Peppermint Bark Cream Cheese Spritz
These bite-sized Peppermint Bark Cream Cheese Spritz are sure to be a favorite on your next holiday cookie tray! This recipe makes a large batch of cookies, and we’ll be showing you two recipe options for chocolate-dipped cookies and frosted mini sandwich cookies.
This is a sponsored recipe on behalf of the American Dairy Association Mideast.
What is a Spritz Cookie?
Originated from the German word “spritzen,” these cookies translated means “to squirt.” The soft, buttery cookie dough is squirted through a cookie press or piping bag, making the classic holiday designs you know and love.
What is a Cookie Press
You will need a cookie press. Any cookie press will do, but some are better than others. We suggest avoiding those with plastic discs. Recently we switched to the OXO Cookie Press with metal discs and fell in love with spritz cookies again. We also had to grab the OXO Christmas Disc set to go along with it (Amazon Affiliates links).
Alternatively, you could use a piping bag with a large open star tip to pipe Spritz cookies. While it does work, be warned that this method can produce uneven cookies, potentially affecting baking times. With some practice, you could get the hang of it, but we suggest a cookie press for this task for consistency.
Cream Cheese Spritz
Cream cheese and butter are creamed together with sugar, an egg yolk, and peppermint extract. You’ll add a pinch of salt and flour to make a soft, tart dough. The best cookies are the simple ones!
Tip: Cube the butter before adding it to the mixing bowl, helping to evenly distribute the butter and get it nice and incorporated with the softened cream cheese.
Peppermint Bark Cookies Two Ways
We’ve included two easy cookie options for this recipe.
- Dipped Cookies: Dip the finished spritz cookies in melted dark chocolate then press into crushed candy canes.
- Frosted Sandwich Cookies: Using homemade or store-bought frosting, spread a bit of rich chocolate frosting between two cookies of the same shape. Squeeze the cookies just a bit and press the outsides of the sandwich cookie into crushed candy canes.
How To Crush Candy Canes
Candy canes can be a pain to crush because they are very sticky. Here is our tip:
Whether you are pounding candy canes with a mallet in a zip-top bag, using a rolling pin to crush them, or you have access to a food processor, DO THIS FIRST!
Unwrap the candy canes or peppermint discs and throw them in a zip-top bag in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. By freezing the peppermints you will be drawing out the moisture which is what makes the candy canes sticky while you are chopping them up.
Spritz Cookies Tips for Success
Do not use a greased cookie sheet or parchment paper. The pressed cookies need to adhere to the metal cookie sheet. Be sure that your cookie sheet is completely free of grease by washing thoroughly with dish soap and drying completely.
If your cookies are not adhering to the cookie sheet you can place the sheet in the refrigerator or freezer for 10-15 minutes.
This recipe does not require the dough to chill before using, however, if your kitchen is very warm or if your butter was very soft you make have issues with the cookies not adhering to the cookie sheet. Separate the dough into sections and place it in the refrigerator for a few minutes if this happens.
Since the cookies have peppermint extract in them you could skip the chocolate and crushed candy canes and opt for a simple sprinkle of colored sanding sugar before baking the cookies.
These are SMALL cookies so they bake quickly. We suggest baking for 12 minutes and checking for doneness. The cookies will continue to bake on the cookie sheet after they are removed from the oven. Use a spatula to remove the cookies to a cooling rack after no more than 5 minutes until firm enough to move without losing their shape.
Peppermint Bark Spritz
Ingredients
Peppermint Bark Spritz
- 1 cup butter, cubed
- 3 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Peppermint Bark
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate, melted
- 1/2 cup candy canes, crushed
Peppermint Bark Filling
- 1/2 cup chocolate frosting, store-bought or prepared
- 1/2 cup candy canes, crushed
Equipment
- Cookie press
Instructions
Peppermint Bark Spritz
- PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the bowl of your mixer CREAM together the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- ADD sugar and mix until combined, followed by egg yolk and peppermint extract.
- ADD salt and then flour 1/2 cup at a time until a smooth batter forms. It should stick to itself but not to your hards.
- At this point, you can add food coloring if using.
- DIVIDE the cookie dough into workable batches and FILL the cookie press.
- PRESS cookies onto a clean, ungreased cookie sheet. If cookies to dot adhere to the pan it may be greasy. Try washing the cookie sheet and placing it in the refrigerator to chill before trying again.
- BAKE at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.
Dipped into Chocolate
- DIP the bottom of each cookie into dark chocolate, then press into crushed candy canes.
- Set aside on parchment or wax paper until set.
Frosted Sandwich Cookies
- Using a store-bought frosting, spread about one teaspoon of frosting onto a cookie, then press another cookie of the same shape into the frosting. Press the exposed frosting from the sides into crushed candy canes.
- Set aside on parchment or wax paper until set.
Video
Notes
- You can color the dough before baking if desired. We suggest gel food coloring rather than liquid. Gel food coloring is highly concentrated and will not change the dough consistency like liquid food coloring.
- You can swap out candy canes for peppermint puffs. When crushed, peppermint puffs are more of a soft powder rather than crunchy candy cane bits.
- You can freeze the baked cookies in an air-tight container for one month. Save the chocolate dipping and/or crushed candy cane decorations until ready to serve. Thawed chocolate and candy cane pieces could be sticky when defrosted.
Items Used in This Recipe
Serve and Store Spritz Cookies
Peppermint Bark Cream Cheese Spritz cookies can be stored in an air-tight container for 3-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Save the chocolate dipping and/or crushed candy cane decorations until ready to serve. Thawed chocolate and candy cane pieces could be sticky when defrosted.
More Peppermint Recipes
Peppermint Bark Rice Crispy Treats
Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies
Peppermint Bark Stuffed Double Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
Peppermint Bark Puddle Cookies
For more information about dairy nutrition, to find delicious new recipes and to meet Ohio and West Virginia dairy farmers, visit www.Drink-Milk.com, and follow the American Dairy Association Mideast on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
3 Comments on “Peppermint Bark Cream Cheese Spritz”
Such great cookies! Perfect for gift giving.
Delicious recipe for the holidays!
These look incredible! I know I wouldn’t be able to stop eating them! I’ll have to try your freezer trick with candy canes! They are such a pain! Thanks for the tip!