Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Easy to make: These cookies are simple to make and look like you spent hours baking them! No rolling or cookie cutters required. The cookie press does all the work!
Classic holiday cookies: Gluten-free spritz cookies are a holiday classic! They’re perfect for parties, cookie exchanges, a holiday gift for neighbors, or for shipping to a loved one.
Buttery, sweet cookies: These cookies are perfectly balanced in flavor and texture. They’re sweet but not too sweet. They’re crisp but also tender and buttery. They’ll soon become your favorite cookies for the holidays!
Top Tips: I’ve tested pressing these cookies out onto an unlined baking sheet, a parchment lined baking sheet and a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat. I’ve found a silcone mat works best. The cookies also adhere much better to a cold surface so I recommend chilling the cookie sheets for a few minutes.
Recommended GF Flour: It’s best to use a high-quality gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum. I like to use King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Baking Flour.
xoxo erin
This post was originally published in December 2023. It was updated with new photos and instructions in November 2024.
These gluten-free spritz cookies are the perfect way to get the whole family involved. With these easy, buttery cookies, you don’t have to roll out the dough or even mess with a cookie cutter! Just place them in the spritz cookie press and press the dough into fun holiday shapes like Christmas trees, wreaths, or stars.
You can decorate them if you like or enjoy them plain! Either way, they taste delicious and will bring holiday cheer. They really are the perfect cookie for the holiday season!
Featured Comment
From Heather: “Thank you for a recipe that is as delicious and melt-in-your-mouth as the original recipe made with wheat flour! I followed the recipe exactly and used King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. I did not spritz the silicone baking mat but the cookies did not stick. Excellent taste, texture and appearance.”
Table of Contents
- Erin’s Recipe Rundown
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Gluten-Free Spritz Cookies
- Recipe Tip: Chill Your Baking Sheets
- Decorating Spritz Cookies
- Storage/Freezing Instructions
- Can these gluten-free spritz cookies be made dairy-free?
- The dough won’t go through the cookie press, what should I do?
- Can I use other extracts besides vanilla and almond? Or can I use vanilla extract only?
- Gluten-Free Spritz Cookie Recipe Tips
- More Gluten-Free Holiday Cookies
- Gluten-Free Spritz Cookies (Tried and True Recipe!) Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make these gluten-free spritz cookies. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: It’s best to use a high-quality gluten-free flour blend for these cookies. I recommend King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Baking Flour. It has xanthan gum, which helps create a nice chew and gives a similar texture to all-purpose flour.
- Butter: I typically prefer salted butter over unsalted butter. It has better depth of flavor and will really make a difference with these gluten-free spritz cookies! For dairy-free, you can use vegan butter (it may change the flavor a bit).
- Almond and vanilla extract: The hint of almond extract combined with vanilla makes these delicious holiday cookies extra special. I highly recommend using a blend of both! (Real vanilla extract will give better results than imitation.)
You also might like these gluten-free snowball cookies or gluten-free shortbread cookies.
How to Make Gluten-Free Spritz Cookies
Here’s an overview of how to make these spritz cookies. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!”
Recipe Tip: Chill Your Baking Sheets
Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats. While the cookie dough is chilling and the oven is preheating, and if your refrigerator or freezer has room, it’s helpful to chill your lined baking sheets. The dough coming out of the cookie press adheres much better to a cold surface.
- In a stand mixer: Cream the butter, sugar, and salt together using a paddle attachment. You can also use an electric hand mixer!
- Add ingredients: Mix the egg, vanilla, and almond extract into the butter/sugar until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Mix in dry ingredients: Add the gluten-free flour and mix on low until well-combined.
- Cover and chill: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes while the oven preheats to 350°F. Do not refrigerate the cookies for longer than 20 minutes or they won’t press out easily!
- Fill the cookie press: Your cookie press should come with directions on how to add the decorative plate. After that gets worked out, fill the press with dough.
- Press out cookies: Hold the cookie press perpendicular to the baking sheet and press out the cookies. Since they don’t spread much, you can place them fairly close together.
Decorating Spritz Cookies
If desired, top the cookies with sprinkles or press a chocolate chip into the center. If needed, you can very lightly brush the cookies with water before topping with sprinkles so they adhere to the cookies better.
If the cookie dough becomes too soft as you work, chill the shaped cookie dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before baking.
Bake: Bake until very lightly browned on the edges, 7–9 minutes. Let them cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Storage/Freezing Instructions
To Store: Store gluten-free spritz cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
To Freeze: These cookies freeze well! Store in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Can these gluten-free spritz cookies be made dairy-free?
Yes, you can use vegan butter in place of the butter. It might impact the buttery flavor a bit, but they’ll still be delicious!
The dough won’t go through the cookie press, what should I do?
The dough won’t go through the cookie press if it is too cold or firm. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften a bit. If it gets too warm though, you’ll need to chill it again so keep an eye on it and don’t leave it out too long!
Can I use other extracts besides vanilla and almond? Or can I use vanilla extract only?
Yes! I love the combination of vanilla and almond extract (it’s such a great flavor combo for these cookies), but if you aren’t a fan of almond extract, you can use all vanilla. Or try out your favorite extracts — just be cautious and add a little at a time since some extracts can be very strong. You don’t want them to overpower the cookie!
Gluten-Free Spritz Cookie Recipe Tips
- Use a good cookie press. This is the cookie press I have and love!
- Use a silicone mat. I have tried baking these 3 different ways — on parchment paper, a silicone baking mat, and directly on the cookie sheet. I highly recommend baking these spritz on a silicone baking mat. Parchment paper is too slippery, so the cookies spread too much. When you use an unlined baking sheet, it’s hard to get make the cookies adhere to the sheet as they come out of the cookie press.
- Use gel food coloring (if desired). If you’d like, you can set aside some dough to tint. I recommend using gel food coloring for this step. One very tiny drop of green is plenty for ¼ of the cookie dough. Use it sparingly! You may have to chill the cookie dough for just a bit after mixing in the food coloring.
- Get creative. Have fun with decorating these Christmas cookies! Add melted chocolate drizzle, sprinkles, dark chocolate chips, icing, colored sugar, and more. The possibilities are endless!
Gluten-Free Spritz Cookies (Tried and True Recipe!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ¼ cup (338g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- optional: gel food coloring, sprinkles, chocolate chips, and melted chocolate for decorating
Instructions
- Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats. While the cookie dough is chilling and the oven is preheating, and if your refrigerator or freezer has room, it’s helpful to chill your lined baking sheets. The dough coming out of the cookie press adheres much better to a cold surface.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and salt together. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix until combined, then scrape down the bowl.
- Add the gluten-free flour and mix on low speed until fully combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes while the oven preheats. (Do not refrigerate longer than 20 minutes!)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Follow cookie press manufacturer’s directions to fit your cookie press with a decorative plate. Fill the cookie press with dough. Hold the cookie press perpendicular to the cookie sheet and press out the cookies. They can be fairly close together, since they don’t really spread.
- DECORATE: If desired, top the cookies with sprinkles or press a chocolate chip into the center. If needed, you can very lightly brush the cookies with water before topping with sprinkles so they will adhere to the cookies.
- If the cookie dough becomes too soft as you work, chill the shaped cookie dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before baking.
- Bake until very lightly browned on the edges, 7–9 minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
I’m getting ready to try this recipe. Do you recommend salted or unsalted butter.
Hi Carolyn, we always prefer salted butter for more depth of flavor!
First time making spritz cookies. These turned out wonderful! Thank you for the recipe. My oven was better at the 9 minutes mark, first batch was 8 and a bit soft. Trial and error. I bought the same press as you have in the recipe, but yielded 102 cookies, not 24. LOL.
Wow, 102 cookies is quite the batch! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for taking the time to share with us, Lisa.
Can this dough be refrigerated/frozen for storage until I go to a cookie baking party?
