Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies: A Tangy Twist on a Classic

Tender spritz cookies made with cream cheese and orange zest ready in 30 minutes.

Here in Austin, holiday baking is an endurance sport. Between the humidity and the oven heat, traditional butter cookies can sometimes spread into unrecognizable puddles. That is why I rely heavily on this Cream Cheese Spritz recipe. Unlike the standard all-butter versions, this recipe uses a combination of shortening and cream cheese. The shortening provides a high melting point that ensures your trees and wreaths hold their intricate ridges perfectly, while the cream cheese adds a subtle tang and a dense, velvety crumb that melts in your mouth. The addition of orange zest and a hint of cinnamon warms up the flavor profile, making these stand out against the usual vanilla-heavy holiday lineup.

Jump to:

• A Zesty Holiday Press Cookie
• Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies

A Zesty Holiday Press Cookie

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Shape Retention: The use of shortening ensures these cookies hold the sharpest details of your cookie press disks, even in a warm kitchen.
• Flavor Depth: The tang of the cream cheese combined with fresh orange zest creates a sophisticated flavor that isn't overly sweet.
• High Yield: A single batch produces dozens of cookies, making it the most efficient way to fill holiday tins.
• Tender Crumb: These aren't crisp like crackers; the cream cheese keeps them soft and tender on the inside.

Ingredients

The specific fats used here are chosen for structure and texture.

• Shortening: 1 cup. While butter is tasty, shortening has a higher melting point which prevents spreading. Use flavorless vegetable shortening.
• Cream Cheese: 3 ounces, softened. This replaces some of the fat and adds moisture and acidity.
• Sugar: 1 cup granulated sugar.
• Egg Yolk: 1 large egg yolk at room temperature. Using just the yolk adds richness without the extra water from the white.
• Flavorings: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon grated orange zest.
• All-Purpose Flour: 2-½ cups. Spoon and level this to ensure the dough isn't too stiff to press.
• Salt: ½ teaspoon.
• Decorations: Green food coloring, colored sugar, or assorted small candies.

How to Make Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies

Cream the Fats

Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream the shortening, softened cream cheese, and sugar together. Beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. This aeration is crucial for a tender cookie.

Add Wet Ingredients

Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure the cream cheese is fully incorporated and there are no lumps.

Make the Dough

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually add this to the creamed mixture, beating on low speed. Once the flour is mostly incorporated, stir in the grated orange zest. If you plan to color the dough, add the food coloring now (gel paste works best to avoid adding liquid) and mix until uniform.

Load the Press

Pack the dough into the barrel of your cookie press. Press it down firmly to remove any air pockets, which can cause the gun to skip. Fit the press with your chosen disk.

Press and Bake

Press the dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Decorate with sprinkles or colored sugar before baking so they stick. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes. These cookies should not brown significantly; they are done when they look set and dry on the surface.

Cool

Remove the pans from the oven. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 2 to 3 minutes to firm up, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Greasing the Pan: As mentioned, grease is the enemy of the cookie press. The dough needs to stick to the metal pan to pull away from the device.
• Warm Baking Sheets: Never press dough onto a hot baking sheet from a previous batch. The fat will melt instantly, and the cookies will lose their shape. run hot sheets under cold water and dry them thoroughly before reusing.
• Overbaking: Cream cheese cookies can dry out quickly. Pull them from the oven while they are still pale.

Variations

• Lemon-Poppyseed: Swap the orange zest for lemon zest and add 1 teaspoon of poppyseeds to the dough.
• Almond: Omit the cinnamon and orange zest, and use almond extract instead of vanilla. Top with a whole almond.
• Chocolate Dipped: Bake the cookies plain. Once cool, dip half of the cookie into melted dark chocolate and sprinkle with pistachios.

How to Serve

These are excellent tea cookies. The subtle orange and cinnamon notes pair beautifully with spiced chai or a bright Earl Grey tea. They are sturdy enough to be packed in cellophane bags for gifting.

Make Ahead and Storage

• Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
• Freezing: These freeze exceptionally well. Freeze baked, undecorated cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
• Dough: Do not freeze the raw dough, as the freezing process can alter the texture of the shortening and cream cheese, making it difficult to press later.

Nutrition Snapshot

One cookie contains approximately 65 calories, 4g fat, and 7g carbohydrates.

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