Spritz Cookies have been a holiday favorite for generations! Spritz cookies are a German cookie referred to as “Spritzgebäck”, which are made from flour, butter, sugar and eggs. They are made using a cookie press that has different templates and make different designs, or can be made using a pastry bag with a star tip. They are called Spritz cookies because they come from the word “spritzen” which means “to squirt”. They are a fragile cookie in nature with a rich buttery taste.
I have had several requests for a gluten free version of this delicious cookie. I bought a cookie press a couple months back. There are several good brands to choose from, I recommend a good quality brand if you can, like Wilton, Cuisinart, or KitchenAid. Mine is a Cuisinart brand. Anyway, I kept meaning to get around to making a gluten free version using my gluten free flour blends, Mama’s Almond or Coconut Blend Flours, but I kept getting distracted with other recipes. Then last week, I was doing some demos and shows at New Seasons Market in Oregon. A follower of Gluten Free Mama came to meet me. She was so sweet. She brought me a bag of her own gluten free Spritz cookies. She says, “I brought these for you to taste and tell me what I did wrong.” Bless her heart! Her cookies were delicious, just needed a little bit of a binder added. So I gave her some suggestions and said I would make these when I got home just to be sure.
My version is for the basic “Spritz Buttery Cookie”. There are so many flavors and combinations you can make including, chocolate, lemon, topped with coarse sugar, filled with jam or even decorated with icing. You can take portions of the dough and add food coloring to make them festive looking, or you can add color to icing and decorate. Or you can just add colored sprinkles before baking. Have fun experimenting and making these cookies your own and pass this wonderful tradition of baking spritz cookies on to your children! I hope you enjoy my delicious version of Gluten Free Spritz!
Here are some tips for having success!
- Use cold butter that has only been slightly softened. Setting it on the counter for 15 minutes should do the trick. If you use it very cold, make sure you beat the butter until creamy, using a mixer.
- Don’t chill the dough. Immediately after mixing up a batch, fill your pastry bag or your cookie press with the dough and start pressing the dough to make cookies.
- It takes about two clicks usually to release enough dough to form a cookie. Depending on which template you use, it may only take one click with the press. To get the dough to release and stick to the baking sheet, hold the cookie press firmly to the baking sheet, press once or twice with your press and it will form the cookie, and pull up to release it from the press. If you are finding that the dough is sticking to the press and not releasing, try using a different template, or clean off the template, and dip it in gluten free flour to coat and begin again. If the dough isn’t releasing at all and forming a cookie, it may be too wet. Try adding 1-3 Tbsp. of flour, mixing in well to combine and beginning again. If you don’t have a cookie press, fill the pastry bag with dough. Use a medium size star tip, and pipe a circle or star shaped cookie about 1- 1 1/2 inches wide.
- You can place the directly onto a baking sheet that is ungreased. However, if you have silicone mats that are placed on to baking sheets, these work great and make for easy removal and less chance of the cookie breaking when transferring to a cooling rack. These are delicate cookies, so don’t allow to sit on the cookie sheet too long after baking, as they will be harder to remove. Parchment paper works great too, to keep the cookie from sticking to the baking sheet.
- Store in airtight container for 1-2 weeks, if they last that long!
Gluten Free Spritz Cookies
A traditional German Cookie, Rich and Buttery in Taste, Using a cookie press or pastry bag to form cookies.
Ingredients
- 3 cups
[url href=”http://store.glutenfreemama.com/gluten-free-flours/” target=”_blank”]Mama’s Almond or Coconut Blend Flour[/url]
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 ¼ tsp. xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 ¼ cups butter or dairy free margarine (butter is best)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ½ tsp. almond extract
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp. milk or dairy free milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. Mix and set aside
- In a mixing bowl cream butter with sugar until soft. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add vanilla, almond extract and egg. Mix well.
- Slowly add flour mixture, mixing well. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add 1 Tbsp. milk. Mix well.
- Fill cookie press with dough. Attach desired template. Click press several times until dough begins to come out. Place cookie press firmly against baking sheet and click once or twice until dough comes out, sticking to pan, and lift up quickly to release press from the dough. Repeat, placing cookies at least 1 inch apart on baking sheet.
- If desired sprinkle with holiday colored sprinkles. Or leave plain and decorate with icing and sprinkles after baking.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Ovens may vary, and your actual size of cookie may make cooking times vary, so watch the first batch to determine how long you should cookie. Regular size cookies should take approximately 12 minutes.
- Allow to rest on baking sheet for about 30 seconds -1 minute, then transfer to cooling rack. If desired, decorate with frosting and sprinkles.
- Store in airtight container for 1-2 weeks.
Notes
Using silicone pastry mats or parchment paper helps to remove the cookies from the pan easier without breaking.
Gluten Free Mama Recommends
Gluten Free Mama’s Almond or Coconut Blend Flour Click Here (Free Shipping on qualifying orders!)
Silicone Baking Mats Click Here (Makes removing cookies from pan easier! They don’t stick!)
Spritz Cookie Press Click Here