Description
Delight in these classic Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies featuring a tender, buttery texture enhanced with a hint of orange zest. Perfectly piped and decorated with colorful sugars or sprinkles, these cookies are a festive treat ideal for holiday gatherings or any special occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie 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
Decorations
- Colored sugars
- Sprinkles
- Gel food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the cookies at the correct temperature.
- Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar: In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter, cream cheese, and sugar at medium speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even incorporation and mix again until smooth.
- Add flavorings and egg yolk: Add the egg yolk, orange zest, vanilla extract, and kosher salt to the mixture. Mix for another minute, then scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate evenly.
- Mix in flour: Gradually add half of the all-purpose flour to the batter and mix at low speed to avoid flour flying. Add the remaining flour and continue mixing just until combined. At this stage, you can add gel food coloring to the dough, mixing it thoroughly or dividing the dough to create different colors.
- Pipe the dough: Using a cookie press with your preferred shape, pipe the dough onto ungreased sheet pans, leaving at least one inch of space between cookies to allow for spreading. Alternatively, use a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip if you don’t have a cookie press.
- Decorate cookies: Sprinkle colored sugars or sprinkles on top of the cookies before baking for a festive look.
- Bake cookies: Place the sheet pans in the preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes or until the cookies are set but not browned. Allow the pans to cool completely between batches if baking multiple sheets to prevent spreading.
- Cool cookies: Let the cookies rest on the pans for 2 minutes after baking, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes
- For even shapes and sizes, make sure the dough is at the right consistency; if too soft, chill briefly before pressing.
- Colored gel food coloring provides vibrant hues without altering dough consistency.
- If you don’t have a cookie press, a pastry bag with a star tip is a great alternative for piping the dough.
- Allow sheet pans to cool fully between batches to prevent cookies from spreading too much.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
