These aren't your standard, bland sugar cookies. These Orange Cut-Out Cookies are bright, citrusy, and chewy. They hold their shape perfectly without being hard or dry, tasting like sunshine on a cold winter day. These citrus cut out cookies are perfect for Christmas or any other occasion throughout the year. The cookies will be on your cooking rack in less than an hour!
Why You'll Love These Orange Cut-Out Cookies
- Chewy, Not Crispy: Most cut-outs are hard. These stay soft and tender because the recipe uses egg yolks only to add richness without drying out the dough.
- Real Orange Flavor: No artificial extracts here. We use a special "sugar rubbing" technique to infuse real orange zest into every bite.
- No-Spread Shape: Thanks to chilling the these cookies twice before baking, they will keep their sharp edges in the oven, so your snowflakes look like snowflakes (not blobs!).
What You Will Need:
- Zest of one large orange
- ¾ cup of sugar
- Juice of ½ orange
- 9 tablespoons of room temperature butter
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
Blending the Orange and Sugar
Mixing the zest, sugar, and orange juice before adding the butter, will help distribute the citrus flavors in the cookies when baking. There is a technique called "rubbing" the sugar to combine the citrus zest and the sugar, but using the mixer will achieve the same result. After the sugar is blended, add the room temperature butter and cream the mixture. This will take about 3-4 minutes. The mixture will become fluffy and light.
Chilling and Rolling the Dough
After the dough has come together it is important to roll out the dough. Place the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper and roll to about ½ inch thick. Next, chill the dough for about 20 minutes. After the dough is done chilling it is time to roll out the dough.
To roll the dough to roughly ¼ inch, I use two paint mixing sticks as a guide. The paint mixing sticks can be picked up at your local home improvement store or hardware store. Place the square dough in between two pieces of parchment paper, then place the mixing sticks or the dowels on the outside of the parchment paper and then roll. The dowels or sticks will guide the rolling pin to the set height.
Why Chill the Dough:
- Controls Spread: Cold butter takes longer to melt in the oven, so chilled dough spreads less, keeping cookies thicker and holding their shape (especially for cut-outs).
- Enhances Flavor: Hydrating the flour and allowing ingredients like vanilla and sugar to deepen their flavor creates a well-rounded taste.
- Improves Texture: Flour absorbs moisture, making cookies chewier and more tender with crisper edges.
- Better Browning: Flour enzymes break down and sugar absorbs moisture, leading to more even caramelization and browning.
Cutting and Baking
After the cut-out dough is rolled out, cut the dough out to your desired shape. From simple circles to fancy trees, this dough can handle it. Place the cut out shapes on a lined baking sheet and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes. This allows the dough to hold its shape while baking. After chilling, bake on your center rack at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes, or until your cookies are just golden brown on the edges.
For other citrus cookies, try my Lime Meltaways!
If you are looking for a spicy cookie, try my Gingerbread Cookies!
Recipe
Soft & Chewy Orange Cut-Out Cookies
Ingredients
- Zest of one large orange
- ¾ cup of sugar
- Juice of ½ orange
- 9 tablespoons of room temperature butter
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
Method
- Add orange zest, sugar, and orange juice to the bowl of a mixer and combine.
- Add butter and cream sugar mixture until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and vanilla extract and combine
- Add flour and combine just until flour becomes incorporated. Do not over mix.
- Place dough between 2 pieces of parchment and roll out to ½ inch thick or so.
- Chill for 20 minutes.
- Using ¼ dowels or by eye roll out dough to ¼ inch and cut out into your desired shapes.
- Chill for 15 before baking
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Or until edges are golden brown.
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