before filling a tray.
- If the dough is too stiff to pass through the press, let it soften briefly at room temperature rather than forcing it.
- If sprinkles do not stick, brush the cookie tops with only a trace of water before decorating.
- Do not wait for the centers to brown; the cookies should remain pale with faintly golden edges.