My grandmother could press six dozen cookies in the time it took me to find the right disc.
Her spritz wreath cookies came out identical every December: green rings clicked onto a cold baking sheet, with three red candies pressed onto each one like holly berries.
When that press finally landed in my kitchen, I figured the hard part was over.
It wasn't.
My first December with it produced a tray of green blobs, broken half-rings, and one wreath that looked a lot like a frog.
My wife laughed so hard she had to sit down on the kitchen floor.
So I spent that whole holiday season figuring out what my grandmother never bothered to write on her recipe card.
The press was never the problem. Warm dough and a lined baking sheet were.
Once I fixed those two things, the rings came out crisp at the edges and tender in the middle, with that almond and butter smell that fills the whole house.
And if you don't own a press at all, a piping bag and a big star tip will get you there just fine!
I bake at least three batches every Christmas now, and the wreaths are always the first thing to vanish from our holiday cookie tray.
Make them once and you'll see why!
What Are Spritz Wreath Cookies?
Spritz are classic German butter cookies that get pushed through a press instead of rolled or scooped. The name comes from the German word spritzen, which means "to squirt."
That's exactly what you do with the dough!
You load a soft, buttery dough into a cookie press, fit it with a shaped disc, and squeeze out one cookie per click.
The wreath is one of the oldest and most loved shapes. Some old church cookbooks call them holly wreaths, and they show up on just about every Christmas cookie tray I've ever seen.
The dough gets tinted green, and a few red cinnamon candies go on before baking to look like holly berries.
What do they taste like? Think of a shortbread that went to finishing school.
They're crisp at the edges, tender and sandy in the middle, and rich with butter. The almond extract gives them that bakery-style flavor that makes people ask what's in them.
They're small, too, so it's way too easy to eat four before you notice. Yes, I'm guilty!
Ingredients for Spritz Wreath Cookies
You only need a handful of pantry staples for these. The full measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom, but here's what each ingredient does and why it matters.
- Unsalted butter (1 cup). This is the backbone of the whole cookie. It needs to be soft enough to press a finger into but not shiny or greasy. Butter that's too warm is the number one reason spritz spread into blobs.
- Granulated sugar (⅔ cup). Some recipes use powdered sugar, and that works great for piping. For a cookie press, I like granulated because it gives the dough a little more structure and crisper edges.
- Egg (1 large). A whole egg helps the rings hold their shape in the oven. Let it sit out for 20 minutes so it doesn't chill the butter when you mix it in.
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon). Rounds out the butter and keeps the almond from tasting too sharp.
- Almond extract (½ teaspoon). This is the classic spritz flavor. If you're baking for someone with a nut allergy, swap in another ½ teaspoon of vanilla.
- Salt (¼ teaspoon). Just enough to make the butter taste like butter.
- All-purpose flour (2 ¼ cups). Spoon it into the cup and level it off. Scooping straight from the bag packs in extra flour, and stiff dough won't come out of the press.
- Green gel food coloring (¼ teaspoon). Gel is non-negotiable here. Liquid coloring adds water, which softens the dough and dulls the color.
- Red cinnamon candies (2 tablespoons). These are the holly berries. Red sprinkles or finely chopped red candied cherries work too.
- Green sanding sugar (optional). A pinch over the top before baking adds a little sparkle.
- Milk (1 tablespoon, optional). Only for the piping-bag method. It loosens the dough just enough to push through a star tip.
How to Make Spritz Wreath Cookies
The whole process takes about 30 minutes of hands-on time. Before you start, slide two metal baking sheets into the fridge or freezer so they're nice and cold when you need them.
Step 1: Make the Dough
Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and salt on medium speed for just 45 seconds to 1 minute, until smooth and combined. You don't want it super fluffy, because extra air makes spritz puff up and lose their ridges.
Beat in the egg, vanilla and almond extract until everything is smooth, then scrape down the bowl. Add the green gel coloring now and mix until the color is even. Make it a shade darker than you want, since the flour will lighten it.
Switch the mixer to low and add the flour in two additions. Stop as soon as you can't see any dry streaks. The dough should be soft and pliable, like Play-Doh, not sticky and not crumbly.
Pro tip: Do NOT chill the dough for a press. Cold spritz dough is almost impossible to push through the disc.
Step 2: Fill the Cookie Press
Fit your cookie press with the wreath disc. Roll a handful of dough into a log about the width of the barrel and drop it in, then push it down gently to remove any air pockets. Screw the end cap on and give it one or two test clicks onto a plate until the dough comes out evenly.
