Orange Crinkle Cookies
If you love citrus flavors and soft, bakery-style cookies, these orange crinkle cookies are going to become a favorite. With fresh orange flavor, soft centers, and beautiful powdered sugar cracks, these cookies are as pretty as they are delicious.
These orange cookies are perfect for holidays, spring gatherings, or anytime you want a dessert that feels light and refreshing. Made with fresh orange zest and juice, each bite is soft and chewy, with natural citrus flavor.
Try my other crinkle cookies: I’ve got lemon, lime, chocolate, pumpkin, coconut key lime, peppermint and gingerbread. I’m kind of obsessed with the soft cookies and powdered sugar cracks.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There are many cookie recipes out there, but these orange crinkle cookies stand out for several reasons:
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- Natural citrus flavor from fresh orange zest and juice
- Soft and chewy texture with delicate crisp edges
- Beautiful crinkle effect from the powdered sugar coating
- Simple ingredients you likely already have at home
- A unique twist if you’re looking for orange cookies instead of lemon
The powdered sugar coating creates the classic crackled look while baking, making these cookies look bakery-worthy with minimal effort.
Orange Crinkle Cookies
These orange crinkle cookies are a refreshing change from traditional cookie flavors. They’re soft yet dense and moist. It’s almost like biting into lemon bars (or in this case orange bars) with the fresh citrus flavor and the combined texture of the creamy curd and chewy crust. It’s like the crust and curd morphed into one dessert with these orange cookies.
They’re super simple to make with real orange juice and zest. I did add orange food coloring to boost the color, so when the powdered sugar cracks, it creates the most beautiful orange cookies. Let me show you how it’s done.
Ingredients You’ll Need
NOTE: Full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.
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- All-Purpose Flour – Make sure to fluff it up. Stir, spoon, and level when measuring with cups or use a scale to weigh it. It’s important to use the proper amount of flour for baking.
- Baking Powder – To help the cookies rise and be thicker.
- Salt – To enhance the flavor of the cookies.
- Unsalted Butter – Unsalted butter is preferred in baking to control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Granulated Sugar – To sweeten the cookies and help them spread. Also to pre-coat the dough with.
- Orange Zest & Juice — For fresh citrus flavor in every bite.
- Eggs – To bind and add structure to the cookies.
- Powdered Sugar – To double coat the dough for those stunning cracks.
- Orange Food Coloring – Optional, but makes these cookies really pop with color. Gel is preferred over liquid food coloring.
How to Make Orange Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line half sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- Place the sugar and orange zest inside the bowl of a stand mixer. Rub together with your fingers to release the oils from the zest into the sugar, until the sugar has turned pale orange. Then add the butter to the bowl.
- Using the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and orange zest together until combined.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the orange juice and some orange food coloring (optional). Mix to combine.
- Add the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined.
- The dough will be thick and slightly sticky. (NOTE: If the dough seems especially wet and sticky, your butter may have been too soft. Simply chill the dough until it’s firm enough to scoop; about 30 minutes.)
Coating and Baking the Orange Crinkle Cookies
- Place the granulated sugar and powdered sugar for coating the dough into two separate small bowls. Use a medium cookie scoop (#40 scoop; about 1.5 Tablespoons) to spoon the cookie dough into a ball. (A trigger scoop is recommended due to the stickiness of the dough.)
- Drop the dough into the granulated sugar. Roll it around and shake off any excess. (This helps make the dough more manageable.) Next, generously coat the dough with powdered sugar.
- Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets about 2-3 inches apart (no more than 8 per tray).
- Bake at 350˚F for 9-11 minutes, until cookies are puffy and the edges are firm to the touch. The center of the cracks will be almost matte (just slightly wet/shiny still). Do not over-bake. Cool for several minutes on the pan, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Storing and Freezing
- TO STORE: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up 4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- TO FREEZE COOKIE DOUGH: Scoop cookie dough balls, un-coated, onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Freeze for 1-2 hours or until firm. Then transfer frozen dough to a freezer-safe bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Allow the frozen cookie dough to come to room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Coat the dough balls with both sugars, then bake as directed.
