Spritz Cookie Recipe

For years, I would see Spritz Cookies on cookie trays and think there was simply no way I would ever be able to make those myself. Too fussy, too much chance of failure, I thought.

But, in a moment of fearlessness a few years ago, I bought a cookie press and tried my hand at it using another recipe. The cookies ended up turning out fine, but there were a lot of missing details I wish I had known, since it was my first time making them.

I’m here today to walk you through how to make spritz cookies, from the viewpoint of a spritz cookie novice. Along the way, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about each step of the process so that you succeed at these cookies the first time you ever make them.

What are Spritz Cookies?

Spritz cookies are delicate, buttery little treats that are often the prettiest part of a cookie tin or platter. Their distinctive shapes and melt-in-your-mouth texture make them a favorite for Christmas.

The name “spritz” comes from German word “spritzen,” meaning to squirt or spray, which describes how these cookies are made using a cookie press or piping bag.

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Classic Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

My family’s classic Midwestern sour cream sugar cookie recipe got such a nice response on social media, that I’m back today sharing our thumbprint cookie recipe!

This recipe combines a salty nutty cookie with sweet jam, and it uses a special technique of baking the cookies for a bit first before making the thumbprints, which helps prevent the cookies from cracking quite so much.

What are Thumbprint Cookies?

Thumbprint cookies are a classic in the baking world, especially around Christmas!

The unique feature of these cookies is the indentation created by pressing your thumb into the center, which provides the perfect well for a delicious filling.

Types of Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint cookies come in various flavors and with different fillings. Sometimes, they are made with a simple sugar cookie dough, and sometimes they are nutty.

The fillings can range from jams and preserves to chocolate, caramel or even something like Nutella. My mom actually fills hers with frosting!

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This is the best Sugar Cookie Recipe with Sour Cream

This is probably the most personal recipe on this blog – my family’s Christmas cookie recipe!

My mom got this recipe for Sour Cream Cookies from my grandma, who got it from a coworker, who probably got it from a local newspaper here in the Midwest.

What makes it so special? Two things – flavor and texture. The flavor largely comes from a generous spoonful of nutmeg. While most sugar cookie cutouts have very little flavor other than sugary dough, these ones have a subtle spice flavor.

And the sour cream keeps them extremely soft. They even stay soft for at least a week after they’re baked – an impressive feat for a sugar cookie.

My mom generously helped me translate our family recipe into a foolproof written version, and even helped me make the cookies for this post (those are her hands rolling out the dough in the step-by-step photos below).

What does sour cream do in baking?

Sour cream is magic! It serves several functions in baked goods such as these sour cream sugar cookies:

• Moisture Booster. Sour cream adds extra moisture to the cookie dough, ensuring a soft and tender final product.
• Flavor Enhancer. The subtle tang of the sour cream complements the sweetness of the other ingredients.
• Leavening Agent. The acidity of the sour cream reacts with the baking soda, resulting in a light and airy cookie.

“I had lost my grandma’s recipe last year in a house fire, so one of those small things that hit me when trying to make that holiday cheer. THANKFULLY I found this recipe and it will now be our family traditional Christmas cookie. Husband wasn’t a fan of grandma’s recipe but said I should receive a cookie award for these. Kids loved decorating them. Sturdy enough for little hands to grab, soft and chewy, subtle nutmeg flavor and holds details of cookie cutters very well.”

—Kris

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This Cranberry Curd Pie will WOW your holiday guests

Every year, I usually panic buy 2 or 3 bags of fresh cranberries, worried there’s going to be a shortage.

Once I make cranberry sauce and then cranberry sauce muffins, and I still have some left, that’s when this cranberry curd tart happens.

It starts with a classic graham cracker crust with some cinnamon added for extra flavor. There are also gluten free crust options, which I discuss below.

Then, fresh cranberries, orange juice, orange peel and sugar come together on the stove in very much the same way you’d make a traditional cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving (except you’ll be blending it smooth and adding eggs to make it custardy). 

The end result is a dessert with a striking appearance and a tart-but-perfectly sweet taste.

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I think that I love cream cheese more than the average person. I wasn’t really aware of this until I was doing a video call with a couple of friends, while making myself a bagel, and they both were shocked and awed by how much cream cheese (and how much everything bagel seasoning) I put on said bagel.