Step 3: Press and Decorate the Wreaths
Take one cold baking sheet out of the fridge. Leave it bare: no parchment, no silicone mat, no grease. Hold the press straight up and down, flat against the sheet, click once, then lift straight up.
The dough needs to grab onto the cold metal to release from the press, which is why lined or greased pans fail. Space the wreaths about 1 ½ inches apart. They barely spread, so you can fit a dozen or more on a sheet!
Press 2 or 3 red cinnamon candies onto one side of each ring so they look like a cluster of holly berries. Sprinkle on a little green sanding sugar if you're using it.
Got a wonky one? Just scrape it off and put it back in the press!
Step 4: Bake and Cool
Bake one sheet at a time for 7 to 9 minutes, until the cookies look set and matte and the bottoms are barely golden. The tops should stay green, not brown. Pull them a minute early rather than a minute late.
Let the wreaths rest on the sheet for 2 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. Rinse the sheet in cold water, dry it, and chill it again before the next round so the dough sticks every time.
How to Pipe Wreaths Without a Cookie Press
No press? No problem. A piping bag and a large open star tip make lovely, ridged wreaths, and they're actually a little bigger and showier than the pressed kind!
- Soften the dough a touch. Mix in 1 tablespoon of milk after the flour. Piping dough needs to be a bit softer than press dough or your hands will give out.
- Pick the right tip. A large open star tip, about ½ inch across, gives the deepest ridges. A closed star tip works too but looks more like a rosette.
- Use parchment here. Unlike the press method, piped cookies don't need to stick to the pan. Trace 2-inch circles on parchment with a cookie cutter, flip the paper over, and use them as guides.
- Pipe one smooth ring. Hold the bag at a slight angle, squeeze evenly, and overlap the end slightly where you started.
- Chill before baking. Slide the whole sheet into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. This is what keeps piped wreaths from baking flat.
- Bake a little longer. Piped wreaths are thicker, so give them 10 to 12 minutes at 375°F.
Decorating Ideas
The classic look is green dough with red berries, but there's plenty of room to play. Here are the decorations I come back to most.
- Red cinnamon candies. The traditional holly berries. Press them on before baking so they bake into the dough and stay put.
- Tiny red sprinkles. A quick option if you can't find cinnamon candies. Add them before baking.
- Sanding sugar. Green or white sugar gives the wreaths a frosty sparkle. Brush the pressed dough with a little water first so it sticks.
- Almond glaze. Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon almond extract and 1 to 2 tablespoons milk. Brush a thin coat on cooled cookies and add sprinkles while it's wet.
- White chocolate dip. Leave the dough plain, then dip half of each cooled wreath in melted white chocolate. It's elegant and super easy!
- Large decorative sprinkles. Big holly or star sprinkles can bleed in the oven. Press them in right after the cookies come out, while they're still warm.
Spritz Wreath Variations
Think of this dough as a building block. Once you've got the method down, it's a great way to fill a whole cookie tray from one recipe!
- Tie-dye wreaths. Split the dough, color one quarter green and leave the rest plain. Layer small pieces of each into the press barrel for a swirled, retro look.
- Chocolate spritz. Swap ¼ cup of the flour for unsweetened cocoa powder and skip the green coloring.
- Citrus wreaths. Replace the almond extract with 1 teaspoon of finely grated orange or lemon zest.
- Cream cheese spritz. Beat 3 ounces of softened cream cheese in with the butter and use just the egg yolk. The cookies come out extra tender and stay soft longer.
- Peppermint wreaths. Use ½ teaspoon peppermint extract instead of almond, and top with crushed candy canes after baking.
- Old-fashioned plain. Leave out the color entirely and top with a single red candy. My grandmother made half her batch this way, and they were always gone first!
Tips and Troubleshooting
So what is the secret to spritz cookies? Honestly, it's temperature. Soft (not warm) butter, room-temperature dough, and a cold bare baking sheet solve nearly every problem. I promise!
Here's how I fix the most common ones.
- The cookies won't stick to the pan. Your sheet is greased, lined, nonstick-coated, or warm. Use a plain, cold, light-colored metal sheet and press with the barrel flat against it.
- The wreaths spread and lose their ridges. The butter was too soft, you creamed it too long, or the dough sat near the oven. Chill the pressed sheet for 10 minutes before baking.
