How to Make Orange Cooler Cookies (Recipe)

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I don’t know about you, but I seem to change my opinion quite frequently when it comes to favorite fruits. I blame the seasons — summer is all about berries and melon, in the fall apples and pears are my favorite fruits ever, and in the winter months, it’s all about citrus. Oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes, and don’t forget those little clementines.

This year I’ve really embraced citrus season (I suppose living in Florida will do that to a person!)… particularly, oranges. And even though oranges are just about perfect in their natural state, I couldn’t help but bring their fresh and zesty flavor into these tiny orange cooler cookies.

If you’ve ever had a lemon cooler cookie, these are basically lemon cooler cookies, with orange instead of lemon. Duh, I know.

I’ve made orange flavored cookies before , but I think these little gems are my favorite orange cookie to date. They are really simple — not only from a preparation perspective but also ingredient wise — which allows the flavor of the orange to shine.

By adding two whole tablespoons of cornstarch, these cookies basically melt in your mouth because of how soft the cornstarch allows them to be.

When it comes to coating your cookies with the powdered sugar after they bake, the trick is to allow the cookies to cool enough that they won’t completely absorb the powdered sugar — you want the sugar to sort of “hang” on the cookie. For me, this meant about 10 minutes. My advice is to start with just a few, see if they’re cool enough, and go from there.

Orange Cooler Cookies
Soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookies bursting with fresh and zesty orange flavor. You can easily make this recipe with a different type of citrus — try lemon, lime, or grapefruit!Makes about 4 dozen small cookies

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 12 to 15 minutes

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
Zest of a medium orange
Juice of half a medium orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar, for coating the cookies

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add the orange zest, juice, and vanilla extract; mix until blended. Add the salt, cornstarch, and flour; mix until blended, scraping the sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the dough.

Form the dough into a ball; place the dough in a small bowl and freeze 15 to 20 minutes, until chilled.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Form the cookie dough into 3/4-inch to 1-inch balls. Set the balls on the prepared cookie sheets, about 1 inch apart. Flatten the cookies to 1/4-inch thickness. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until just barely golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheets to cool an additional 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a ziploc bag. Once the cookies have cooled for 10 minutes (they should still be fairly warm), place them in the bag and coat with sugar. Remove the cookies from the bag, shaking off the excess sugar. Repeat with the remaining batches of cookies. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

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