Rolling out molasses dough is a fight I lose every single December.
It sticks to the pin, it sticks to the counter, and by the third batch of little gingerbread people I've used half a bag of flour just to keep it moving.
A few years ago I gave up and loaded that same spiced dough into a cookie press instead.
Ten minutes later I had two trays of tiny wreaths and trees, and not one of them needed a cutter.
Those were my first Gingerbread Spritz Cookies, and they've had a permanent spot on our Christmas cookie tray ever since.
They taste like proper gingerbread: molasses-deep, warm with ginger and cinnamon, with a little bite of clove at the end.
The texture is pure spritz, though, crisp at the edges and tender in the middle.
My wife calls them the grown-up cookie on the tray, and she's not wrong.
A quick dip in buttery vanilla glaze makes every ridge pop.
One bowl gives you about seven dozen, and there's no rolling pin anywhere in the process.
Make them once and the rolling pin can stay in the drawer until spring.
Why Gingerbread Spritz Are a Holiday Lifesaver
These are the cookies I make when December gets away from me. They give you all the gingerbread flavor with a fraction of the work.
- No rolling, no cutting. The press shapes every cookie in one click. No sticky dough on the counter, no scraps to reroll.
- About 7 dozen from one bowl. Enough for a cookie exchange, a teacher gift and a tin for the house.
- Grown-up flavor. Molasses and warm spice make these a nice change from the sprinkle-covered sugar cookies.
- They freeze beautifully. Press them, freeze them raw and bake straight from the freezer when you need fresh cookies.
- Small but mighty. Each one is about two bites, so they fill gaps on a cookie tray perfectly.
What Are Spritz Cookies?
Spritz are butter cookies pressed through a cookie press into shapes. In German they're called Spritzgebäck, from spritzen, which means "to squirt."
They're a Christmas classic in Germany and across Scandinavia, and plenty of families still pull out the press just once a year for them.
How Spritz Differ from Regular Butter Cookies
People often ask what makes a spritz different from a plain butter cookie.
- They're pressed. Butter cookies are usually rolled, scooped or sliced. Spritz go through a press.
- They have an egg. The egg helps the dough hold sharp ridges and points.
- No baking powder or soda. Without leavening, the cookies keep the exact shape that left the press.
A gingerbread spritz follows the same rules, but molasses and brown sugar make it a little denser, darker and more fragrant than the classic version.
Ingredients for Gingerbread Spritz
The dough is a classic spritz base with molasses and spice folded in. Here's what you'll need and why each one matters.
- Unsalted butter (1 cup, 226 g). Room temperature, soft enough to dent but not greasy. Butter carries every bit of the spice, so use the real thing.
- Light brown sugar (½ cup, packed). Adds a soft caramel note that plays nicely with the molasses.
- Molasses (½ cup). Use regular unsulphured molasses. Blackstrap is too bitter and makes the cookies taste burnt.
- Large egg (1). Room temperature so it blends smoothly into the butter.
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon). Rounds out the spices.
- All-purpose flour (3 cups, 375 g). Spoon it into the cup and level it. Too much flour makes the dough too stiff to press.
- Salt (¼ teaspoon). Keeps the sweetness in check.
The Spice Blend
Small cookies need bold spice, or they just taste sweet. This blend is warm without being harsh.
- Ground ginger (2 teaspoons). The lead flavor. It gives that familiar gingerbread warmth.
- Ground cinnamon (1 ½ teaspoons). Sweet and cozy, it softens the ginger.
- Ground nutmeg (½ teaspoon). Adds a soft, almost creamy spice.
- Ground cloves (¼ teaspoon). A little goes a long way. This is the bite you taste at the end.
- White pepper (⅛ teaspoon, optional). An old-fashioned touch that gives a gentle heat. A pinch of black pepper works too.
Want to swap? Replace the nutmeg with ¼ teaspoon cardamom for a Scandinavian twist, or with ¼ teaspoon allspice for a deeper spice.
