italian orange cookies

These Italian orange cookies are crackled, light, and quite moist. The hint of orange flavor comes from using orange juice and orange zest with optional orange extract.  Recipe can be halved or doubled.

Italian Orange Cookies

all purpose flour

eggs

shortening

oranges (zested)

baking powder

tbsp vanilla or orange extract

sugar

orange juice

Cream the shortening and then add juice, sugar, extract, and orange zest and mix until well combined.

Add in the eggs one at a time and beat well.

Combine the baking powder and the flour in a separate bowl and then add the flour mixture to the egg/sugar/shortening mixture 1 cup at a time until all is well combined.

Refrigerate the dough covered for 2 to 24 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and fill a plate with sifted confectioner sugar.

Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, portion the dough evenly and then roll each portion into a smooth ball.

Roll each ball into the confectioner sugar to coat the cookies. I like to do this twice. If you opt to refrigerate your unbaked cookies overnight, make sure to complete the second rolling just before baking as the sugar will absorb into the dough during an extended rest period.

Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Do not over bake; cookies should be light in color and the bottom edges should be slightly golden.

This recipe is nearly the same as the one my Nonna used here in Canada, but her little hand written notes didn't have measurements anyway. Thank you for posting this!

My partner found this recipe for me, and the cookies it made were a hit! The texture is "incredible," as I was told by a few folks. In the second batch I made, I reduced the flour just a bit - so it was about 7-1/4 cups instead of 7-1/2. I also rolled the dough balls in granulated sugar first, then rolled in powdered sugar second. Great cookie!

Soft Italian Orange Drop Cookies

(150 grams) granulated sugar

(113 grams) unsalted butter, softened

(not packed) orange zest (from about 2 large or 4 small navel oranges)

olive oil

orange extract (see notes)

vanilla extract

(2 grams) coarse kosher salt

egg (room temperature)

(210 grams) all-purpose flour

almond flour

(115 grams) powdered sugar

orange juice, plus more as needed

Preheat the oven to 350ºF, placing the racks in the middle and lower-middle parts of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Using an electric mixer (or a bowl and a sturdy spoon) mix together the sugar, butter, orange zest, olive oil, orange extract, vanilla extract, salt, and baking powder until well combined.

Add in the egg and mix together. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Add in the all-purpose flour and almond flour and mix until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bottom of the bowl as you mix.

Roll the dough into balls of about 2 tablespoons in size, using a #30 1-ounce cookie scoop. Place the dough balls on the two baking sheets, spaced evenly apart.

Bake on the middle and lower-middle racks for 14-16 minutes, until the cookies have just started to puff up. Be careful not to overbake, as they’ll continue to cook after coming out of the oven.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Add powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of orange juice to a bowl and whisk together until very creamy and smooth, about the consistency of thick heavy cream. If the glaze is too thick, add in another tablespoon of juice.

Once the cookies are cooled, dip the tops into the glaze and let the excess drip off. Let the glaze set before transferring them to an airtight container until ready to serve.

I followed the recipe as presented, and the result was just as described - except that I somehow produced 22 cookies rather than 16. Because they were smaller, I took them out right at 14 minutes.

These are delicious, not overly sweet, with a perfect gently chewy texture. I appreciate the detailed notes about ingredients and technique, because I'm not an experienced baker. Bonus: my kitchen smells like orange from all that zesting!

I debated whether I should be using extra virgin olive oil or something less flavorful, but I went with the EVOO because that's what I had on hand. Worked for me, but I wonder what Kelli recommends.

These will be great to take to tea at my aunt's house tomorrow!

These are absolutely delicious!!! Great recipe!

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Italian Orange Cookies

Soft Italian Orange Drop Cookies

Top 2 italian orange cookies recipes from across the web

The most viewed italian orange cookies recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Italian Orange Cookies

Soft Italian Orange Drop Cookies

The most viewed italian orange cookies recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine