Gingerbread spritz cookies are buttery and spiced with classic gingerbread flavors in this easily shaped version of gingerbread cookies. This flavored spritz cookie recipe makes more than enough for a crowd.
Although I don't have a real deal gingerbread cookie recipe on here, I think I have more than enough gingerbread bases covered with gingerbread waffles (whole wheat!), gingerbread biscotti, and now gingerbread spritz cookies.
Add spritz cookies to the list of recipes I grew up eating that has taken me an abnormally long time to share on the blog. They're rich and buttery but modest in size, and come in a variety of shapes. Once you get in the groove you can crank out dozens in no time.
No matter how many times you'd shake your head at how many cookies were produced, there wasn't ever the question of what to do with leftovers...because there weren't any.
For years my mom had a trusty gold Italian cookie press that would make an appearance several times a year. The box was all but worn away by the end, but this cookie press would produce reliably, well, perfect spritz cookies. After making a few million cookies some mechanism gave way and we couldn't find the exact kind for sale anywhere. 😩 But! With a few tips listed below, this oxo cookie press (affiliate link) has made a pretty good substitute that gets the job done.
Recipe ingredients
Butter is still prominently featured in the base here as it is with standard spritz cookies, but gingerbread must-haves like molasses, cinnamon, ground ginger, and cloves join in to result in buttery soft gingerbread cookies without all the rolling and cutting.
This is great news to someone like me who is not very artistically-inclined when it comes to desserts. And that might be putting it mildly. 🙂
In addition we have all-purpose flour, brown sugar for additional sweetness, an egg for binding, and vanilla extract for a little flavor oomph. And that leaves the remaining spice - ground white pepper.
While pepper of any sort may not be a traditional gingerbread spice, it adds a warm flavor (without too much of a bite) that works SO well here. It really blends in and is one of the reasons that I love pfeffernusse so much.
If you're not that familiar with spritz cookies the ingredient list might look like it's missing something, but it's not. These cookies don't utilize any leavening agents like baking powder/soda or cream of tartar.
Step-by-step instructions
This cookie making process can be broken down into three parts: making the dough, chilling the dough (or not), and pressing/baking.
Making the dough is pretty simple. Start by creaming together the room-temperature softened butter and brown sugar. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients (molasses, egg, and vanilla extract) and mix until creamy and well-combined.
In a separate bowl whisk together the flour and spices, then add to the bowl with the wet ingredients in three or four intervals, mixing in each until just combined. The dough will still be a little sticky.
Here comes a decision point: chilling the dough or not. I always chill my gingerbread spritz cookies (not my regular or chocolate spritz cookies) for around 30 minutes as I find it firms up the dough a welcome amount and alleviates some of the stickiness that comes from the molasses. In the years since I first posted this recipe, I've received comments from readers who reported that unchilled dough performed better with their cookie presses.
My suggestion is to see how the dough looks to you and then decide. If you're familiar with your cookie press and know chilled dough would be tough to press through the discs, then try chilling for less time or not chilling at all. On the contrary if you do chill your dough and find it difficult to press, leave it out at room temperature to soften up a bit until it's ready.
Now for the pressing and baking. Ungreased cookie sheets are used here as all that butter in the dough helps prevent any sticking.
Of course any shape of these gingerbread spritz cookies would be equally delicious, but there's something extra special about festive shaped cookies. Especially when you don't need to decorate them after baking. Which, I mean, of course you can if you like, but a little shake of powdered sugar is all I usually do.
The following are tips that work with my cookie press, but they may not be necessary for yours. A lot of them play into whether or not your press prefers chilled or unchilled dough. With mine, dough that is too warm doesn't hold its shape well, sticks, and mushes out of the canister.
- I recommend spraying the inside of the cookie press canister with cooking spray to help prevent the dough from sticking in there if that's an issue.
- Since you'll have to reload the cookie press a few times, leave half of the chilled dough in the fridge while you're pressing the first half. This way it doesn't warm up too much sitting on the counter before it's used.
- Press any "intricate" shapes first. The most chilled dough will be the best to hold shapes with extra twists and details.
As for shaping these gingerbread spritz cookies, I've seen cookie press discs come in both metal and plastic varieties. I prefer the metal ones for their precision, though some of the shapes seen here were from a super thick and durable plastic that wasn't bad.
This metal set features the snowflake shape along with others, and this plastic version includes the gingerbread man and gingerbread woman (both affiliate links). I used the tree shape from the standard cookie press disc set, and I believe that's where the bear came from, too.
Recipe note
I've received some comments that the dough handles better unchilled or when chilled for just a short amount of time. Otherwise if it's too firm, it may be difficult to press out into shapes until it warms up a bit. In my experience I found chilling the dough some was helpful to reduce a bit of stickiness (especially with the molasses in there) but once mixed up, see how it seems to you. You may wish to skip the chilling or cut down on the time.
Gingerbread Spritz Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (2 sticks)
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Cream together butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl for a few minutes until smooth. Add molasses, egg, and vanilla extract and mix again until combined and creamy.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, white pepper, and cloves until combined.
