Almond Spritz Cookies

If you’re looking for a truly delightful treat, look no further than our recipe for almond spritz cookies. Combining almonds’ delicate, nutty flavor with a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture makes for a rich, flavorful cookie that’s perfect for any occasion. You can even use festive cookie press disks to make this cookie exchange recipe for holiday cookie swaps.

The spritz cookie dough is straightforward to prepare and can be decorated in various ways, making these a versatile (not to mention fun!) addition to your cookie repertoire. Sprinkle them with a dash of colorful sugar or even a drizzle of icing to make these sweet little cookies as enjoyable to look at as they are to eat.

Ingredients for Almond Spritz Cookies

• Butter: Make sure to start with softened butter, which makes it easier to cream butter and sugar in the first step. We recommend using unsalted butter, as salted butter may detract from the cookies’ buttery taste.
• Sugars: This recipe uses regular granulated sugar and brown sugar. Adding molasses-rich brown sugar gives the cookies a sweet, rich flavor with depth.
• Egg: Bring egg to room temperature before baking.
• Almond and vanilla extracts: Almond extract contributes almond flavor, while vanilla extract helps to balance sweetness.
• All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour is best for this recipe to create tender cookies with the right texture.
• Baking soda: Baking soda helps the cookies stay light and develop a delightful crunch.
• Colored sugar: Although optional, pink and red sugar look beautiful on these cookies. Of course, feel free to choose any color, especially if you’re decorating the cookies for a specific holiday.

Directions

Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar

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Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Beat in the egg and almond and vanilla extracts. Set aside.

Step 2: Combine the dry ingredients

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In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix well.

Step 3: Press the dough

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Using a cookie press fitted with the disk of your choice, press the dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. If desired, sprinkle with the colored sugar.

Step 4: Bake the spritz cookies

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Bake the cookies until the edges just begin to brown, seven to nine minutes. Cool on wire racks.

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Recipe Variations

• Use different flavorings: Try infusing the cookies with different flavors by adding maple flavoring and espresso powder for coffee maple spritz cookies or warming spices to make variations like cardamom spritz.
• Top with a glaze: Skip the colored sugar and drizzle a powdered sugar glaze over the cookies instead. Take it one step further and finely chop some almonds to sprinkle over the glaze as it hardens.

How to Store Almond Spritz Cookies

Once cookies have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container. There’s no need to refrigerate them, and you can store cookies at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Can you freeze almond spritz cookies?

These almond spritz cookies freeze exceptionally well. Just be sure to cool them completely before placing them in an airtight freezer bag. Enjoy them within six months for the freshest taste.

Almond Spritz Cookie Tips

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How do you prevent almond spritz cookies from spreading?

If your cookies are spreading too much in the oven and you’re positive you didn’t mismeasure the ingredients, you may need to chill them before baking them. This old trick works wonders: Place the sheet pan in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes to chill the dough before baking.

Can you make this almond spritz cookie recipe without a cookie press?

If you don’t have a cookie press on hand, you can use a piping bag or a plastic storage bag, such as a small freezer zip-top freezer bag with a corner cut out. Alternatively, you can scoop the dough into 1-inch balls and use a fork or knife to create a design. However, the cookies won’t look nearly as impressive as they will when pressed through a cookie press.

How do you serve almond spritz cookies?

If you plan to include this almond spritz cookie recipe with your other favorite holiday cookies, you’re in good company: Almond cookies are a delicate old-time favorite, and they pair well with other sweet treats. We love serving them with moist, soft ricotta cookies, pecan tassies or any of our best Christmas cookies. And don’t worry if you want to make them outside the holidays; you can make these any time of year!).