There’s something undeniably nostalgic about these buttery, buttery spritz cookies, straight from a classic Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies Recipe. They melt in your mouth with just a hint of tang from the cream cheese – and believe me, once you try them, you’ll want to make them all year round.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
I remember the first time I made these spritz cookies—what a game changer! The cream cheese adds a richness and softness that makes the texture just perfect. Plus, they’re so easy to shape and decorate, which makes cookie time twice the fun.
- Perfect Texture: The cream cheese gives these cookies a tender, melt-in-your-mouth crumb you just don’t get with regular spritz cookies.
- Simple Ingredients: With staples you likely have on hand, you’ll be surprised how fancy these cookies taste!
- Fun to Decorate: Use colored sugars, sprinkles, or even gel food coloring to create festive treats that are as pretty as they are delicious.
- Great for Any Occasion: Whether it’s the holidays or just a casual afternoon with friends, these cookies bring smiles every time.
Ingredients & Why They Work
Each ingredient plays a starring role in making these Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies Recipe so special. Using softened butter and cream cheese creates that signature tender texture, while a touch of orange zest adds a refreshing twist. Here’s the rundown:
- Unsalted Butter: I always use unsalted so I can control the saltiness and avoid overpowering the other flavors.
- Cream Cheese: Softened cream cheese is key—it adds moisture and a subtle tang that lifts the cookie.
- Granulated Sugar: Provides just the right amount of sweetness and helps cookies hold their shape.
- Egg Yolk: Adds richness and improves the cookie’s structure without making it cakey.
- Orange Zest: This little burst of citrus brightens up the flavor beautifully.
- Vanilla Extract: Always a flavor booster that complements the other ingredients perfectly.
- Kosher Salt: A pinch balances the sweetness and enhances the overall taste.
- All-Purpose Flour: The backbone of the cookie, providing structure. Be sure to measure it properly for best results.
- Colored Sugars, Sprinkles, Gel Food Coloring: All optional, but make these cookies extra festive and fun to personalize.
Make It Your Way
I love using this Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies Recipe as a base to play with colors and flavors. Sometimes, I’ll mix in a few drops of almond extract instead of vanilla, or add a pinch of cinnamon during the holidays. The dough is forgiving and perfect for experimenting!
- Variation: One year, I divided the dough and added gel food coloring to make rainbow cookies for a birthday party. They were a hit—they held their shape beautifully, and the cream cheese made them extra soft.
- Dietary tweaks: To keep them dairy-free, you can try substituting vegan cream cheese and butter alternatives, but expect slight texture changes.
Step-by-Step: How I Make Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies Recipe
Step 1: Cream the Butter, Cream Cheese, and Sugar
Start by softening your butter and cream cheese—room temperature is best. In your mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat them together with the sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. This usually takes about 3 minutes. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice to ensure everything gets combined evenly. This step sets the stage for a rich and tender cookie.
Step 2: Add the Egg Yolk, Orange Zest, Vanilla, and Salt
Next, mix in the egg yolk, orange zest, vanilla extract, and kosher salt. Keep mixing for about a minute more, just until everything is well incorporated. The zest gives such a lovely, fresh note that brightens the cookie without making it overpowering.
Step 3: Fold in the Flour Gently
Now for the flour! Add it in two batches to avoid a floury mess in your kitchen. Mix on low speed so the flour doesn’t puff out everywhere, and stop as soon as it’s just combined. This keeps your cookies tender rather than tough. If you want colored dough, fold in gel food coloring at this point—either all at once or divide the dough into bowls for different colors.
Step 4: Pipe and Decorate
Using a cookie press or a pastry bag with a large star tip, pipe your desired shapes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment, spacing them about an inch apart. This recipe makes 36 to 48 cookies depending on size. Go ahead and sprinkle your colored sugars or sprinkles right away so they stick during baking. If you don’t have a cookie press, trust me—using a pastry bag works just as well!
Step 5: Bake and Cool
Bake your cookies at 325°F (163°C) for about 10 to 12 minutes. You want them set but not browned—keeping that soft texture intact. If you’re doing multiple batches, wait until your baking sheets are completely cool before piping more dough; warm sheets cause the cookies to spread too much. Let them cool on the pan for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Top Tip
Over the years, I’ve learned a few little tricks that make this Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies Recipe foolproof and absolutely delightful every single time.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Always soften your butter and cream cheese fully—it helps the dough blend easily and creates that soft bite.