- Add flour mixture to the bowl with the butter/sugar mixture in 3-4 batches, mixing until each increment is just combined.
- Turn out dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and wrap snugly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. See note on chilling vs. not chilling.
- Once chilled, preheat oven to 375°F. Add dough to cookie press fitted with your preferred disc shape. Press cookies out onto ungreased baking sheet(s) about 1"-1 ½" apart from one another.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until cookies are slightly browned around the edges. Let cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cooled cookies in an air-tight container for up to a week. These cookies also freeze well.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
Spritz dough recipe adapted from the oxo recipe booklet that came with the cookie press.
Jenny says
Delicious flavor! If people have trouble with molasses, make sure it’s not blackstrap. I’ve learned from previous recipes that blackstrap is not the same as regular molasses. I would recommend not chilling. They were difficult to press.
Alyssa says
Great tip, thank you for sharing your experience. I'm glad you liked them!
Pamela says
These need a teaspoon of baking powder to make them lighter. The dough was so greasy that it was hard to work with - not sure how to fix that. Maybe another 1/2 cup of flour would do the trick.
The flavor was good. We added extra ginger, as suggested by other commenters.
Alyssa says
Thank you for sharing your experience, Pamela.
Kelly says
Can I use hand held cookie molds for this recipe?
Alyssa says
Hi there, I Googled cookie molds as I'm unfamiliar with the term - are these pans with shaped wells to bake the dough in? If so I think it may work, though the process of filling them may be a bit sticky. If it's a mold where you have to remove the shaped cookie from the mold and place on a cookie sheet to bake, the dough will probably be too sticky and soft and it would be a headache. Same would go for cookie cutters -- this dough will likely be too soft/sticky to roll out and press cookies from.
Toya says
Currently making these cookies, and the smell and taste of molasses in the dough is quite potent. Like the first poster said, more ginger is required. I added the ginger per the recipe plus an additional tbsp more. It was a lot more balanced, in smell and taste (for the dough). Off to bake them off.. now. Thank you for the recipe
Alyssa says
You're very welcome, Toya! Thank you for letting me know your experience.
Karen Davis says
I made these for my husband and he said they were very good, but, maybe next time, add a little more ginger. We are senior citizens and as we get older, our taste buds need a little boost!
Alyssa says
I'm so glad you like them and can tweak them even more to be just right for you! Thanks for letting me know how they went. 🙂
Jess Lee says
I was wondering what type of molasses you use for this recipe? Do you have a particular brand out of curiosity? Mine has a very strong molasses aftertaste - is that normal?
Alyssa says
Hi Jess, the molasses definitely brings flavor here but it shouldn't be overpowering or off-putting. When making these cookies I've used both the Grandma's brand and a supermarket store brand and found them to yield similar results.
Elainr says
Would like to halve the recipe..,, will 1 egg affect dough too much? I can always whisk and weigh out egg if it will
Alyssa says
Hi there, I haven't personally halved this recipe so I couldn't say for sure how one whole egg would do. The dough is pretty soft and a bit sticky from the molasses so I would be a little worried about it being too wet. I know it's a pain, but whisking/measuring out half an egg like you say might be the best option.
Lorraine C says
I did half this recipe. I cracked an egg into a cup, weighed the contents and poured in half. I was perfect.
Gloria H Moore says
Hello. I loved my first Super Shooter until it died. Then I found several at resale shops and bought every one I found. Evidently everyone is not a fan. Thanks for the recipe!
Alyssa says
You're very welcome, Gloria! Funny how everyone has their preferences. A smooth-running press makes all the difference.
Patty says
Hi. I purchased a spritz shooter and have only used it once, did not get good results. Ow I’m like those people with their insta pots and are are scared to use them. Is there any easy way to fill the tube? Mine seemed to come out partial cookies ♀️
Alyssa says
I know what you mean, Patty (my Instant Pot sat in the box for awhile!). Spritz cookie presses can be difficult sometimes. The dough should be rollable into a tube to place in the cookie press, which should then compress down once the dough-pusher part is cranked down. If the dough is too dry or too cold it may be hard to condense it at the bottom of the press to get full cookies. If the dough is sticking too much inside the press you can try giving the inside of it a quick spritz of cooking spray to help it out. Also what kind of discs are you using? I find the thinner metal discs (standard with most presses I believe) to be easier to work with than the very thick/hard plastic ones, where I'll sometimes get partial cookies. I hope that's helpful!
Suzanne says
These look so good! Is the texture really like spritz?
Alyssa says
Thank you! Yes, tender and buttery.
Elizabeth S. says
Thank you for this recipe! I made several batches and they were all uniformly delicious! Easy to follow directions and an amazing flavor...You put a smile on lots of peoples' faces! Again, thank you for your work on this gingerbread spritz cookie recipe.
Alyssa says
You're very welcome, Elizabeth! So glad you liked them. 🙂