Peppermint Chocolate Spritz Cookies : Ugly Duckling Bakery

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These chocolate-dipped peppermint chocolate spritz cookies combine a tender chocolate mint cookie with a layer of rich, dark chocolate. Make them for your holiday cookie tray, chop them up to mix into peppermint ice cream, or give heart spritz cookies to your boo on Valentine’s Day.

These spritz cookies are intended to be a copycat Thin Mint cookie recipe. Because the best Girl Scout cookie should be available to you year-round.

a plate of chocolate peppermint spritz cookies with a cookie press and disk

The story

This spritz cookie recipe was created for the final bake of the 2021 reddit 52 weeks of baking challenge (week 52: nemesis). It’s not that spritz cookies are my nemesis. The problem is the part where the spritz cookies are dipped in tempered chocolate.

Tempering chocolate requires patience and precision. I tried tempering probably a dozen times in the last few years, including twice for the 52 weeks of baking challenge. You can see my peanut butter bonbons and my coffee truffles for examples of past attempts.

I am no expert in tempering chocolate. But Kenji Lopez-Alt is, if you want to read about how to temper chocolate by hand. Or you can try out a machine like I did for tempering chocolate for peanut butter bonbons to make the process somewhat easier.

What are spritz cookies?

Spritz cookies are not a particular cookie type but refer to the method of extruding cookie batter into different shapes using a cookie press. The word “spritz” comes from either Yiddish or German meaning “spray.” Interestingly, the cookie press appears to have been invented, likely in Germany, in the 16th century.

Tips and tricks

Making the spritz cookie batter

Making spritz cookies is easy and uses a standard creaming method. First, beat the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy (Panel #1 below). Then beat in the egg, vanilla, and peppermint extract (Panel #2). Finally, add the flour, cocoa, and salt (Panel #3).

Tip from the wise quacker: unlike other cookies, spritz cookie dough should not be chilled before shaping. You need the batter to be soft so it can be shpritzed from your press.

Using the cookie press

Feel free to use whichever cookie press discs you like with these peppermint chocolate cookies. I always experiment with a few shapes to see which ones perform most reliably with the particular cookie dough.

Once you get going, there’s no need to space spritz cookies widely on your baking sheet. They don’t spread much at all.

a baking sheet filled with unbaked chocolate peppermint spritz cookies.

Bake the peppermint chocolate spritz cookies for about 8 minutes for soft cookies or a minute or so longer for crisper cookies. Then let the pan cool before spritzing another batch.

a baking sheet with baked chocolate peppermint spritz cookies.

Solving common cookie press problems

We all have cookie press problems from time to time. Most common is probably when you press the trigger and your spritz cookies don’t release from the press. I hate that.

It’s no big deal to scrape off an occasional failed spritz. Just put the dough back in your mixing bowl. But if you’re repeatedly having cookie press problems and every spritz fails, here are a few tricks to try.

Make sure you’re putting the press directly on your baking sheet. I like silicone mats, but some bakers swear by spritzing cookies directly on the sheet or chilling their cookie sheets.
Don’t try to use cold cookie dough in a cookie press or dough with large bits like chocolate chips.
Try changing your disc to see if a different shape works better.
Try packing your press only half full.
Hold the trigger a smidge longer. My press will sometimes click to signal a successful cookie release.

FAQs

Do I really have to temper chocolate for these spritz cookies?

Tempered chocolate gives a special shine and snap, but you can also just dip these cookies in melted chocolate. Add some sprinkles or chopped peppermint candies, and you might not even notice the difference!

Can I freeze spritz cookies?

You can freeze the dough or the baked cookies before dipping them in chocolate. But it’s best to avoid freezing the cookies after they’ve been dipped in chocolate because they are likely to develop a “bloom” that is result of the chocolate coming out of temper.

What cookie press do you use?

I have a Williams and Sonoma cookie press that I have had for decades. All the 2022 reviews seem to love the OXO Good Grips cookie press.