These Easy-to-Use Cookie Presses Can Make Anything from Holiday Desserts to Cheese Straws

Best Overall

Oxo Good Grips Cookie Press Set

$34 at Amazon $34 at Food52 $34 at Sur La Table

Oxo products are known for being reliable and durable, and this cookie press is no exception. The plastic press has a transparent cylinder to easily see when you are running low on dough, which we found extremely helpful while making dozens of spritz cookies. Additionally, this is one of the few cookie presses designed with nonslip finishes on both the handle and the base of the press. Despite your best intentions, your hands will probably get a little buttery while using this, and having a nonslip handle makes it simple to keep a comfortable grip anyway. The nonslip base also gave us more control over the press while piping cookies and reduced the chances of making wonky-shaped cookies.

Even though the body of the Oxo cookie press is made of plastic, the 12 design disks are made of durable stainless steel. We also found during testing that, in general, metal cookie press disks tend to produce sharper cookie designs. The disks come in a variety of both common and unique templates, including a flower, tree, butterfly, fleur-de-lis, snowflake, maple leaf, and teddy bear design. Additional sets of disks can be purchased such as Christmas designs. What we especially like is that the set comes with a case specifically designed to hold the piping disks. No rummaging around in the back of the junk drawer looking for the missing disk, or risking a bent disk the night before the big cookie swap.

If using the cookie press for multiple rounds of cookies, cookie dough may get stuck behind the plunger when pulling it back to refill the tube. To avoid damage to the plunger, it’s best to stop and clean the dough out between each use, which can slow you down a little bit in the short run. But the press easily unscrews for cleaning and should be hand washed in warm soapy water only.

Dimensions: 7.7 x 3.05 x 12.4 inches | Includes: Gun and 12 disks | Material: Plastic, stainless steel

Best Budget

Wilton Simple Success Cookie Press

$9 at Amazon $13 at Walmart $20 at Kohls.com

This affordable model from powerhouse baking brand Wilton has a comfortable handle with a soft-grip trigger. The clear dough tube allows you to see when it needs to be refilled, and the included 12 plastic disks come in a variety of designs, including pumpkins and hearts.

The Wilton Simple Success Cookie Press comes apart easily and should be washed by hand before drying thoroughly. Some reviewers comments that the disks can crack and break. Compatible fondant, rollers, and cut-out sets may be purchased separately to broaden its functionality.

Dimensions: 5.48 x 2.33 x 8.61 inches | Includes: Gun and 12 disks | Material: Plastic

Best Heavy Duty

Marcato Atlas Biscuit Maker Cookie Press

$60 at Amazon $135 at Williams-Sonoma View on Harrods.com

The Marcato cookie press is easily one of the more expensive presses we recommend, but its performance is worth the additional cost. We found that it creates noticeably delicate cookies, which are so professional-looking and consistent that people will ask where you bought them—and be wildly impressed when you tell them you made them yourself.

It’s understandably heavier than the other plastic options, with mostly metal components and a few heavy-duty plastic parts. While the metal press feels more durable, we missed being able to see the amount of dough in the barrel while working. The 20 metal disks included with the set contribute to the crispness of the cookie designs and the overall durability. There are more non-holiday-specific disk designs in this set, but it also includes a tree, heart, and several flower shapes. We especially like the cherry blossom-style design, as well as the detailed oval-shaped cookie designs.

Using the Marcato press requires a little bit of effort to master, particularly when piping your first few cookies, but we caught on after the first couple of batches. You can create larger or smaller cookies by turning a small metal plate at the top of the barrel, which easily adjusts while in use if you want to try out different cookie sizes. We used our own recipe for Spritz Cookies with all of the presses we tested for the sake of consistency, but were impressed with the 10 cookie recipes included in the instructional booklet, which are offered in both standard and metric measurements.

Operationally, the biggest drawbacks to this machine are the number of cookies it produces at one time, and getting it apart to wash with buttery hands. The barrel of the press is on the smaller side and requires refilling at least once to fill up a cookie sheet, even when using the smaller cookie setting. But what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality many times over. The smooth matte metal surface is comfortable to hold and lovely to look at, but we had to pre-wash the barrel to get a firm enough grip on it to take it apart for a full cleaning. Otherwise, it’s easy to wash by hand with warm soapy water, and has very few places for debris to hide or build up.

Dimensions: 2 x 2 x 8.75 inches | Includes: Gun and 20 disks | Material: Anodized aluminum, steel, and ABS plastic

Best Metal

Wilton Preferred Press Cookie Press

$100 at Amazon $10 at Walmart $27 at JOANN

The Wilton Preferred Press has a squeeze-trigger handle and clear cylinder for maximum visibility. The included 12 disks are stainless steel, and the Wilton Fit Right construction makes them interchangeable with other Wilton cookie presses. Plus, its raised base makes it easy to swap out any of those cookie disks, allowing for variety in your cookie batches.

The metal and plastic blend of materials is corrosion-resistant, and it is easy to disassemble for thorough hand wash and dry when finished. A manual with detailed instructions and a recipe booklet with guidance for classic and chocolate spritz cookies and cheese crackers are included.

Dimensions: 8.75 x 2.6 x 11 inches | Includes: Gun, 12 disks, recipe book | Material: Metal and plastic

Best for Icing

MasterClass Deluxe Stainless Steel Cookie Press/Icing Gun Set

$56 at Amazon

The MasterClass Deluxe Cookie Press has an adjustable trigger-action nozzle, allowing for more control over your cookie or frosting flow, and the handle’s design offers a comfortable grip. The included eight stainless steel icing tips and 13 cookie disks make this press a versatile addition to your kitchen. 

