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These German-inspired Spritz cookies are delightfully crispy, buttery, and dipped in dark chocolate. Whether you plan on devouring them or gifting them, these vegan cookies are a fun and easy treat that’s perfect for the holidays!
⭐️ Why You Should Try It
- Buttery and crispy. Among all the cookie recipes we have on the blog, I can confidently say that these are truly among our favorites! They are so buttery that they literally melt in your mouth. The crispy chocolate coating and the delicate shortbread texture of the cookies create a winning combination!
- A great recipe to make with the kids. These simple cookies require just one bowl and 6 ingredients, making them ideal for baking with the kids, especially during the holiday season!
- A delightful holiday gift. Since these Spritz cookies stay crispy for up to 7 days, they make a wonderful treat to gift to your loved ones! Wrap them in decorative bags and seal them with a festive ribbon for the ultimate edible gift!
📘 What Are Spritz Cookies
Spritz cookies, also known as “Spritzgebäck” in German, are a type of shortbread cookie that originated during the Medieval period in Europe. The dough typically contains flour, butter, sugar, and eggs and is piped into various shapes using a pastry bag. The shape differs depending on the baker but usually involves using a star tip or a cookie press.
Spritz cookies are delicate with a crispy texture. They are often partially dipped in chocolate or decorated with royal icing.
🍫 Ingredient Notes
Here is what you will need to make these delicious vegan spritz cookies:
- Butter – Use either store-bought or homemade vegan butter. Do not use the spreadable kinds, as it won’t work. You want to use the type of vegan butter that is firm when chilled.
- Flour – Regular all-purpose flour works best for this recipe.
- Sugar – Use powdered sugar for the best texture. I advise against using light brown sugar or coconut sugar as these would alter the flavor and color of your cookies.
- Almond milk – It helps thin out a little bit the dough. You can use almond milk or any unsweetened plant-based milk.
- Vanilla extract – For a fresh and floral aroma. For optimal flavor, use high-quality vanilla extract, homemade vanilla extract, or the seeds from half of a vanilla bean.
- Salt – To enhance the taste of the cookies.
- Dark chocolate – You can use dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate. I went with 50% dark chocolate, but feel free to use 70% chocolate if you want a more intense flavor.
🥣 How to Make It
1. Make the dough
- Dice the butter. Dice the butter and add it to a mixing bowl. Ensure your butter is at room temperature. Do not use cold butter.
- Cream it. Using a spoon or electric beater, cream the butter until soft and fluffy.
- Mix in the sugar. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and almond milk. Mix until fully combined. At this point, the batter may look a bit grainy, but it is normal.
- Add the flour. Add the flour and salt and mix again until it forms a smooth dough.
2. Pipe and bake
- Line a baking sheet. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
- Fill a piping bag. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with an open star tip. I recommend using a large piping tip such as the Ateco #826. Be aware that since the dough is very thick, you will have trouble piping it if using a small tip.
- Pipe logs on a baking sheet. Pipe the dough into 2-1/4-inch long logs, leaving about 2 inches between each.
- Bake until golden brown. Bake for 16-17 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned on the sides. Remove from the oven and let them cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
3. Dip in chocolate
- Melt the chocolate. Add the chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate to a double boiler and melt the chocolate over low-medium heat. You can also use the microwave to melt the chocolate.
- Dip into the chocolate. Once melted, remove from the heat and dip each spritz cookie on both sides into the dark chocolate. Alternatively, you can only dip one side if you prefer.
- Let cool completely. Transfer the dipped cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them cool until the chocolate is set.
📔 Tips
- Ensure all the ingredients are at room temperature. For a smooth dough, make sure that the butter and milk are at room temperature.
- Chill the piped cookies. While this step is optional, you can chill the piped cookies for about 1 hour before baking. This will help them retain their shape a little bit better, especially if you are using a cookie press. For information, I didn’t chill them and they still came out pretty good!
- Temper the chocolate. If you want a glossy and crisp finish, temper the dark chocolate. It’s a process that consists of heating the chocolate to 122-131°F (50-55°C), letting it cool to 82-84°F (28-29°C), and bringing it back to 88-90°F (31-32°C). Note that this step is optional. Your cookies will still be delicious if you skip it!
- Regarding measurements. Ingredients measurements are given in grams for more accurate results.
🌰 Variations
- Add flavorings: You can flavor these cookies with almond extract, orange essence, or even caramel extract!
- Create different shapes: Feel free to pipe these cookies into an “S” shape or rounds, or use a cookie press to create cuter cookies!
- Sprinkle with add-ins: After dipping the cookies in chocolate, sprinkle with crushed nuts, festive sprinkles, or freeze-dried strawberries for a pop of color.