- The dough is too stiff to press. You probably packed in extra flour. Warm the filled barrel in your hands for a minute, or beat in 1 teaspoon of milk.
- The rings come out broken. Press a little harder and hold for a beat before lifting. A full, steady click makes a closed ring.
- The color is dull. Use gel coloring, and add it before the flour so it mixes in evenly.
- The bottoms are browning. Dark pans run hot. Switch to a light-colored sheet and drop the time by a minute.
Fair warning: the first sheet is always a practice round, even for me. Scrape, re-press, and keep going!
Make-Ahead and Timing
Spritz are one of the best cookies to plan ahead for the holidays. Here's how I break up the work when I'm baking for a cookie exchange.
- Dough in the fridge. Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate up to 3 days. Let it sit on the counter for about 1 hour until it's soft enough to press.
- Dough in the freezer. Shape it into a log, wrap it well, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bring it to room temperature.
- Piped wreaths in the freezer. Freeze piped, decorated rings on the sheet until firm, then bag them. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes.
- Timeline for a party. One batch takes about 50 minutes start to finish, including baking two or three sheets. You can easily do two batches in an afternoon!
How to Store and Freeze Spritz Cookies
These cookies keep beautifully, which makes them perfect for gifting. Just let them cool completely first.
- Room temperature. Store in an airtight tin with wax paper between the layers for up to 2 weeks. Skip the fridge, since it dries butter cookies out.
- Freezer. Freeze the baked wreaths in a single layer for 1 hour, then move them to a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature, still sealed, so they don't sweat.
- Glazed cookies. Let the glaze dry for a few hours before stacking, or the layers will stick together.
- Shipping. Spritz are sturdy little things. Pack them snugly in a tin with crumpled parchment so they don't slide around, and they'll arrive in one piece!
What to Serve With Spritz Wreath Cookies
These are made for a holiday cookie tray, and they play nicely with everything. Their bright green color makes the whole platter look more festive.
- Other Christmas cookies. They look great next to chocolate crinkles, gingerbread and jam thumbprints. The contrast in color and shape makes a tray pop.
- Hot drinks. A mug of hot cocoa, coffee or spiced cider pairs perfectly with the buttery almond flavor.
- Holiday dessert board. Scatter them around a board with candied nuts, chocolate bark and clementines.
- Cookie gift boxes. Stack them in cellophane bags tied with ribbon for neighbors and teachers. Don't be surprised if people start asking for the recipe!
Who doesn't love a cookie that looks this cheerful and tastes this good? Give them a try this Christmas!
Recipe
Spritz Wreath Cookies
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (2 sticks, 226 g)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar 135 g
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract or more vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon green gel food coloring or to taste
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled (281 g)
- 1 tablespoon milk only if piping instead of pressing
For Decorating
- 2 tablespoons red cinnamon candies or red sprinkles
- 1 tablespoon green sanding sugar optional
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Chill two bare metal baking sheets in the fridge or freezer. Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle.
- Beat the butter, sugar and salt on medium speed for 45 seconds to 1 minute, just until smooth.
- Beat in the egg, vanilla and almond extract until smooth. Scrape the bowl, then mix in the green gel coloring until even.
- On low speed, add the flour in two additions and mix just until no dry streaks remain. Do not chill the dough.
Press and Decorate
- Fit a cookie press with the wreath disc and fill the barrel with a log of dough.
- Hold the press flat against a cold, unlined, ungreased baking sheet and click once per cookie, spacing the wreaths 1 ½ inches apart.
- Press 2 or 3 red cinnamon candies onto one side of each wreath and sprinkle with sanding sugar if using.
Bake
- Bake one sheet at a time for 7 to 9 minutes, until set and matte with barely golden bottoms.
- Cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Rinse, dry and re-chill the sheet before pressing the next batch.
Notes
- No press: Beat 1 tablespoon milk into the dough, pipe 2-inch rings with a large open star tip onto parchment, freeze 10 to 15 minutes, and bake 10 to 12 minutes.
- Sheets: Press cookies need a cold, bare, light-colored metal sheet. Parchment, silicone mats or grease keep the dough from releasing.
- Coloring: Use gel coloring only. Liquid coloring softens the dough.
- Make ahead: Refrigerate dough up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature before pressing.
- Storage: Keep airtight at room temperature up to 2 weeks, or freeze baked cookies up to 3 months.
