Gingerbread-spiced spritz cookies with crisp pressed ridges, delicate wreath and tree shapes, and a buttery cream cheese dough.
Soft butter and cream cheese make a dough that can pass through a cookie press. Press onto a cool, bare baking sheet so the shapes grip the metal. Keep the dough workable and the pan cold between batches for clearly defined ridges.
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Gingerbread Spritz Cookies Recipe
Per tray: 10–16 minutes · About 4 trays of 21 small cookies; press size changes yield
Allow 102 minutes: 30 hands-on, 0 chilling, 52 for all baking trays, 20 cooling. Cooling includes the pan rest. Optional decoration, ingredient warm-up and extra trays add time.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- Cookie press with wreath or tree disks
- Two cold, bare 13 × 18-inch baking sheets
- Electric mixer and bowl
- Wire rack and thin spatula
- US measuring cups/spoons and digital scale
Ingredients
Cookie dough
Spice blend
Scale ingredients and US equivalents, including eggs. Keep cookie size, thickness, oven temperature and baking time per tray unchanged. More trays add time; weigh beaten egg for fractional batches.
Instructions
Cream gently
- Beat softened butter, sugar, cream cheese, salt, vanilla and spices until smooth and creamy. Add egg yolk, then mix in flour just until combined.
Prepare cold pans
- Heat to 375°F (190°C) conventional, or about 350°F fan. Chill the bare ungreased pans briefly. No dough chill is scheduled: dough should be soft enough to press, without being greasy.
Press small shapes
- Load the press and follow its instructions to press wreaths or trees onto the bare pan, about 1 inch apart. Do not use parchment or a greased sheet: the dough needs to grip the pan. If optional sugar or sprinkles are wanted, add before baking.
Brown the edges lightly
- Bake one tray at a time 10–16 minutes until the edges are lightly golden. Check early for very small shapes and fan ovens. Cool the pans before refilling.
Release before fully cold
- Leave 5 minutes on the pan, then lift with a thin spatula to a rack for about 15 minutes. Move before they become completely cold and stick.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Pan grip matters
Press onto cold, bare ungreased pans. Parchment can prevent the dough sticking when the press lifts away.
A workable dough
Room-temperature butter gives a dough that presses smoothly; melted butter blurs the ridges.
Small shapes bake quickly
Check the smallest shapes first and bake each disk style separately for even color.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | Up to 5 days | Store fully cooled cookies airtight in a cool, dry place. Let icing dry, then separate layers with parchment; follow any icing storage instructions. |
| Refrigeration | Raw dough: up to 2 days | Wrap tightly, then let the dough soften until it presses smoothly. Baked cookies do not need refrigeration. |
| Raw freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze wrapped dough airtight. Thaw in the refrigerator, then let soften just enough to load and use the cookie press. Do not roll this dough. |
| Baked freezing | Up to 2 months at 0°F (−18°C) | For best appearance, freeze undecorated, cooled cookies airtight. Thaw covered at room temperature before icing. |
| Restoring | Before decorating | For crisper edges, warm plain cookies at 300°F (150°C) conventional for 3–5 minutes. Cool on a rack. Do not reheat iced cookies. |
Notes
- These are gingerbread-spiced buttery spritz cookies, with no molasses. Optional sprinkles and prepared icing are additional. Avoid adding liquid to stiff dough; check butter temperature and press assembly first.
Nutrition
Estimated nutrition per serving; brands and portion sizes vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why will the dough not leave the press?
Use a cold bare pan, not parchment or a greased tray. Check that the dough is soft and the disk is correctly fitted.
Do these contain molasses?
No. This butter-and-cream-cheese spritz formula gets its gingerbread character from the warm spice blend.
Can I roll this dough for cutters?
It is designed for a cookie press. Use the Cut-Out recipe for rolled shapes.
Browse more cookie ideas in the Gingerbread Cookies Ideas collection.
