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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- Stained Glass Cookies
- Peppermint Bark Cookies
- Christmas Wreath Cookies
- Red Velvet Cookies
- Almond Roca Cookies
Chocolate Spritz Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 10 ounces white and/or dark candy melts
- 3/4 cup holiday sprinkles
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.
Sherri Hertzog says
Do you use the whisk or batter attachment on the mixer? Thanks for the recipe!
Sara says
I use the paddle attachment!
dianah lubis says
The recipe is great. I’ve made it 3 times already. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
May I ask: could I refridgerated the dough for the next day?
Rhank you
Sara says
You can refrigerate the dough but you’ll want to let it sit out to soften a bit before you use it, otherwise it will be too stiff to go through the press!
Karen says
Have you ever had issue with the pressed cookie sticking to the bottom of the press with this recipe? Suggestion for me?
Sara says
I have not had that issue. It’s important to put the barrel of the press directly flat onto the sheet and give one firm press, then remove. You could also try coating the front of the cookie press plate with cooking spray or try chilling the dough for about 20 minutes to firm it up.
Kathy N says
I just made these for my church bake sale and they turned out fantastic! Thanks for a great recipe!
Jennie says
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
Sara says
Unsalted!
Liz says
Just made these and they came out great! Only thing I changed was I added a full teaspoon of vanilla, and I also added 1/2 tsp of espresso powder to bring out the chocolate flavor. It was delicious, and a very welcome change to the plain butter cookies. Thanks!
Sara says
Love the idea of adding espresso powder, glad you enjoyed the cookies!