This Spritz Cookies recipe with shortening is a melt in your mouth cookie to enjoy all year! The ingredients are especially ideal for hot weather snacking and shipping.
Why you'll love this recipe
Spritz cookies, made with a cookie press, are the fastest way to make lots of beautiful cookies in all kinds of shapes in minutes. No cookie cutters or extra decorating needed!
The discs available for cookie presses make it easy to create lots of different shapes and flavors of cookies year round. Simply change colors or sprinkles to match seasons or holidays.
This spritz cookie recipe is made with heat resistant ingredients that help the cookies stay fresh for hot weather shipping or for summer picnics.
Pipe these cookies in any color or try the easy method in the recipe for making cookies with a tie dye look! Perfect fireworks cookies for the 4th of July and a great addition to a 4th of July Care Package!
Ingredients
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and shortening until fluffy, then incorporate the egg and vanilla. Add the flour and baking powder and stir until combined. Mix in 1-2 tablespoons of water until a soft, plyable dough forms.
- For tie dye cookies, separate the dough into thirds. Add a few drops of gel food coloring to each portion or leave one portion plain. Mix until the color is uniform.
- Roll/form each dough color into a rope about 9" long. Combine the ropes and twist gently to form a spiral.
- Cut the spiral dough log into thirds.
- Add one of the dough thirds to the barrel of the cookie press.
- Press the spritz cookies onto an ungreased, unlined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake cookies for 5-7 minutes.
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Storage
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Tips and variations
- Do not line or grease the cookie sheets, which could cause the dough to stick to the press rather than releasing onto the cookie sheet. The shortening in the recipe will keep the cookies from sticking to the baking sheet after baking.
- Hold the cookie press upright against the cookie sheet and click the handle once. Lift the cookie press upward off the cookie sheet.
- It can take a few trial cookies to position the dough for “perfect” shaped cookies. If you aren’t pleased with the first few cookies (or any others while pressing), simply remove them from the cookie sheet and add them back into the remaining dough.
- If you are using the same cookie sheet for multiple batches of cookies, be sure that the cookie sheet is completely cool before reusing. A warm cookie sheet will cause the spritz dough to spread and loose its shape.
- Add additional flavoring to this cookie. Use the one teaspoon vanilla extract in the recipe plus a half teaspoon of fiori di sicilia, fruit or almond extract.
Frequently asked questions
No. A soft dough must be used in order to be pressed through the disc into shapes.
Be sure the cookie sheet is cool. Spritz cookies must be pressed onto an ungreased cookie sheet so that the cookie dough sticks. Don't use parchment paper. The high fat content in these cookies will keep them from sticking to the pan after baking.
It is easiest to put sprinkles on the cookies before baking. However, a simple glaze can be used to stick sprinkles onto the cookies after baking as well.
Yes! Shortening and white sugar are ingredients that are the best choices for heat resistant cookies that will travel well and arrive tasting delicious even in hot summer weather. These cookies will stay fresh without vacuum sealing for up to 2 weeks.
More Spritz cookies
This cookie press recipe is super quick and easy because it starts with a cake mix! Dozens of buttery cookies in minutes!
Cinnamon Spritz cookies are crisp butter cookies warmed with lots of cinnamon flavor.
Chocolate Espresso Spritz Cookies will delight both chocolate and coffee lovers. Sandwich them together with melted chocolate for a gourmet treat!
These adorable Strawberry Spritz Cookies are perfect for summer snacking. Get creative with the cookie press discs you already have!
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Spritz Cookies Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter flavor vegetable shortening
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1-2 tablespoons water
- food coloring gel optional
- decorating sugar optional
Instructions
Basic Spritz cookie dough
- Heat oven to 350° F.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the sugar and shortening until fluffy (about 3 minutes).
- Mix in the egg and vanilla.
- Add the flour and baking powder. Mix until combined.
- Mix in 1 tablespoon of water. If needed, in tiny amounts continue to add additional water in tiny amounts, up to one more tablespoon, until a soft, plyable dough forms.
- For uncolored spritz cookies, place dough into the barrel of the cookie press and press out cookies onto a cookie sheet. Add sprinkles, if desired, before baking.
Tie Dyed decorating
- Separate the dough into thirds.
- Add a few drops of food coloring gel to each portion or leave one portion plain. Mix until the color is uniform.
- Roll/form each dough color into a rope about 9" long.
- Combine the ropes and twist gently to form a spiral. Cut the spiral dough log into thirds.
- Add one of the dough thirds to the barrel of the cookie press. Press the spritz cookies onto an ungreased, unlined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake for 5-7 minutes or just until the bottom edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Then, use a spatula to move the cookies onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Do not line or grease the cookie sheets, which could cause the dough to stick to the press rather than releasing onto the cookie sheet. The shortening in the recipe will keep the cookies from sticking to the baking sheet after baking.
- If you are using the same cookie sheet for multiple batches of cookies, be sure that the cookie sheet is completely cool before reusing. A warm cookie sheet will cause the spritz dough to spread and loose its shape.
- Add additional flavoring to this cookie. Use the vanilla extract in the recipe plus a half teaspoon of almond, fiori di sicilia, or fruit flavoring.
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