Nana's Orange Creamsicle Dream Cookies
These creamsicle cookies are soft frosted tea cakes. They're delicately flavored with fresh orange juice, orange zest, & vanilla. It's an easy scoop & bake recipe with a quick frosting. It's an updated old family recipe... elegant but with kid-approved flavors! Fancy enough for a party, simple enough for everyday treats.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup sugar (optional: vanilla bean infused sugar)
- ⅔ cup butter softened (10 ⅔ tbsp, or 5.7oz)
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup orange juice (preferably fresh squeezed)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract (or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste)
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Simple Vanilla-Orange Juice Creamsicle Frosting
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
- 2 tbsp orange juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
- 1 tbsp salted butter, softened (or add ¼ tsp salt)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or ½ tsp vanilla paste)
- 1 tsp grand marnier, cointreau, or triple sec
- orange zest (to garnish, optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 ℉.
- In a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and orange zest. Whip until light, fluffy, and uniformly mixed.
- Add the egg, orange juice, and vanilla, beating after each addition. The mixture will separate- this is ok. It will come together when you add the dry ingredients.
- In another bowl, whisk or sift the dry ingredients together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the liquid mixture in three additions, mixing gently between each third.
- Scoop the batter onto a cookie sheet (buttered, nonstick, or lined with parchment or a baking mat). Use a tablespoon or a cookie scoop for uniform cookies, and leave room for them to spread.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges and just set in the center. They will be soft, but will firm up a bit as they cool.
- Let them cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Vanilla-Orange Juice Frosting
- Cream together all ingredients. Start with 2 tbsp of orange juice, and add another teaspoon or two if the frosting is too thick to easily spread after mixing in all the other ingredients. It will be a thick buttercream consistency that you can easily spread on the cookies.
- Frost the cookies once they are cooled using a small spatula or butter knife.
- Grate fresh orange zest over the tops of the cookies before the frosting sets, or decorate with sprinkles, sanding sugar, or nonpareils. You may want to add the zest to the frosting for extra orange flavor if you are decorating with sprinkles instead.
- The frosting will firm up somewhat as it sets but it's best to store these cookies in a single layer if possible.
Nutrition
Calories: 100kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 85mgPotassium: 21mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 132IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 0.4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
