Over the last three years since our little blog was born, there have been a lot of changes, but a few things have always stayed the same: an orange segment and the colors blue and green. So I totally giggled when I uploaded these pictures to my computer and realized that I had made orange cookies with blue and green in the pictures. This blog has totally infiltrated my subconscious.
I hesitate calling these bad boys cookies because they have a texture more similar to whoopie pies–soft, light, and cakey. And the dough is hardly dough–it’s thicker than cake batter, but not by much. But seriously, I’m throwing semantics to the side (not to mention my attempts to eat healthy…blah…nothing like cookies to derail that train) in the name of deliciousness.
For starters, you’ll need orange zest (lots–probably 1 very large orange or 2 smaller ones), orange juice concentrate, salt, baking soda, baking powder, flour, vanilla, sour cream (I’m pretty sure no bad cookie recipe ever calls for sour cream), an egg, sugar, and shortening.
Now…before any of you go and call CPS because I’m poisoning my children and the children of the world with shortening in my cookies, I want to point out that while shortening contained trans-fats once upon a time, it no longer does. Promise. Cross my heart, hope to die. Butter is too heavy for this recipe–the cookies will come out like rocks and not like dreamy little orange pillows that you’re fantasizing don’t have any calories.
So enough about shortening. Preheat your oven to 375 and then, in a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the shortening and sugar and beat until well-combined. Add the egg and beat until moistened. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat about 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add the orange juice concentrate and orange zest and mix until combined.
Like I said, this dough will be very moist. You’ll either need a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to scoop it out (a cookie scoop will be less messy) or you can fill a large freezer bag or cake decorating bag with the dough and squeeze it onto a cookie sheet. That’s what I did here because my cookie scoop was encrusted in Play-doh.
If you pipe them, you’ll notice the pointy, Hershey’s kiss-like tops:
You can bake them that way, but the tippy tops will get too brown before the rest of the cookie, so I flattened mine out just by gently pressing each tip down. And then I neglected to take a picture.
Bake these guys for about 8-10 minutes or until they are just starting to turn golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting, combine some softened butter, powdered sugar, more orange juice concentrate, and orange rind with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. You can spread it onto the cookies, but I find it’s so much easier to pipe it on with a decorating bag or a heavy-duty freezer bag.
Not kidding. Baby angel clouds of orange heaven.
This recipe makes about 36 cookies.
Orange Kissed Cookies
Recipe from Allrecipes.com
1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. butter-flavored shortening
1 egg
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (add another 2 tablespoons for high altitudes)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. thawed orange juice concentrate
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest
Frosting
1 tsp. grated orange zest
1/4 c. thawed orange juice concentrate
1/2 c. softened butter
3 c. powdered sugar
2-3 drops orange food coloring (optional)
Preheat oven to 375.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a mixer, combine the white sugar and shortening. Beat until well-combined. Add the egg and beat well, then add the sour cream and vanilla and beat for about 1 minute or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and beat until combined. Add the orange juice concentrate and orange rind and mix well.
Using a cookie scoop, drop the dough/batter (the mixture will be VERY moist–thicker than a cake batter but thinner than traditional cookies) by the tablespoon-ful onto a lined, un-greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies are set and just starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
For the frosting, combine the frosting ingredients with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Pipe or spread over the cooled cookies.
Yield: Approximately 36 cookies.
Questions & Reviews
I made these last night for a birthday party – OMG, yum! Make them now! I didn’t have orange concentrate but I had everything else on hand, so I did the fresh orange juice method. The orange flavor is probably lighter than if using the concentrate, but they are outrageously good. Thank you for the recipe!
I have been wanting to make these since you first posted this recipe, and today I finally did. They’re in the oven right now, I can’t wait for them to be done!
A friend introduced me to your cookbook a few weeks ago – I have never enjoyed cooking, but your book and blog have completely changed that! The recipes are so easy and tasty… Just made these cookies this afternoon and loved them! Good thing they’re just a bit too sweet to eat more than 2 in one sitting… Otherwise my husband wouldn’t be able to taste the orange-y goodness!! You two rock!
Just brought these yummy cookies to a baby shower for 2 of my girlfriends…I even had a little sign next to the plate with your website! Everyone complemented me about the cookies and I RAVED about your website and your cookbook! I swear I should just wear a shirt that says, “I heart OURBESTBITES,COM!!” LOL…everytime I sign up to bring something savory or sweet…I jump on your website or choose a yummy dish from your book and I’m set! I can trust that everyone will love it! Keep up the yummy work!
How far ahead do you think I could make these. We are going to a family Easter party on Saturday and I was wanting to make them today. Is 2 days to long? perhaps on the counter in an airtight container? Or should I make the cookies, make the frosting, but not frost them until I need them? Sorry, I just don’t know what to do :s
do you have to use butter flavored shortening? Can I just use butter, or shortning, or a little of both??
Oh, good question. I was going to make these today and realized my shortening isn’t butter flavoured either.
I would just use regular shortening. Or maybe a really high-quality margarine like Smart Balance.
I made these cookies with the orange like it said, and then decided to make them with lemon zest and frozen lemonade. They were awesome!!! I think we liked the lemon better than the orange. They might even be good cooled for summertime.
Just made these and the kids are going crazy for them. Love love love them!
I AM IN LOVE WITH THESE COOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!
VERY SOFT, ORANGE CREAMSICLE TASTING…SOOOO GOOD!!
I made these yesterday and they are FANTASTIC!!!! My hubby usually doesn’t eat a lot of sweets and he ate 4 with icing and 4 without. They are really sweet with the icing and I could only eat 2, but they are also really good without the icing. One of the best cookies I’ve had in a long time and I’m not really a cookie fan. 🙂