How to Make Gingerbread Spritz Cookies
The dough comes together in about 10 minutes, and the pressing goes even faster. Set out two ungreased, unlined metal baking sheets before you start.
Step 1: Mix the Dough
Whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and white pepper in a medium bowl and set it aside. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the molasses, egg and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy, scraping the bowl once. Switch to low speed and add the flour mixture in three additions, mixing each one just until it disappears.
The dough will feel soft and a little tacky. That's normal with molasses.
Step 2: Chill Briefly
Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a thick disc and wrap it in plastic. Chill for 20 to 30 minutes, until it feels firm but still gives when you press it with a finger.
Preheat the oven to 375°F while the dough chills.
Step 3: Press and Bake
Pack one disc of dough into the press barrel, pressing out any air pockets, and fit your disc. Keep the second half in the fridge until you need it.
Hold the press flat against the cold, bare sheet, click once and lift straight up. Space the cookies about 1 inch apart, since they barely spread.
Bake one sheet at a time for 6 to 8 minutes, until the tops look dry and matte and the edges feel set. Let them rest on the sheet for 2 to 3 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Pro tip: Bake 6 minutes for soft cookies and 8 minutes for crisp ones. Dark dough hides browning, so go by the shine, not the color.
Step 4: Glaze
Whisk the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla and warm water until smooth and pourable. Dip the top of each cooled cookie into the glaze, lift it straight up and let the extra drip back into the bowl.
Set the cookies on a wire rack and let the glaze dry for about 30 minutes, until it's firm to the touch.
To Chill or Not to Chill?
For gingerbread spritz, a short chill is worth it. Classic spritz dough presses straight from the bowl, but molasses makes this one sticky.
Sticky dough smears instead of releasing cleanly, so you lose the ridges.
- Too soft? If the dough clings to your finger, chill it another 10 minutes.
- Too hard? If it cracks or the press won't push it out, let it sit on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Plastic discs. Plastic presses struggle with cold dough. Aim for the softer end of firm if you have one.
- Work in halves. Keep half the dough chilled while you press the other half, so the dough in the press is always just right.
Sound fussy? It isn't. It's one extra half hour, and you can mix the glaze while you wait.
You'll Need a Cookie Press
A cookie press is what makes these spritz, and it's simple to use. Once you get the rhythm, you can press a full sheet in about a minute.
- Prime it. The first one or two cookies are usually off. Scrape them back into the dough and keep going.
- Keep it flat. The base of the press should sit right on the sheet every time.
- One click, then lift. Press the trigger once, pause a beat and lift straight up.
- Don't overfill. About 1 cup of dough in the barrel is easier to push than a packed tube.
- Metal discs are best. They give the sharpest designs. Wreaths, trees and snowflakes are all good choices.
No Press? Try This
Let the dough warm up so it's soft, then pipe small rosettes with a piping bag and a large open star tip.
Or roll the dough into 1-inch balls and flatten them with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. They won't have the pressed look, but they'll taste just as good.
Troubleshooting Tips for Gingerbread Spritz
The secret to great spritz is a cold, bare sheet and dough that's firm but pressable. If something goes wrong, it's almost always one of these.
- Cookies won't stick to the sheet. The sheet is warm, greased or lined. Use a cool, bare metal sheet, and pop it in the freezer for 5 minutes if needed.
- Dough sticks to the press. It's too soft. Chill it for 10 minutes and try again.
- Cookies spread. The dough or sheet was too warm. Freeze the pressed cookies for 10 minutes before baking.
- A cookie broke. Gently press the pieces back together on the sheet. They'll bake into one.
- Cookies taste bitter. They overbaked or you used blackstrap molasses. Pull them as soon as the shine is gone.
- Swap sheets between batches. Never press onto a hot sheet. Let it cool fully, or rinse it under cold water and dry it.
The Glaze Makes Them Special
A thin vanilla butter glaze turns these from good to phenomenal. It sets into a sheer, shiny coat that lets every ridge show through.
