Orange-Glazed Sugar Cookies
Perfect classic sugar cookies, rich and luxurious, with fresh orange zest and a fresh orange glaze!
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. unsalted butter softened - no substitutions!
- 4 oz. full-fat cream cheese softened
- 2 c. sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. orange extract
- zest of 1 orange but reserve 1 tsp. for glaze
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- juice of 1 large orange
- 1 tsp. orange zest
- 1 1/2 - 2 c. powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese.
- Add sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt, beating until combined.
- Beat in egg yolks, vanilla, orange extract, and orange zest.
- Beat in flour.
- Shape dough into scant 1-inch balls. The dough will be soft, but it does easily form into balls. The cookies will spread quite a bit, so you don't want to make the dough balls larger than an inch.
- Place two inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Bake at 300 degrees for 12-14 minutes, or until edges are set, and are pale golden brown.
- Allow to cool on cookies sheets for 2-3 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, zest, and enough powdered sugar to make a glaze that is thick, but can be drizzled.
- Drizzle over the cooled cookies. Allow glaze to set at least 15 minutes.
Notes
Dough can be chilled for 2-3 days, but if you bake these straight from the fridge, baking time needs increased by 2-3 minutes.
Most cookie doughs benefit from chilling, but for these, it's best to let the dough come back to nearly room temperature. These are actually best when the dough is NOT chilled.
Most cookie doughs benefit from chilling, but for these, it's best to let the dough come back to nearly room temperature. These are actually best when the dough is NOT chilled.