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
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 unsalted butter
- 3 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest
- 2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- colored sugars and nonpareils for decorating
CHOCOLATE COOKIES
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 3 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup natural unsweetened cocoa
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- colored sugars and nonpareils for decorating
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350° F/175° C.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Mallika says
Lovely recipe for cookies Andrea. So simple! Have a fab Christmas.
santos. says
i wish i had more time this holiday season to do cookies. happy holidays to you and your family!
CristinA says
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 🙂
Andrea says
Hi CristinA. I use a plastic Wilton Comfort Grip Cookie Press. Very easy to use and works great. Very affordable, too.
Cris says
I have that cookie press and the dough isn't coming off the "pattern" what am I doing wrong? I know my mom had one when I was a kid- it was metal and I don't recall ever having problems with it...helppppp please
Andrea says
Hi Cris. If the dough is too soft, it might stick to the pattern. Try removing the dough from the press and working a tablespoon of flour into it.
Dawn says
Make sure that you are NOT using a non-stick cookie sheet and/or greasing the sheet. In order for the press to work properly, the cookie needs to be able to stick to the surface as you pull the gun away, and using non-stick cookware or greasing normal cookware keeps it from doing so.
CristinA says
Thx you very much for your answer!
nicole says
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??
Teresa says
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!
Andrea says
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.
Debbie says
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
Patricia says
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!
Andrea says
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.
katerina says
I am trying to make your recipe but the gr of flour are not sufficient. What type of flour do you use. in the package usually mentions the percentage of proteins that the amount has. I made the cookies but I added 100 gr more. there were delicious but i am not sure how they should be like. Do you put the dough in the refrigerator before you bake them? Or you put the dough in the press machine immediate?
Andrea says
Hi Katerina. The flour I'm using is standard U.S. unbleached all-purpose flour which is 10-12% protein and weighs 120 g per cup, so depending on where you live and what flour you have access to, you may have to make some adjustments. As soon as the dough is ready, I put it in the press immediately because it comes out easier. I hope you enjoy the cookies!
katerina says
Thank you for your answer. I live in Greece. Your cream cheese cookies are delicious. But I still make some adjustments to the flour till I found the right amount of gr.Your recipe for kourabiedes is not the best one. Kourabiedes must not be like small stones. not hard. When I will have time I will send you my family's recipe that doesnt contain egg and some tips.