Orange juice in the buttery, crumbly cookie form. This no fuss recipe ensures you go from craving delicious warm cookies to stuffing your face with them in under an hour.
Sometimes, you just want a cookie, you know? A simple, no-fuss, just cookie cookie. Not a triple-chocolate-salted-caramel-stuffed-rockie-road-ice-cream-sandwich cookie (though it does sound delicious, I’ll give you that – perhaps something for a later post?). Everything in our lives is blown out of proportion, nowadays. The news isn’t just news, it’s oh-my-god-everyone-save-themselves-the-end-is-near-oh-wait-it-isn’t-yes-it-is news. You see where I’m going with this? While you may not have the power to decide what kind of news you get (barring, of course, you tune out of all media, but.. let’s be honest here, that isn’t going to happen), you totally can decide what kind of cookies you make. And eat. Duh.
So, without further ado, I give you the ultimate orange cookies. And yes, I know I’m kind of contradicting myself by talking about ‘no fuss’ and then introducing these lovelies as ‘the ultimate’. But just because something is simple and understated doesn’t mean it can’t totally rock your socks off. These cookies have several things going for them. They look a bit uneven, a bit rough about the edges, but at the same time they’re really… endearing in a way. This means there’ll be no nit-picking or trying to get them just-so. They are what they are, unapologetically. Shabby chic, anyone?
They are also almost ridiculously easy and quick to make. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that I’m all about simple reliable recipes that don’t take too much effort or time – because let’s be real here, most of us don’t have the luxury of being able to devote several hours to mixing and whisking and baking. I know I don’t (hello, time- and energy-consuming PhD, I’m looking at you). Which is why these cookies are so perfect – they take 15 minutes to prepare, 20 minutes to chill in the fridge, and about 15 minutes to bake. So in less then an hour you can fill your home with the most heavenly smell, and have warm orange cookies to snack on as a reward for all the hard work you’ve been doing lately.
The highlight of these cookies is most definitely the orange zest. It takes the “standard” buttery crumbly cookie deliciousness and infuses it with an orange juice vibe. And that’s a very vibrant happy-go-lucky vibe you most certainly want in your cookies. The rest of the ingredients is made up from the usual suspects, which we all know and love – butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, pinch of salt. Simplicity at its finest, but with an orange-y twist.
Could these be Christmas cookies? Sure. Could these be because-the-day-ends-with-a-Y cookies? Most definitely. So go make them – today, tomorrow, yesterday. Because you deserve a bit of no-fuss in your life, especially before the chaos that are Christmas and New Year properly begins. And after you take them out of the oven, and you get a face full of hot steam because you never remember to not stick your head too close to the oven door (but it’s alright this time because you’ve just marinated your face in pure orange-y goodness), and when you stuff your mouth full of the crumbly deliciousness – give yourself a pat on the back. Because you’re totally amazing. And you’ve just made cookies, and it took you less then an hour. And look – no fuss.
THE ULTIMATE ORANGE COOKIES
Ingredients
- 125 g unsalted butter, softened
- 85 g caster sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 200 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- zest of 2 large oranges (or 3 medium ones)
Instructions
- Cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Add the egg yolks and mix until combined.
- Add orange zest to the butter/sugar/egg mixture, and mix well until uniformly distributed.
- Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, and add to the butter/sugar mixture.
- Mix with a wooden spoon, or use a stand mixer, until the dough comes together in a ball.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it briefly together into a smooth but not sticky dough.
- Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes. (Note 1)
- Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (175 ºC).
- Line a baking tray with baking/greaseproof paper.
- Shape the dough into little balls with your hands, flattening them slightly with your palms (from the amounts above, you should get about 22 cookies about 1 1/2 inch in diameter and 3/4 inch thick).
- Place the cookies onto the baking tray, leaving about 1 inch between them.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350 ºF (175 ºC) for 15 – 17 minutes, or until the edges are a light golden colour.
- Leave to cool, and enjoy!
- The cookies keep well in a closed container in a dry and cool place for about a week (but they are the most delicious – dangerous – when warm).
Notes
I’ve just eaten one not long out of the oven. I know I’m going back for more. .. I only had one orange, so I used a little lemon zest instead and made a st clements variety! Easy to make and I’ll be making more.
I have made these biscuits twice now. The first batch looked exactly like yours but my second batch ended up spreading and being chewy. I did chill for 20 minutes and cannot for the life of me work out where I went wrong. I am so disappointed because flour is like gold dust these days so I have to wait until I can make another batch but can you suggest where I went wrong.
Hi Yasmeen, sorry you had problems with the recipe the second time. Aside from the chilling (which shouldn’t negatively effect the cookies), did you do anything differently the second time?
A simple easy recipe to follow and the results were stunning.
Will use this recipe as my master Orange cookie recipe, but add on variations, like poppy seeds , or slivered almonds or maybe decorate with chocolate chips-
Thank you for sharing this recipe
FANTASTIC!! I made these exactly to the recipe the first time and they made the house smell almost as delicious as they tasted. I added cranberries the second time.. and oh my. Amazing. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Lily, so incredibly happy you enjoyed the cookies! The addition of cranberries sounds absolutely wonderful. 🙂
When do you add the egg yolks?
Thank you for spotting this! You add them after you’ve creamed the butter and sugar together. All fixed now!
So fluffyyyy! So fluffy I’m gonna die! Love everything about these. The prefect amount of zest and sweetness in one!
Thank you! So glad you like them – they really are little clouds of zesty loveliness. 🙂