Hi Bonnie Jo, we recommend not refrigerating the dough longer than 20 mintues, or it hardens too much to press through the cookie press. You can store or freeze the baked cookies, however. (You’ll find instructions at the bottom of the recipe card!) Hope that helps!
Tried with vegan butter and spread immediately no matter how much chilling was done before hand.
Hi Rebecca, we’re sorry you had this experience! Different brands of vegan butter have different fat/water content which could cause spreading despite chilling the dough. We’ve had good luck with Earth Balance buttery sticks as a vegan butter option. We hope next time goes much better for you!
Hi! I just made these and the dough worked really well the cookies stayed perfectly shaped, didn’t spread or anything. But they seem quite dry when you bite into them. I used the flour and sugar measurements by weight that are in the recipe. And everything else exactly as indicated. Are they supposed to be dry? I’m assuming my cookie press is a standard size (I have no idea) but the recipe made WAY more than 24 cookies I’d say i made almost 50 cookies! Should I have adjusted the baking time if they are smaller than your press?
The Instagram post has them glazed – can the glaze recipe be added to this too?
Hi Jess, any simple glaze will go well with these cookies! You can combine 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1–2 tablespoons of milk to make the glaze. There’s also the option to add flavor with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or any flavor you like). We hope you enjoy the cookies!
Wondering if you can leave the dough in the refrigerator for a few days?
Hi Jessica, yes the dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. We hope you enjoy the cookies!
Would these work with vegan butter?
Hi Tracy, yes you can use vegan butter in these cookies. It may impact the buttery flavor a bit, but they’ll still be delicious! Happy baking!
Could maple syrup be used as a substitute for sugar?
Hi Christine, we don’t typically bake with sugar substitutes so we haven’t tested out maple syrup. It would most likely require other ingredients to be adjusted since it would add more liquid to the dough. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Can I leave out the almond extract? We have nut allergies in our house.
Thanks!
Hi Jessica, yes you can replace the almond extract with more vanilla extract. We hope you enjoy the cookies!
Hi Erin. Your recipe calls for 2 1/4 cups (338g) of King Arthur gf measure for measure flour. According to King Arthur measurements, one cup equals 120g. Wouldn’t that make the total 270g? Just want to make sure the measurement is correct as I always weigh my flour. Can’t wait to make these cookies!
Hi Kim, good question! Yes, the measurements are correct despite King Arthur’s label. We find that 1 cup of KAF weighs much closer to 150 grams. At the end of the day a cup measurement is subjective – and we think the manufacturer doesn’t realize gluten-free flour is denser than traditional wheat flour. Traditional wheat flour is 120 grams/cup. Erin likes to make her recipes so they will turn out for both people using cup measurements and grams measurements. Her measurement for the KAF flour is consistent across all of her recipes, even though it’s not the same as KAF. We hope this helps!
Silly question here…if I want to decorate with colored sugar crystals do I do that before baking or after? What about sprinkles? Thanks!
All decoration( sprinkles and sugar) should be done before baking.
Is there anything I can do to make them work with parchment paper? I don’t have any silicone mats…
Hi Bethany, we’ve found that they spread too much on parchment paper. You could try chilling both the dough and the parchment paper lined sheets to see if starting out extra chilled helps, but its not ideal for these cookies unfortunately. Thank you for your question!
Christie, I have not heard of this, but it could explain why I’ve had an issue with cookies spreading out too much no matter what I’ve done. Would you say the parchment/silicone factor is an issue with a lot of the recipes?
Hi Kirsten, we’ve mainly seen the parchment/silicone factor with these cookies. More generally for cookie recipes, heat and butter are the main factors. Accurate oven temps, chilled dough (firmer butter), and cool baking sheets are key to avoiding spreading. The material type of the baking sheet can even impact how much they spread because of how the materials conduct heat. We hope this helps!
Thank you for a recipe that is as delicious and melt-in-your-mouth as the original recipe made with wheat flour! I followed the recipe exactly and used King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. I did not spritz the silicone baking mat but the cookies did
not stick. Excellent taste, texture and appearance.