- Powdered sugar (1 ½ cups). Sift it so the glaze stays smooth.
- Melted butter (1 ½ tablespoons). Gives the glaze a rich flavor and a soft shine.
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon). Balances the spice.
- Warm water (2 to 3 tablespoons). Add it a little at a time until the glaze coats a spoon but still drips off easily.
Fair warning: Thick glaze hides the design. If it looks like frosting, add water 1 teaspoon at a time.
Want sprinkles? Add them while the glaze is still wet, so they stick.
More Ways to Decorate
Glaze is my favorite, but these cookies look great plenty of other ways.
- Plain. The dark ridges look lovely on their own, and the spice shines through.
- Sanding sugar. Sprinkle coarse sugar on the raw cookies before baking for a sparkly crunch.
- Powdered sugar dust. A light snowfall over cooled cookies is pretty and quick.
- Chocolate drizzle. Melt ½ cup white chocolate chips and drizzle thin lines over the tops.
Make-Ahead Plan for Christmas Week
These are one of the easiest cookies to get ahead on. Here's how I spread the work out.
- Up to 3 days ahead. Make the dough, wrap it tightly and refrigerate. Let it soften for 10 to 15 minutes before pressing.
- Up to 3 months ahead. Press the cookies onto a sheet, freeze them solid and move them to a freezer bag.
- Baking day. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time, then glaze.
- Gifting. Pack glazed cookies in a tin with parchment between the layers once the glaze is completely dry.
What to Serve with Gingerbread Spritz
The warm spice pairs perfectly with anything creamy or hot.
- Coffee or a latte. The molasses and ginger are made for a morning cup.
- Hot cocoa. A great way to warm up after an afternoon of Christmas shopping.
- Eggnog. Creamy nutmeg and gingerbread spice are a match.
- A holiday cookie tray. The dark color looks great next to classic butter spritz and sugar cookies.
Freezing and Storage
Gingerbread spritz keep well, and the spice flavor actually deepens after a day.
- Room temperature. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Glazed cookies. Let the glaze dry completely before stacking, then layer them with parchment.
- Freezing baked cookies. Freeze unglazed cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then glaze.
- Freezing unbaked cookies. Freeze pressed cookies on the sheet, bag them and bake from frozen within 3 months.
Who doesn't love fresh gingerbread with zero rolling? Give them a try this Christmas. Yum!
Recipe
Gingerbread Spritz Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (226 g)
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup unsulphured molasses not blackstrap
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled (375 g)
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper optional
For the Glaze
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons warm water
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and white pepper in a medium bowl.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the molasses, egg and vanilla until smooth, scraping the bowl once.
- On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, mixing just until combined.
- Divide the dough in half, flatten into discs, wrap and chill for 20 to 30 minutes until firm but still pressable.
Press and Bake
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Set out two ungreased, unlined metal baking sheets.
- Pack half the dough into a cookie press fitted with your chosen disc. Keep the other half chilled.
- Hold the press flat against the cool, bare sheet, click once and lift straight up. Space cookies about 1 inch apart.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 6 to 8 minutes, until the tops look dry and matte and the edges are set.
- Cool on the sheet for 2 to 3 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the sheet cool before pressing the next batch.
Glaze
- Whisk the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla and warm water until smooth and pourable.
- Dip the top of each cooled cookie into the glaze, lift straight up and let the excess drip off.
- Set on a wire rack and let the glaze dry for about 30 minutes before stacking.
Notes
- Total time: Includes 30 minutes of chilling.
- Molasses: Use regular unsulphured molasses. Blackstrap is too bitter.
- Bare sheets only: Do not grease or line the baking sheets, or the dough will not release from the press.
- Soft or crisp: Bake 6 minutes for soft cookies or 8 minutes for crisp ones.
- Make ahead: Freeze pressed unbaked cookies up to 3 months and bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes.
- Storage: Airtight at room temperature up to 1 week. Freeze unglazed baked cookies up to 3 months.
