Mint Spritz Cookies

These mint spritz cookies are a holiday cookie press classic with a cool peppermint twist. Green-tinted dough gets loaded into a cookie press and stamped out into wreaths, trees, or whatever festive shape your template holds. They bake up crisp, light, and just minty enough.

The dough is intentionally simple: margarine, eggs, flour, sugar, and extracts. No leavening, no spices competing with the mint. Mixing just until moistened is important. Overworked spritz dough becomes tough and won’t press cleanly through the cookie press. You want a smooth, pliable dough that holds its shape.

A quarter teaspoon of peppermint extract gives a subtle mint flavor that doesn’t overwhelm. Combined with vanilla, it creates a balanced cookie that tastes like a mint butter cookie rather than a candy cane. The green food coloring is optional but makes these instantly recognizable on a Christmas cookie tray.

Kitchen Tips

• Soften the margarine to room temperature. Cold margarine won’t blend smoothly and creates lumpy dough.
• Press the cookie press firmly against the baking sheet and lift straight up for clean shapes.
• If the dough is too soft to hold its shape, chill it for 15 minutes before pressing.
• Watch closely after 10 minutes. These are thin cookies and go from golden to burned fast.

Variations

• Dip cooled cookies halfway in melted chocolate for a mint-chocolate combination.
• Use red food coloring instead of green for Valentine’s Day or candy-cane-themed cookies.
• Skip the food coloring entirely and drizzle with a thin peppermint glaze (powdered sugar, milk, mint extract).