Swedish Spritz

Spritz cookies are a Swedish holiday tradition that turns a simple butter dough into dozens of tiny, intricate shapes using a cookie press. The dough is rich with real butter and scented with almond extract, baking up crisp, light, and melt-on-the-tongue tender.

Real butter is not optional here. The recipe specifically calls for it over margarine, and there’s a reason. Butter gives spritz their signature flavor and creates the short, snappy texture that breaks cleanly when you bite. Margarine makes them greasy and soft.

Almond extract instead of vanilla is the classic Scandinavian choice. It adds a warm, nutty fragrance that complements the buttery base and gives these cookies their distinctive character.

Pro Tips

• The dough must be soft enough to push through the cookie press but firm enough to hold its shape. If it’s too stiff, let it warm slightly. Too soft, chill briefly.
• Press onto ungreased, cool baking sheets. Warm or greased sheets prevent the dough from sticking, and the cookies won’t hold their shape as the press lifts away.
• Bake just until the edges are lightly golden. The centers should still be pale. Overbaked spritz lose their delicate texture.
• Sprinkle colored sugar before baking, not after. The sugar needs the heat to fuse to the surface.

Variations

• Dip half of each cooled cookie in melted chocolate for a dressed-up holiday version.
• Add a few drops of food coloring to portions of the dough for multicolored pressed cookies.
• Replace almond extract with lemon or orange extract for a citrus-scented spritz.