It is constructed from durable stainless steel with a plastic handle and tube ends. Hand washing is recommended, and don’t forget to dry thoroughly to maintain your stainless steel in optimal shape. Spritz cookies, flaky biscuits, and frosted cupcakes are a snap with this cookie press, and it comes with an attractive storage box to keep everything organized.

Dimensions: 8.43 x 2.91 x 12.01 inches | Includes: Gun and 21 tips/discs | Material: Plastic and stainless steel

Best for Cheese Straws

Fante's Easy Cookie Press

$22 at Amazon $32 at Walmart $28 at Wayfair

Some people live for the piles of sugar cookies over the holidays, and others can't wait to lay their hands on the salty cheese straws. With this cookie press, you can have the best of both worlds. This traditional Italian press is made completely of metal, which helps it stand up to the firmer doughs of cheese straws, butter, and semolina cookies. Instead of a trigger grip-operated plunger, this press is operated with a crank-style handle that pushes the plunger for more leverage and ease when piping the dough.

This old-school Italian press was created specifically for Fante's Kitchen Shop in Philadelphia by the global kitchenware producer, HIC, and helps keep the tradition of classic nonna-style Italian baking alive. You won't find the same large selection of cookie designs with this press that you will with some of the more contemporary cookie presses. Instead, there are four small traditional designs that are all lined up on a metal strip at the base of the press, including a star, waves, crinkle, and two circles that can be used for piping two narrow strips or twisted together while piping. The edge of the die strip is bent to help maneuver the strip easily, as well as keep a working distance between the press and your cookie tray.

Using this press will likely take a little bit of practice, but it comes with complete instructions as well as time-honored Fante's family recipes intended for use in this particular style press. It's made of heavy-duty aluminum and should be hand-washed and dried only. It also comes with a 1-year manufacturer's warranty should the press have any defects.

Dimensions: 9.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 inches | Includes: Crank-style press with sliding die-cut design strip | Material: Aluminum

Best Large Capacity

Hutzler Easy Action Cookie Press and Decorator Set

$20 at Amazon $20 at Home Depot View on Bakedeco.com

Hutzler might not be a brand name you’re familiar with, but the company has manufactured molded plastic kitchenware since the 1940s. Its 23-piece cookie press set includes 16 plastic disks and six piping tips, But five of the disks are a little different than the disks we’ve seen in other sets. Two disks have small and medium-sized star cutouts for piping cheese straws, S-shaped cookies, and coconut macaroons. There’s also a disk that looks perforated, which Hutzler calls a “pasta disk,” meant to extrude fresh pasta noodles directly into a pot of boiling water. Finally, the set includes two disks that are designed to pipe two-toned cookies with an extended insert that keeps the dough colors separate.

This cookie press is large and lightweight, feeling more like a toy than a tool. The barrel is wide and un-tapered, holding more dough than the other presses we tried. The press’s lever functions similarly to the OXO and Marcato presses, by raising and lowering the handle on top of the press to incrementally push the plunger forward. The plunger itself works two different ways, either by locking into place by turning clockwise and using the lever, or by turning the plunger counterclockwise to pipe your dough freehand.

The plastic disks come connected and twist apart, which is great for packaging, but left us feeling like they’re a little flimsier than some of the other disks we tested, even for plastic. Once put to the test, the press managed to pipe the larger design shapes easily, but didn’t consistently manage to press the more delicate designs like the wreath shapes, often only piping part of the design. Sadly, we weren’t able to get uniform results with the two-toned cookie disks either, and found that the insert for the second color of dough in the disk doesn’t really hold enough dough to pipe more than a handful of two-toned cookies before needing to be refilled.

Despite the inconsistent results with the more delicate cookie shapes, we found Hutzler’s press incredibly simple to use. There was no learning curve, and we think it’s easy enough for children or people with limited hand strength to operate—which could be especially useful if you’re planning on making several dozen cookies with it. And if you’re about it embark on that kind of baking extravaganza, the larger barrel is especially convenient to cut down on how many times the press needs to be refilled. Most of the designs we tested only need one press of the plunger for an average-sized cookie. We were able to get a full-half sheet of single-press cookies from a full barrel of cookie dough, which we weren’t able to squeeze out of the other presses we tested.

Dimensions: 9.5 x 3.75 x 7 inches | Includes: Gun, 16 disks, 6 piping tips | Material: Plastic

Best Italian-Style

Cucina Pro Pizzelle Maker

$40 at Amazon $40 at Walmart $50 at Home Depot

Pizzelle are traditional Italian waffle cookies that can be served crispy or soft. They can be served alone, sandwiched with cannoli cream, or even rolled up with hazelnut spread. But you definitely need special equipment to make the beautiful baked-in designs.

The Cucina Pro makes two 5-inch pizzelle cookies at a time, and a recipe book is included. Its food-grade nonstick finish wipes clean easily when you're done baking, the steam guard protects hands from burns, and the extra-thick baking plate ensures even heat distribution. It heats up rapidly to get your finished product on the table quickly.

Dimensions: 10.25 x 10 x 5 inches | Includes: One electric cookie press | Material: Nonstick-coated stainless steel