Description
These Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies are tender, buttery, and subtly flavored with orange zest and vanilla. Softened cream cheese adds a delightful richness, while the cookie press shapes create charming designs perfect for decorating with colored sugars and sprinkles. Ideal for celebrations or everyday treats, these cookies bake to a perfect light golden hue and pair wonderfully with tea or coffee.
Ingredients
Scale
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 cups all-purpose flour
To Decorate
- Colored sugars
- Sprinkles
- Gel food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the cookies.
- Cream Butter, Cream Cheese, and Sugar: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the softened unsalted butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar at medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again to ensure thorough combination.
- Add Flavorings and Egg: Add the egg yolk, orange zest, vanilla extract, and kosher salt to the bowl. Mix for another minute to combine well. Scrape down the bowl sides once more to incorporate all ingredients evenly.
- Incorporate Flour: Gradually add half of the all-purpose flour to the batter, mixing at a slow speed to prevent flour dust. Then add the remaining flour and mix until just combined. At this stage, fold in gel food coloring if desired, either all into the batter or by dividing dough into portions for different colors.
- Pipe the Cookies: Using a cookie press with a chosen shape, pipe the dough onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Leave at least one inch between cookies to allow for spreading. Decorate each cookie with colored sugars or sprinkles as you like. Alternatively, use a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip if a cookie press is unavailable.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until the cookies are set but not browned. For multiple batches, allow sheet pans to cool completely before piping the next batch to avoid excessive spreading.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the pans for 2 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes
- Make sure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature to achieve a smooth dough texture.
- Use a cookie press or pastry bag to create uniform shapes; if unavailable, shaping small dough balls and flattening them lightly also works.
- To add color, mix gel food coloring thoroughly into the dough. Divide dough into portions for multicolored cookies.
- Do not overbake; cookies are done when set but not browned to maintain tenderness.
- Cool baking sheets completely between batches to prevent spreading.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 60 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