🍵 What to Serve It With
Serving these cookies with a warm cup of hot chocolate, caramel latte, or matcha latte is a great way to enjoy a nice and cozy afternoon!
❄️ Storing and Freezing
- To store: You can store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
- To freeze: Let the cookies cool completely before transferring them to a freezer bag. They will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw for an hour or two at room temperature.
💬 FAQ
The dough should be thick, stiff, and smooth.
Yes, you can prepare the dough up to 2 days before baking. Remove it from the refrigerator at least 2 hours before transferring it to a piping bag.
Your cookies may need a bit more time in the oven. Depending on the shape of your cookies and the type of oven you are using, you might have to adjust slightly the baking time. Ideally, the cookies should be lightly brown on the edges.
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Vegan Spritz Cookies
Ingredients
- 95 g vegan butter
- 40 g powdered sugar
- 15 ml unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 110 g all-purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to
350 °F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. - Cream the butter. Dice the butter and add it to a mixing bowl. Ensure your butter is at room temperature. Do not use cold butter. Using a spoon or electric beater, cream the butter until soft and fluffy.
- Mix in the sugar. Add the powdered sugar, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until fully combined. At this point, the batter may look a bit grainy, but it is normal.
- Add the flour. Add the flour and salt and mix again until it forms a smooth dough.
- Fill a piping bag. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with an open star tip. I recommend using a large piping tip such as the Ateco #826. Be aware that since the dough is very thick, you will have trouble piping it if using a small tip.
- Pipe logs on a baking sheet. Pipe the dough into 2-1/4-inch long logs, leaving about 2 inches between each.
- Bake until golden brown. Bake for 16-17 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned on the sides. Remove from the oven and let them cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Dip in chocolate
- Melt the chocolate. Add the chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate to a double boiler and melt the chocolate over low-medium heat. You can also use the microwave to melt the chocolate.
- Dip into the chocolate. Once melted, remove from the heat and dip each spritz cookie on both sides into the dark chocolate. Alternatively, you can only dip one side if you prefer. Transfer the dipped cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them cool until the chocolate is set.
- You can store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Notes
- Ensure all the ingredients are at room temperature. For a smooth dough, make sure that the butter and milk are at room temperature.
- Chill the piped cookies. While this step is optional, you can chill the piped cookies for about 1 hour before baking. This will help them retain their shape a little bit better, especially if you are using a cookie press. For information, I didn’t chill them and they still came out pretty good!
- Temper the chocolate. If you want a glossy and crisp finish, temper the dark chocolate. It’s a process that consists of heating the chocolate to 122-131°F (50-55°C), letting it cool to 82-84°F (28-29°C), and bringing it back to 88-90°F (31-32°C). Note that this step is optional. Your cookies will still be delicious if you skip it!
- Regarding measurements. Ingredients measurements are given in grams for more accurate results.
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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Leave a Comment
did you try it gluten free?
I haven’t, sorry!
@Celine and Thomas,
Celine, you should try using gluten-free flour or flour mix to make vegan cookies. It sure if it will work with this Spritzgebäck recipe as I have not tried it myself.
However, I’ve sort of given up on gluten-free flour mix for my bread varieties. I personally found it hard to bake chewy, moist, and yummy bread without some or sufficient gluten in it. Or maybe the plethora of bread recipes have been developed over time based on glutinous flour (as gluten allergy in humans was discovered much later in the modern time). Luckily for our family, we haven’t developed gluten allergy yet. My bread made of gluten-free flour mix turned out to be crumbled, hard, more like cookie texture. That’s why I think that cookie recipes may work with gluten-free flour. For bread, there are chemical additives to substitute for the lack of gluten and add the fiber to the finished bread but I haven’t tried them. And between adding chemical additives to improve the texture and mouthfeel, I decided to just still continue with natura gluten in high-protein bread flour (for the texture, better rising, and the mouthfeel of the finished bread). Have fun Christmas-baking, everyone 🙂
PS although I haven’t tried it myself, I like that this recipe works without eggs. Thumbs up!👍
What’s the percentage of nut in water do you use for your nut-milk you use in your recipes. Your nut-milk in your recipe pics always look a bit thick and creamy and lightly brownish. I wonder if you used raw, unpeeled almond seeds to make your nut-milk. I need to check this because if I use my own nut-milk that maybe a bit thin (usually around 10% nut to water), it may not work in your recipes that may require creamier nut-milk. Thanks!
Generally, to save time I use store-bought almond or soy milk. In most recipes, including these cookies, the type of milk will not really affect the texture and flavor. You could even use water 🙂
I hope you are going to like these cookies AppleS! I wish you the best holidays!
I just try this recipe. Amazing! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Emy!