These chocolate spritz cookies are buttery cookies piped into decorative designs, then baked to perfection and topped with chocolate and sprinkles. A classic and beautiful holiday cookie that’s a welcome addition to any gathering!

It’s not Christmas without spritz cookies. This version adds a healthy dose of chocolate and some festive sprinkles to make delightful little cookies that taste as good as they look.

A plate of chocolate spritz cookies decorated with chocolate and sprinkles.

Spritz cookies are a holiday classic, but a lot of the time they look better than they actually taste. These chocolate spritz cookies are both attractive and totally delicious. Spritz cookies can look complicated, but they’re actually quite easy to make.

What is a spritz cookie?

The name spritz comes from a German word spritzen, which means to squirt. They are named this way because a soft cookie dough is pushed through a cookie press to make intricate designs.

How do you make chocolate spritz cookies?

The dough for these spritz cookies is a simple mixture of butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, flour and cocoa powder. The dough gets loaded into a cookie press and the cookies are pressed onto a baking sheet. These cookies are small so they bake up quickly. After the cookies are cool, they can be decorated with chocolate and sprinkles.

Chocolate spritz cookie dough in a mixing bowl.

What is a cookie press?

A cookie press is an inexpensive kitchen device that consists of a cylinder with a plunger on one end. The cylinder is filled with cookie dough and decorative discs are attached to the front of the press so that when the cookie dough is extruded, it will come out in a unique and attractive design.

Chocolate spritz cookie dough on a baking sheet.

Tips for chocolate spritz cookies

Don’t be tempted to refrigerate your dough. The dough needs to be soft so that it will move through the press smoothly.
After the cookies are completely cool, they can be dipped in chocolate and decorated with sprinkles. I like to use chocolate candy melts for this task because they melt smooth and thin unlike chocolate chips. My favorite brand is Ghirardelli Melting Wafers.
Decorated spritz cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Spritz cookies can be frozen, however, I recommend freezing them before they’ve been decorated. Thaw your cookies, then proceed with the decorating process.

Baked chocolate spritz cookies on a sheet pan.

I like to use a variety of different cookie press discs when I make chocolate spritz cookies. Look for a cookie press that already comes packaged with a lot of discs so that you have plenty to choose from.

Chocolate spritz cookies coated in sprinkles on a serving plate.

Everyone will be so impressed when you bring chocolate spritz cookies to your next holiday gathering or cookie exchange. They’re simple, elegant and full of flavor!

More delicious cookie recipes

5 from 41 votes

Chocolate Spritz Cookies

Print Pin Save

AuthorSara Welch

Time

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Serves

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the egg, vanilla, flour, cocoa powder and salt. Beat on low speed until just combined.
Fill the cookie press with dough and press cookies onto the prepared sheet pans.
Bake each pan for 5-7 minutes or until just set. Cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.
After all cookies have cooled, place the dark and white candy melts into two bowls. Microwave one bowl at a time in 30 second increments until melted, stir until smooth.
Dip the cookies halfway into the chocolate and decorate with sprinkles. If the dipping chocolate starts to harden, microwave for a few seconds to re-melt.
Let dry completely, then serve, or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.