There’s something delightfully nostalgic about these delicate, buttery treats. This Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies Recipe combines that tender melt-in-your-mouth texture with just the right hint of tang from cream cheese — making it a timeless classic you’ll want to bake again and again.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
I’ve made countless spritz cookies, but adding cream cheese truly changed the game for me. It adds just the right amount of tang and richness, creating cookies that are tender, not dry, and perfect for decorating or enjoying plain.
- Perfect Texture: The cream cheese ensures your cookies stay soft and melt in your mouth instead of crumbly and dry.
- Easy to Customize: You can tint the dough with gel food coloring to make festive or seasonal treats with minimal effort.
- Great for Decorators: These cookies hold their shape beautifully when piped, so any sprinkles or colored sugars look amazing.
- Classic yet Unique: It’s a traditional spritz cookie with a creamy twist that will have friends and family asking for the recipe.
Ingredients & Why They Work
Each ingredient here plays a key role in the success of these spritz cookies. Butter and cream cheese give richness and tenderness, while the touch of orange zest adds a fresh twist that brightens up the flavors.
- Unsalted Butter: Using unsalted gives you full control over the saltiness and ensures creaminess in the dough.
- Cream Cheese: This adds moisture and a subtle tang, keeping the cookies soft and flavorful.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens without overpowering, and helps with the structure.
- Egg Yolk: Provides richness and helps bind the dough together nicely.
- Orange Zest: Adds a fresh citrus aroma that pairs wonderfully with the cream cheese.
- Vanilla Extract: Brings warmth and depth to the cookie flavor.
- Kosher Salt: Just enough to balance sweetness and enhance the other flavors.
- All-Purpose Flour: The base that gives the cookies structure but keeps them tender when combined with the fats.
- Colored Sugars, Sprinkles, Gel Food Coloring: These are perfect for decorating, adding festive flair and fun to your batches.
Make It Your Way
One of the things I love most about this Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies Recipe is how versatile it is. I often mix into the dough different extracts or zest depending on the season, and sometimes I dye the dough different colors for holidays. Feel free to get creative!
- Citrus Twist: I sometimes swap orange zest for lemon or lime zest for a bright, summery flavor that everyone enjoys.
- Chocolate Swirl: Swirling in some melted dark chocolate or adding a handful of mini chocolate chips to the dough can satisfy any chocoholic’s craving.
- Dietary Adjustments: You can try swapping flour for gluten-free blends and use dairy-free cream cheese and butter alternatives if needed — just expect slightly different textures.
Step-by-Step: How I Make Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies Recipe
Step 1: Creaming the Butter, Cream Cheese & Sugar
Start by getting your butter and cream cheese nice and softened — room temperature is key! In my stand mixer with the paddle attachment, I cream these together with the sugar on medium speed. You'll want it smooth and fluffy, scraping down the sides once or twice so everything blends evenly without lumps.
Step 2: Adding the Flavorings
Next up, mix in the egg yolk, orange zest, vanilla extract, and salt. Give it about a minute on medium to make sure these flavors are fully incorporated. This is where the cookie starts coming alive with its signature tang and aroma.
Step 3: Mixing in the Flour
Now add half the flour at a slow speed — trust me, you want to avoid a flour cloud in your kitchen! Once combined, add the rest of the flour and mix just until everything comes together. Overmixing can make the cookies tough — so stop as soon as there are no dry spots.
Step 4: Coloring and Piping Your Cookies
This is my favorite part. If you want colored cookies, add gel food coloring now and mix just a bit to swirl in the colors. Divide dough into small bowls for multiple colors — it makes the whole batch look so festive. Using a cookie press (or a pastry bag with a large star tip), pipe your desired shapes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing cookies about an inch apart.
Step 5: Decorating and Baking
Top off each cookie with your favorite sprinkles or colored sugars before baking. Bake at 325°F for 10-12 minutes until they look set, but not browned. Let the tray cool completely before pressing more dough, or the warm tray can cause spreading. After baking, let the cookies cool on the pans for a couple of minutes before transferring to wire racks — this prevents breakage.
Top Tip
From my many batches of these spritz cookies, I’ve learned a few things to make sure yours turn out perfect every time. These tips saved my sanity and gave me the best textured cookies I’ve enjoyed with friends and family.
