Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies
December 22, 2006 by Andrea 
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Filed under Dessert, Holidays
It’s Friday morning, Christmas is just a few days away, and as always I’m trying to finish up baking in preparation for the festivities. The baby was pretty fussy yesterday, so I just put him in the sling and baked while carrying him around. He did much better once I got him in the sling, although he didn’t like it when I turned on the mixer. His older brothers helped sprinkle the sugar on the cookies and counted how many we made.
Some people find these to be old-fashioned or even cliché, but I really like good spritz cookies. Unfortunately many of the versions I’ve had over the years are dry and flavorless, which is probably why they don’t get much of a following. So I researched and experimented, trying to make a spritz cookie that has a good flavor, and I think this is it. The cream cheese creates a delicate interior texture with a slightly crispy exterior, and the addition of the citrus zest gives a nice little zing. If you make the chocolate version, use a good natural cocoa. Each recipe makes about 60 cookies.
[Updated December 14, 2009.]
CREAM CHEESE SPRITZ COOKIES
Makes about 60 cookies.
Equipment
stand mixer with paddle attachment
cookie press (I like the Wilton models with the comfort trigger.)
cookie sheets, ungreased
wire rack
Ingredients
CITRUS COOKIES
1 cup (2 sticks/225 g) unsalted butter
1 (3 ounce/85 g) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup (175 g) granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest
2-1/2 cups (300 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
colored sugars and nonpareils for decorating
CHOCOLATE COOKIES
1 cup (2 sticks/225 g) unsalted butter
1 (3 ounce/85 g) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup (175 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (21 g) natural unsweetened cocoa
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups (270 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
colored sugars and nonpareils for decorating
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350° F/175° C.
2. In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar (and chocolate). Beat in egg yolk and vanilla (and orange zest). Continue beating until light and fluffy. Gradually stir in the flour, salt, and cinnamon.
3. Roll the dough into a log just a little narrower than the barrel of the cookie press. Put the dough in and assemble according to the manufacturer’s directions. Form the cookies on ungreased cookie sheets and sprinkle with colored sugars or nonpareils.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for another 60 seconds. Cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container. Can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Lovely recipe for cookies Andrea. So simple! Have a fab Christmas.
i wish i had more time this holiday season to do cookies. happy holidays to you and your family!
Hy!
i have bought from the store a cookie press made of plastic, not metal and i could not found a recipe that works with my plastic cookie press. Your press is plastic or metal?
thx
Hi CristinA. I use a plastic Wilton Comfort Grip Cookie Press. Very easy to use and works great. Very affordable, too.
Thx you very much for your answer!
Hey! Cristmas is in about 20 days, so my mom and I are baking cookies already, (we just put them in the freezer) I’m 14, btw, I love baking with my mommy :] well, we got this awesome Cookie Pro, and our cookie pro has the same tray patterns as the ones shown in the pictures.(plus more!:D) She told me to look up recipes for spritz cookies with cream cheese in them. Have any really good ideas??
I am appalled that i printed this recipe and ran out of paper and still did not have a recipe….16 pages of commercial is excessive! and costly for the homeowner in ink!
Hi Teresa. Sorry to hear about your printing troubles. There is a print button at the top of each post which prints the recipes without any ads, etc. I hope this helps.
if you copy and past the text into notebook then you have more control, or you can highlight and when you print click the box that says print selected only…..hope this helps
wow! this cookies look numi numi! I bet they would look so pretty in a christmas box gift!
I have a question tough.. how many days can stand the cookies at room temperature after they’re been baked? I hope you can help me! :3 a lot of venezuelan kisses!
Hi Patricia. These cookies will keep fresh in a tin for about 4 days after baking, though we’ve eaten them past that. They do freeze well if properly wrapped.