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A vintage metal baking tray filled with freshly baked old-fashioned spritz butter cookies shaped like Christmas trees, wreaths, and stars, beautifully decorated with festive red and green sugar and candied cherries.

Classic Old-Fashioned Spritz Butter Cookies

The ultimate nostalgic holiday treat! These classic spritz butter cookies are incredibly rich, tender in the center, and feature slightly crisp, golden edges. Perfect for Christmas cookie tins!
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup 226 g Unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup 150 g Granulated sugar
  • 1 large Egg room temperature
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp Almond extract optional, but recommended
  • 2 1/2 cups 313 g All-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • Red and green colored sugar for decorating
  • Christmas sprinkles optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Ensure you have clean, bare, ungreased metal baking sheets ready. Do not use parchment paper.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes until light, smooth, and creamy.
  • Add the room-temperature egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using). Beat on low speed just until seamlessly combined.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and the salt.
  • Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet butter mixture, mixing on low speed strictly until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
  • Fit your cookie press with your desired decorative disc (such as a tree, wreath, or star). Fill the barrel with dough according to the manufacturer's instructions.
  • Hold the press completely flat against the cool, bare metal baking sheet. Press the dough out, leaving about 1 inch of space between each cookie.
  • Lightly sprinkle the unbaked dough with red or green colored sugar and festive sprinkles.
  • Bake on the center rack for 7-9 minutes, just until the cookies are set and the bottom edges begin to turn a very pale golden color.
  • Let the baked cookies rest on the hot pan for exactly 2 minutes before using a thin spatula to carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Do not chill the dough before using the press, or it will be too stiff to pipe.
The baking sheets MUST be cool and bare. If reusing a pan for a second batch, rinse it in cold water and dry it completely first.
If a cookie comes out messy, simply scrape the raw dough off the pan, throw it back in the bowl, and press it again.