I mean, I had just had a baby a few days prior, and my body was extra hungry. But honestly, I don’t even need to make excuses. I’m not embarrassed. The truth is, I just love cream cheese. Anytime, anywhere.

It can go savory in crab-stuffed salmon recipe and crock pot beef stroganoff. It can be used as the “sauce” on roasted cauliflower pizza. And my Baileys brownies wouldn’t be the same without their spiked cream cheese frosting.

Today, I’m sharing a recipe for the absolute best chocolate cake I’ve ever made, paired with, what else? Cream cheese frosting!

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HOW is it the end of April already? Seeing as how grapefruit season typically runs November to April here in the United States, I really wanted to share this Grapefruit Mule recipe with you earlier, but life got in the way. But I hope you have been enjoying my other grapefruit vodka cocktail this year.

Depending on where you live, you might be able to find grapefruit year-round. If not, I’ll remind you about this recipe next fall, and you can make it along with my grapefruit creme brulee and almond crusted chicken, which I love to serve with fresh grapefruit.

This recipe is special because it completes my “mules all year ’round” project. I now have a recipe for a strawberry mule for the summer, caramel apple mule for the fall, a whiskey mule recipe perfect for the winter since it’s made with bourbon, and now this grapefruit mule for the spring!

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With a small kitchen and limited storage, I’ve weeded out most appliances, tools and pans that serve a single purpose. They just take up too much valuable real estate.

The only exception I’ve made is my beloved egg cooker, which cooks the most perfect hard boiled eggs for shrimp deviled eggs and Easter salad.

And for whatever reason, a single special bundt pan has stuck with me. I bought this pan probably over 10 years ago. I saw it in a catalog (I believe this particular shape/style was being re-released for some type of Bundt anniversary) and just knew I had to have it.

I find that Spring is a time where I make cakes more often than the rest of the year. I’m not sure why, but I think it has something to do with my love of light cakes with bright, fresh flavors, like citrus and berries.

This orange bundt cake recipe is a breeze to mix up, and, like my lemon curd cake and Black Forest cupcakes, it’s perfect for any special occasion, like Mother’s Day or Easter, or a Spring birthday.

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Today marks the ten year anniversary of hitting “publish” on the very first post on Foxes Love Lemons (this poorly lit but delicious shrimp and polenta). Ten years! Almost 700 recipes later, what started as a hobby while I found a “real job” became my full-time, very real job, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that.

Curiously though, for a blog with “lemons” in the title, most of my top five posts of all time don’t really include that much lemon. Creamy salmon pasta really just has a lemon wedge garnish, and I feel like it’d be weird to serve bacon in the oven with lemon.

Chicken parm soup and Asian noodle salad are both delicious and very popular, but again, no lemon! Thank goodness my lemon smoothie rounds out the top five and brings all the lemon with it.

I’m also bringing all the lemon today with this cake I made to mark this anniversary. This lemon curd cake has a rich layer of lemon curd in between two layers of perfect yellow cake, finished off with a lemon curd buttercream.

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Zombie Halloween Cupcakes are perfect for spooky season!

When I was pregnant, my daughter’s due date was early November. My husband and I hoped for a Halloween baby!

We dreamed of a homemade haunted house birthday party with my Halloween deviled eggs recipe and other Halloween food, and spooky cupcakes to take to school.

Well, she arrived only a few days early, a week after Halloween, and of course the only important thing was that she was happy and healthy.

So maybe these Halloween cupcakes won’t be for any of her birthday parties (maybe Black Forest cupcakes instead?), but we can always have a Halloween party as well!

Save the candy corn shots and Halloween charcuterie board for the adults, but these zombie brain cupcakes can be enjoyed by all ages!

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You may have noticed that I’ve been on a certain dessert kick. After publishing vanilla bean creme brulee and coconut creme brulee, I kind of just kept going.

Not only is it a fun (and way easier than it looks!) dessert to make, but it’s super portable and easy to give away to friends and neighbors (provided you trust them to bring your little dish back).

I’m even going to publish chocolate creme brulee before I stop my creme brulee flavors marathon. But today, I’m here with one that you can enjoy all fall – pumpkin creme brulee!

Just like my Thanksgiving Rice Krispies treats, this is perfect to take to any autumn gathering or dinner party, and it’s my preferred alternative to pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving (or Christmas, if you’re not making my gingerbread-inspired Christmas creme brulee).

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