- Don’t Overmix the Flour: Mix just until combined to avoid tough cookies. A light hand is key here.
- Use Parchment Paper or Silicone Mats: Prevents sticking and makes cleanup a breeze. Plus, cookies bake evenly.
- Cool Baking Sheets Between Batches: This stops cookies from spreading too much and losing their pretty shapes.
How to Serve Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies Recipe
Garnishes
I usually stick with classic colored sugar sprinkles for these cookies—they add just the right sparkle without overwhelming the delicate flavors. Sometimes, a light dusting of powdered sugar is lovely, or I’ll add tiny nonpareils for a little crunch and color pop, especially around the holidays.
Side Dishes
These cookies pair wonderfully with a cup of hot tea, coffee, or even a glass of cold milk. For festive occasions, I like to serve them alongside spiced cider or hot chocolate—it feels like an instant cozy party!
Creative Ways to Present
I’ve made cookie platters with a variety of shapes and colors using this spritz recipe, perfect for holiday gifts or cookie exchanges. You can stack them in pretty boxes separated by parchment or arrange them on a decorated tray with fresh herbs like rosemary for that extra flair.
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
Store your leftover spritz cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. I find they stay fresh and tender for up to a week—just make sure the container isn’t too tight, as a tiny bit of airflow preserves their perfect texture.
Freezing
If you want to make a big batch ahead of time, these cookies freeze beautifully! After baking and cooling, layer them between sheets of parchment in an airtight container or freezer bag. They can last up to 3 months and thaw quickly at room temperature.
Reheating
To refresh the cookies, pop them in a 300°F oven for 3-5 minutes—this brings back that freshly baked softness without drying them out. Avoid microwaving, which can make them chewy or rubbery.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Absolutely! Regular cream cheese is perfect and essential for achieving the tender texture these spritz cookies are known for. Just be sure it’s softened at room temperature before mixing.
No worries at all! A pastry bag fitted with a large star tip works brilliantly to shape your spritz cookies. Or even a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off can do the trick if you don’t have specialized tools.
Definitely! Feel free to swap vanilla for almond extract, add citrus zest like lemon instead of orange, or mix in spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg to customize your batch. Just add these during the wet ingredients stage.
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, these cream cheese spritz cookies stay fresh and tender for about one week. For longer storage, freezing is your best bet.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, this Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies Recipe is one of my all-time favorites to bake and share. The balance of buttery richness with that gentle tang of cream cheese creates a cookie that feels both special and comforting. Whether you’re making them for a festive occasion or just because, I’m sure you’ll find yourself coming back to this recipe again and again. So grab your mixer and let's get baking—you’re going to love the memories these cookies bring.
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Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 42 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Delightfully tender and buttery Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies flavored with a hint of orange zest and vanilla. These cookies are perfect for festive occasions and can be decorated with colorful sugars and sprinkles for a beautiful presentation.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 8 ounces unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
To decorate:
- Colored sugars
- Sprinkles
- Gel food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit to get it ready for baking the cookies at the right temperature.
- Cream Butter, Cream Cheese, and Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar together at medium speed until the mixture is smooth and combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again to ensure an even blend.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the egg yolk, orange zest, vanilla extract, and kosher salt to the bowl. Mix everything together for another minute, scraping down the bowl sides to incorporate all ingredients fully.
- Incorporate Flour: Add half of the all-purpose flour to the batter and mix on low speed to prevent flour from flying out. Then add the remaining flour and mix just until the dough comes together. At this point, you can add gel food coloring to color the dough, either mixing all at once or dividing into portions for different colors.
- Shape the Cookies: Using a cookie press fitted with your desired shape, pipe the dough onto sheet pans, spacing the cookies at least one inch apart to allow for any spreading. Decorate with colored sugars or sprinkles as desired. If a cookie press is not available, use a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip to pipe the dough.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12 minutes, or until the cookies are set but not browned. If baking multiple batches, allow the pans to cool completely before piping more dough to prevent spreading.
- Cool the Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes to set, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes
- Make sure all dairy ingredients are softened to room temperature for smooth mixing.
- If gel food coloring is used, add it gradually to achieve the preferred intensity without affecting dough texture.
- Cookie press or piping bags with star tips work best for shaping; without these, forming small balls and flattening gently can be a substitute.
- Allow cookies to cool completely to firm up and preserve their shape and texture.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week to maintain freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 65 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
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