- Softened Ingredients: Always soften butter and cream cheese fully to avoid lumps and ensure a smooth dough.
- Don’t Overmix the Flour: Mix just enough to bring the dough together; too much mixing makes the cookies tough.
- Cool Your Baking Sheet: Let cookie sheets cool completely between batches to maintain cookie shape and prevent spreading.
- Use Quality Extracts and Zests: Fresh orange zest and pure vanilla extract make a huge difference in the depth of flavor.
How to Serve Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies Recipe
Garnishes
I love decorating these cookies with simple colored sugar or pastel sprinkles, especially around holidays. Sometimes I dip the edges in melted white chocolate for extra flair. It’s a sweet touch that adds texture and a party vibe to these classic cookies.
Side Dishes
These spritz cookies make a lovely accompaniment to a cozy cup of tea or coffee. I often serve them with a small fruit platter or alongside a rich hot chocolate when entertaining during colder months.
Creative Ways to Present
For special occasions, I arrange these cookies in colorful layers on tiered serving trays or package them in festive tins wrapped with ribbon. They also make charming edible gifts when placed in clear boxes tied with twine — everyone loves receiving them!
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
I store leftover spritz cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They stay fresh and tender for about a week if kept away from humidity. I like to layer parchment paper between cookies to prevent sticking and breaking.
Freezing
You can freeze these cookies baked or unbaked. For baked cookies, place them in a single layer on baking sheets, freeze until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe container. For dough, pipe the cookies onto parchment-lined trays, freeze, then store in bags. Thaw before baking or serving.
Reheating
To bring back that just-baked softness, pop cookies in a warm oven at 300°F for about 5 minutes. Avoid microwaving as it can make them tough or overly soft.
Frequently Asked Questions:
I recommend using full-fat cream cheese for the best texture and flavor. Low-fat versions tend to make cookies drier and less tender.
Make sure your butter and cream cheese are softened but not melted, and chill your baking sheet between batches. Also, avoid overmixing the dough and use the right amount of flour as listed.
Absolutely! A large star-tip pastry bag works just as well to pipe the shapes onto your baking sheet. Just keep a steady hand and have fun with different shapes.
Stored in an airtight container, these cookies remain fresh and delicious for up to a week at room temperature. Make sure to keep them away from moisture and heat.
Final Thoughts
This Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies Recipe is one of those recipes I keep coming back to year after year because it never disappoints. The perfect balance of buttery richness and cream cheese tang feels both familiar and special — and it’s so fun to personalize with colors and sprinkles. I’m confident you’ll enjoy making and sharing these cookies just as much as I do. So grab your cookie press, whip up that dough, and fill your kitchen with delicious memories!
Print
Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 48 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Delicious and buttery Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies with a hint of orange zest, perfect for festive occasions. These cookies are piped into beautiful shapes, decorated with colored sugars and sprinkles, and baked to a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Ingredients
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 cup all-purpose flour
To Decorate
- Colored sugars
- Sprinkles
- Gel food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure it's ready when your dough is prepared.
- Cream Butter, Cream Cheese, and Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the softened butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar at medium speed until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides to blend everything evenly.
- Add Flavorings: Add the egg yolk, orange zest, vanilla extract, and kosher salt to the bowl, then mix again for about one minute. Scrape down the bowl sides to incorporate all ingredients.
- Incorporate Flour: Slowly add half of the all-purpose flour to the batter while mixing at a low speed to prevent flour dust. Add the remaining flour and mix just until incorporated. At this stage, if desired, add gel food coloring to the dough; you may mix it all in or divide into portions for multiple colors.
- Shape Cookies: Use a cookie press with your chosen shape to pipe the dough onto a baking sheet, spacing at least one inch apart to allow spreading. Alternatively, use a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Decorate each cookie with colored sugars or sprinkles as desired.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until the cookies are set but not browned. If baking in batches, allow baking sheets to cool completely before piping the next batch to prevent excessive spreading.
- Cool Cookies: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes
- Ensure that the butter and cream cheese are fully softened for smooth mixing and better texture.
- Do not overmix once flour is added to keep cookies tender and prevent toughness.
- If you don’t have a cookie press, a pastry bag with a large star tip works well to shape the cookies.
- Allow baking sheets to cool between batches to avoid dough spreading excessively.
- You can experiment with gel food coloring to create multi-colored batches of cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 85 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 1.2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
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