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These glazed orange cookies use up the citrus bounty of the winter, so go ahead and bake up some cookies bursting with orange flavor! Simple to make, and they store incredibly well; everyone should whip up a batch of these cookies at least once.
These Glazed Orange Cookies are decadent, satisfying, and are massively improved by some tangy Orange Glaze. Or, for something a bit denser, why not try this amazing Orange Loaf Cake?
Soft and Cakey Glazed Orange Cookies
This recipe for glazed orange cookies is a pretty standard cookie recipe, with the extra addition of some tangy orange zest. Make sure you carefully measure your orange zest and orange extract here because otherwise, you might find that it becomes just a touch too orangey (is that a word? Ah heck with it).
Done right, though, these cookies are fresh, citrusy, and pleasant, great for a wintertime snack to remind you of summer days.
Ingredients for Orange Cookies
This is just a list of ingredients for you to skim over and see if you have them or need to shop, the exact amounts of ingredients are listed in the printable recipe card below!
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter
- White sugar
- Orange zest
- Egg
- Orange extract
- Orange Icing glaze
How to Make Orange Cookies
- Whisk together all of your dry ingredients and place to the side
- In a stand mixer (or hand mixer), cream together the butter and sugar until completely light and fluffy
- Beat in your orange zest, followed by the egg
- Mix in the orange extract, and then slowly add your dry ingredients
- Mix until it all comes together, then scoop them out in balls onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper
- Bake at 350 Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, and then completely cool them
- Once totally cooled, cover in orange icing glaze and devour
How to Mix This Together by Hand
Those who don’t own an electric mixer regularly sigh when reading the words “stand mixer.” However, just because you don’t have a stand mixer doesn’t mean you can’t still make this recipe!
The only really intensive part of this recipe is the creaming together of the butter and sugar. If done by hand, it can feel like it takes absolutely ages.
The secret to creaming butter and sugar by hand is to use room temperature butter and a useful rubber spatula completely. As long as the butter is room temperature, you can use a spatula to smoosh and crush the butter and sugar together, and, given time and enough elbow grease, and it will eventually become creamed.
It will start out looking like it won’t ever come together, but as long as you keep crushing it and shoving it together, it will eventually get creamy enough for this recipe.
Be Careful About the Orange
While the amount of both orange zest and icing glaze is helpfully provided for this recipe, you might be tempted to use more orange flavoring if you especially love citrus.
Take care not to overdo it, though, as adding more orange extra can quickly turn this recipe from tasting like orange cookies to just tasting like a crumbly orange.
It’s all about balance and making sure that you don’t put too much orange flavor compared to the sweetness of the cookie. You can always adjust the orange flavor in the icing!
How to Store Orange Cookies
Storing your orange cookies after baking them is pretty easy; just keep them in a sealed, airtight container away from the sunlight, and they should last 4-5 days at room temperature. If you refrigerate them, they will become hard as rocks. If you are really looking to try and maximize the amount of time you can store these cookies, consider adding a tiny bit of dry bread to your airtight container.
The small amount of bread will keep the cookies from getting too moist if they are iced. Try to let the icing harden on top before you place them into the container, this all depends on how thin your glaze it, or if you made it more of an icing.
Happy baking! Make sure not to overbake these, they need to be soft inside to be good!
Love,
Karlynn
The Best Glazed Orange Cookies
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 10 minutes
- Courses
- Christmas Cookies, Dessert
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 24 cookies
- Calories
- 151
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 batch orange icing glaze made thick for icing, thin for glaze
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and place to the side.
- In a large bowl attached to a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the orange zest until mixed throughout the butter, then beat in the egg until fully incorporated.
- Mix in the orange extract until completely combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing until the dough comes together nicely and everything is incorporated together.
- Using a tablespoon sized cookie scoop, place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, until the edges are very lightly browned and the middle seems fairly set. Do NOT let these overbrown!
- Let cool on the baking sheets completely, then move to a wire rack.
- Prepare my orange icing glaze recipe, then drizzle over the cookies while they are on the racks. You can also use less cream in the glaze and make it more of an orange icing that is thicker on top like shown. Store in a closed container for up to 5 days at room temperature. Do not refrigerate they will go rock hard.
Recipe Notes
- exact calories will depend on how much icing you put on the cookies
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Kimberly Swann says
Can you freeze the cookies?
Rose Cocchiarella says
I enjoyed making this delicious cookie recipe. I didn’t divide the orange zest. I simply added all at once to the batter when instructed to do so. I’m still deciding whether I want to make a thicker recipe of the orange icing glaze as mentioned in this recipe or perhaps drizzle some melted dark chocolate on the cooled cookies. I made a test batch of the thick orange glaze and will let them sit to come to full flavor tomorrow and decide then. I do like the favors of orange and chocolate!
Melissa says
These were a huge hit. I did a test run to prepare for a cookie table at a wedding and everyone of my testers at work loved these. I made the batch on two different pans and the first batch came out thicker, the second batch flatter. Not sure if it was the pan, the humidity, or both, but they both taste wonderful! For those asking about the 2 tablespoons of zest divided, I didn’t divide. Both tablespoons went in the batter and I zested another tablespoon for the icing/glaze.
RB says
I put mine in the freezer for 10 minutes before even putting them in the oven and they still fell flat 😩
Kim says
I’m confused on why it says 2 tbsp orange zest divided. The instructions don’t say how to divide it. Do you mean to put 1 tbsp in and save 1 tbsp for the icing?
Amanda Emily Leach says
Idk if I just overheat them, but they’re more flat than they are high. Every orange cookie iv seen is puffier. They still taste really good either way.
Karlynn says
if your cookies are going flat that’s because your humidity is high in your house or it’s too warm. Try to put them in the refrigerator for a while before you bake them.
Emma says
What do you mean, orange zest divided. That usually means you are using somewhere else in recipe.