Description
Delight in these festive Spritz Butter Christmas Cookies, perfectly buttery and lightly sweetened with a vibrant green hue. These classic holiday treats are easy to make with a cookie press, decorated festively with sprinkles or colored sugar. Ideal for sharing across your holiday celebrations, these cookies deliver a tender texture and cheerful appearance.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Green food coloring (liquid or gel)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For Decorating
- Sprinkles or colored sugar, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Heat your oven to 375°F (190°C) to get ready for baking the cookies.
- Beat butter and sugar: Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the room temperature butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until the mixture is fluffy and light in color.
- Add egg and vanilla: Incorporate the large egg and vanilla extract into the butter and sugar mixture, beating until fully combined.
- Add food coloring: Slowly add green food coloring drop by drop while mixing to achieve a pale green shade. Typically, 4 drops of gel food coloring create the perfect hue without looking overly artificial.
- Combine dry ingredients: Stir together the all-purpose flour and kosher salt, then add them to the wet ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to gently combine the dough until it forms.
- Shape the cookies: Pack the dough into a cookie press fitted with your preferred design disk (wreaths, trees, etc.). Press the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, spacing each cookie about 1 inch apart. Do not grease or line the sheet, as the cookie’s stickiness helps release the shapes.
- Decorate: Immediately decorate the pressed cookies with sprinkles or colored sugar as desired.
- Bake the cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 7 to 9 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden on the bottom.
- Cool down: Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely before storing.
- Store properly: Keep cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for freshness.
Notes
- Using gel food coloring results in more vibrant color with fewer drops compared to liquid food coloring.
- Do not grease or parchment line the cookie sheet; the dough’s stickiness aids in easy removal of shapes from the press.
- For best results, ensure butter is at room temperature to achieve proper mixing and texture.
- Decorate cookies immediately after pressing dough for sprinkles to adhere properly.
- These cookies keep well at room temperature for several days in an airtight container.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approximate)
- Calories: 90
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 45mg
- Fat: 5.5g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
