Best Orange Crinkle Cookies Recipe for Easy Holiday Baking
Soft, buttery orange crinkle cookies with bright citrus flavor and a cracked powdered sugar top. Ready in under an hour, makes about 20 cookies, and the dough needs no chilling.
There is something about fresh orange zest that makes a kitchen smell like a holiday is coming, and these orange crinkle cookies bottle that right up into a soft, buttery cookie with a crackled white top. The dough comes together with real orange zest and juice, so the citrus flavor is bright without being sharp or artificial.
I love having these on a cookie tray next to the heavier chocolate and spice flavors. They are light, a little tangy, and the crinkled sugar top makes them look far more fussy than they actually are to make.
One thing worth knowing before you start: orange zest varies a lot from fruit to fruit. A thin-skinned orange gives less zest than you would expect, so the citrus flavor can come out milder than planned if you are not generous with the zesting.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Bright citrus flavor from real orange zest and juice, no artificial flavoring needed
- Soft, buttery texture with a classic crinkled sugar top
- No chilling required, so you can bake the same day
- Great for a holiday cookie tray alongside richer chocolate flavors
- Makes a batch of 20 cookies in about 20 minutes of bake time
- Simple pantry ingredients, no special equipment
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: 1/2 cup, room temperature
- Granulated sugar: 1 cup
- Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
- Large egg: 1
- Orange zest: 1 tbsp (from about 1 large orange)
- Fresh orange juice: 2 tbsp
- Baking soda: 1/2 tsp
- Kosher salt: 1/2 tsp
- All-purpose flour: 2 cups
- Powdered sugar: 1/2 cup, for rolling
- Orange extract: 1/2 tsp, optional, for a stronger citrus flavor
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Orange zest: zest the orange before juicing it, and be generous. A thin-skinned orange can give noticeably less zest than expected, which is the most common reason the citrus flavor turns out mild rather than bright.
- Orange extract: this is optional but worth adding if you want the orange flavor to come through more strongly. The cookies are still good without it, just a little more subtle.
- Flour: spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping straight from the bag, which packs in extra flour and can make the dough stiffer than it should be.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Step 2: Add the Wet Ingredients
Add the vanilla, egg, orange zest, orange juice, baking soda, and salt. Mix for about 1 minute, scraping down the bowl as needed, until fully combined.
Step 3: Mix in the Flour
On low speed, add the flour and mix just until combined. The dough will be soft but should hold together when scooped. No chilling is needed for this dough.
Step 4: Coat and Shape
Pour the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Scoop 1-tablespoon portions of dough, roll into balls, and coat generously in powdered sugar. A thin coating tends to disappear into the cracks as the cookie bakes, so don’t be shy with it. Place the balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet.
Step 5: Bake
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tops are set and the powdered sugar looks crackly. The centers will look soft, that is correct, they firm up as they cool. If the cookies come out of the oven looking flat and pale instead of crinkled, the oven likely was not fully preheated before they went in.
Step 6: Cool
Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for the Best Results
- Be generous with both the zest and the powdered sugar coating. Readers who tried similar orange crinkle recipes found the citrus flavor could taste mild if the orange gave less zest than expected, so the orange extract is a good way to boost it if your orange is on the smaller side.
- Watch the bake time closely. Pulling the cookies the moment the tops are set and just starting to crackle keeps them soft; a minute or two too long and they turn hard rather than chewy.
- Freezes well: baked cookies keep in the freezer up to 2 months. Thawed cookies can look less crinkled since the powdered sugar melts in a bit, so a fresh dusting before serving brings the crackle back.
What to Serve With It
- A cup of tea or coffee
- A holiday cookie tray alongside Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
- A citrus dessert spread with Matcha Crinkle Cookies
Orange Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Beat butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Mix in vanilla, egg, orange zest, orange juice, baking soda, and salt.
- Add flour on low speed and mix just until combined. No chilling needed.
- Scoop into tablespoon-sized balls, roll generously in powdered sugar, place 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined sheet.
- Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes until tops are set and crackly.
- Cool on the pan a few minutes, then move to a wire rack.
Notes
- Be generous with the orange zest; a thin-skinned orange can yield less than expected, making the citrus flavor taste mild.
- Add the optional orange extract for a stronger citrus flavor if needed.
- Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients and will vary with brands and portion size.
These orange crinkle cookies are proof that a holiday cookie tray needs something bright and citrusy next to all the chocolate and spice. The crackled sugar top looks like a lot of effort, but the dough comes together in one bowl with no chilling and no mixer tricks.
Double the batch if you are gifting these, they hold up well in the freezer and still taste just as citrusy once thawed. If you give these a try, I would love it if you left a star rating and a comment below so other readers know what to expect.
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