The bakery’s sweet side January 27 2026

By Elizabeth Ritchie Sherrill

How Britt's Spritz Cookies became a contender.

Our cheese straws may be the star of Ritchie Hill Bakery, but have you met our best supporting character?

After Heath’s Cheese Straws took off, we asked ourselves, “What else can we make?” While we went back and forth on flavor options, we all agreed that we wanted to keep our classic “straw” shape, which meant using a cookie press. From there, we deviated between sweet, salty, savory, you name it! For months, we took to our own kitchens to experiment. One of the contenders was a key lime straw — which you either loved or HATED — and we couldn’t ever quite explain to each other exactly why. I don’t imagine you will see that from us anytime soon! We ultimately went full circle and picked another family recipe, which we had loved and enjoyed all along, to share with our customers: Britt’s Spritz Cookies.

Spritz cookies are not your average sugar cookie, despite their playful, sugary appearance. Spritz cookies have a crispness to them much like shortbread cookies, and much like the identifiable crispness in our cheese straws, which sets us apart from other brands. Spritz aren’t overly sweet either. The German word “spritzen” means “to squirt,” which so eloquently describes how these delectable cookies end up on the other side of the cookie press. Ta-da! While spritz cookies can traditionally be pressed in many shapes, they work perfectly with our recognizable straw shape to match their savory companion.

Our Britt’s Spritz Cookies were inspired by a family recipe on our Scandinavian side. While they were the latest addition to Ritchie Hill Bakery, we have quietly enjoyed them amongst ourselves for many years. Most notably, co-founder Beth Alm (my aunt) would make them with brightly colored sprinkles to welcome us to her lake house. For me, Britt’s Spritz Cookies invoke blue skies and calm waters with a strong urge to smile.

While our modern-day Britt’s Spritz Cookies are missing that nostalgic rainbow flare, they are the perfect sweet to our savory cheese straws, and also strong enough to stand alone on the plate. Whether you need a winter snack or long for those aforementioned lake and beach days, give our sweet side a try.