- TO FREEZE COOKIE BAKED COOKIES: Freeze baked cookies after they have cooled completely, in single layers divided by parchment paper, wrapped well or in a freezer bag, for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter. *NOTE: The powdered sugar may absorb into the cookies due to the moisture in the freezer. It will not affect the taste.
Recipe Notes
- Use room temperature butter. This is actually cooler than some people think. When you touch room temperature butter, it will make a small indent, but will still be semi-firm and won’t make your fingers greasy. If you can easily indent the butter with your finger, and it sticks like lotion, then it’s too soft. Butter that is too soft will make the cookies spread too much. If you think your butter was too soft, you can remedy this by placing the cookie dough in the fridge to chill, until firm enough to scoop.
- Coat the dough twice. Since becoming a crinkle cookie aficionado, I have learned that if you coat the dough with granulated sugar first, and then powdered sugar, the sugar doesn’t dissolve into the cookie during storage. It also creates just a slight crispness while keeping the interior soft and chewy.
- For thicker cookies: While this recipe can be baked immediately (as long as the butter wasn’t too soft), if you desire thicker cookies, then you must chill the dough. This helps slow the spread of the dough during baking.
- For more orange flavor: Rubbing the zest into the sugar helps the oils release for a natural orange flavor. If even more orange flavor is desired, you can add 1/8 tsp of food grade orange essential oil, or 1 tsp of orange extract to the dough.
Orange Crinkle Cookies
These orange crinkle cookies are soft and chewy, with fresh citrus flavor. Made with real orange zest and juice, and rolled in powdered sugar, these beautiful orange cookies bake up with a signature crinkled top and a tender center.
Yields cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (313 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon & level)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp orange zest, (about 2 large oranges)
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, (1 stick) room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup (59 ml) orange juice, fresh squeezed (about 1 orange)
- orange food coloring, optional
Coating
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line half sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- Place the sugar and orange zest inside the bowl of a stand mixer. Rub together with your fingers to release the oils from the zest into the sugar, until the sugar has turned pale orange. Then add the butter to the bowl. Using the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and orange zest together until combined.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the orange juice and some orange food coloring (optional). Mix to combine.
- Add the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky. (NOTE: If the dough seems especially wet and sticky, your butter may have been too soft. Simply chill the dough until it’s firm enough to scoop; about 30 minutes.)
- Place the granulated sugar and powdered sugar for coating the dough into two separate small bowls. Use a medium cookie scoop (#40 scoop; about 1.5 Tablespoons) to spoon the cookie dough into a ball. (A trigger scoop is recommended due to the stickiness of the dough.)
- Drop the dough into the granulated sugar. Roll it around and shake off any excess. (This helps make the dough more manageable.) Next, generously coat the dough with powdered sugar. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets about 2-3 inches apart (no more than 8 per tray).
- Bake at 350˚F for 9-11 minutes, until cookies are puffy and the edges are firm to the touch. The center of the cracks will be almost matte (just slightly wet/shiny still). Do not over-bake. Cool for several minutes on the pan, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For thicker cookies: While this recipe can be baked immediately (as long as the butter wasn’t too soft), if you desire thicker cookies, then you must chill the dough. This helps slow the spread of the dough during baking.
- For more orange flavor: Rubbing the zest into the sugar helps the oils release for a natural orange flavor. If even more orange flavor is desired, you can add 1/8 tsp of food grade orange essential oil, or 1 tsp of orange extract to the dough.
- TO STORE: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up 4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- TO FREEZE COOKIE DOUGH: Scoop cookie dough balls, un-coated, onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Freeze for 1-2 hours or until firm. Then transfer frozen dough to a freezer-safe bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Allow the frozen cookie dough to come to room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Coat the dough balls with both sugars, then bake as directed.
- TO FREEZE COOKIE BAKED COOKIES: Freeze baked cookies after they have cooled completely, in single layers divided by parchment paper, wrapped well or in a freezer bag, for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter. *NOTE: The powdered sugar may absorb into the cookies due to the moisture in the freezer. It will not affect the taste.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
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