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 1 c. white sugar Frosting 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.
Recipe from Allrecipes.com
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
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)
Thanks! these look amazing and I can’t wait to make them.
shortening: I get the natural kind that doesn’t have hydrogenated oil in it like crisco etc does. It has never failed me on any other recipe hope it won’t on this one.
I made a similiar cookie around Christmas but mine were too cakey for me. That recipe didn’t call for sour cream either so I’m excited to try these!
Thx for sharing Kate
This is non cookie related but I wanted to post! I’m hosting a bridal shower for my good friend and I’m giving her one of my spare cookbooks of yours – so in honor of that I’m making all the food (ok 90% of the food) from your blog / book! I’m sooo stoked – its like an Our Best Bites Themed Shower! 🙂 You all have the best ideas, recipes and cookbook EVER – I never fear when I make something of yours – the only thing I’ve ever screwed up was the flour frosting and I know how and I know why and I knew it when I did it that I shouldn’t have!
AWESOME is all I have to say – now to add these cookies to the expanding brunch menu.. thats the only question 🙂
My 3-y-o just told me, “We need to make those!” =D They do look and sound delicious — and spring-like which we need in the midst of all this rain! =)
wow, just finished icing my cookies, they are so good! These are better than grandma’s, sorry, its the truth! Only suggestion, my cookies spread a fair amount, so start small, and I would maybe double the icing, it is just so yummy!
Holy orange yumminess Batman! Can’t wait to try these!
I just thought I’d point out that shortening does have transfat in it. The FDA says that companies can put 0g transfat if there’s less than half a gram per serving. Many companies lower their serving sizes so that they can label their stuff as transfat free. The only way to really know is if the product has partially hydrogenated oil. The chemical process to make oil hard at room temperature (shortening) involves shoving hydrogen atoms through the oil and removing them, creating a broken and chemically unstable oil molecule. College chemistry has a whole segment on it, kinda funny.
So anyway, unless your shortening is palm oil, it’s probably some form of engineered oil and not transfat free. I’ll gladly forgo the puffiness promised by shortening for the richness guaranteed by butter. 🙂
Taryn, I feel that way too. You may already know this, but if you sub butter, you need to decrease the water or increase flour to make the transition more smooth. Also, I’ve had problems baking cookies with butter higher than 350°.
Mary – I usually play it by ear and end up adding a bit more flour. And then I under-cook them slightly so that they’re more gooey than cakey. As for baking butter cookies in temps higher than 350º, I actually sit and watch them until the edges turn golden, then make note of the time, rinse and repeat. 🙂
These look divine! My mouth is watering just looking at this recipe. I think I’m going to have to make these in the very near future! Thank you!
Oops, further clarification: If it says FULLY hydrogenated then there are no trans fats. But I think the fully hydrogenated products are the hard/stick margarines.
Further confusion: It must specifically say FULLY hydrogenated. If it just says Hydrogenated then it is probably partially hydrogenated and therefore has the evil trans fat.
Things were simpler when I was a kid. Dairy was good for you, bacon and eggs were a more nutritious breakfast than cereal, and comfort food was guilt-free.
I know, right? Either way, there’s only 1/2 c. of shortening and the recipe makes 36 cookies and a serving of shortening is 1 Tbsp., so you’re only getting about .22 of a tablespoon of shortening in each cookie. As long as someone doesn’t eat the whole batch (and if they do, they’ve got bigger issues than trans fats! 🙂 ), the cookies are probably fine. 🙂
I hate to burst bubbles, but hydrogenated anything is trans fat. My hubbie is a chemistray wiz and a PA, and according to him hydrogenated means that they added two extra hydrogen ions to the fat chain making it straight (and creating the smooth texture of shortening), so anything remotely hydrogenated = trans fat, or man-made fat. But it makes food delicious, and like everything else on the planet, won’t kill you unless you start spooning it out of the tub and using it in everything you eat. Will I make these with shortening? Absolutely. 🙂
And yes, chemistray is actually chemistry, and in this case organic chemistry. Sorry about the typos.
No, I really appreciate your insight. Honestly, while I do totally get and support being conscious of what we eat, the truth is that the amount of trans fat in these is negligible and I appreciate someone else pointing it out. Not to sound like those lame high fructose corn syrup commercials or anything, but seriously, moderation is awesome. 🙂
If you eat them, the trans fat instantly disappears! 😉
cant wait to make these….yummo….
someone said something about nutella cookies….where is that recipe…I cant find it?
Heather–I just linked the Nutella cookies in Maria’s/JustJenn’s comments. They’re SO good! 🙂
YUM. These look so good. I’m taking dinner to a friend Thurs night and I think she’s getting some of these for dessert!
Mmmmm…I love all things orange. These are going on my must-try list. Thanks!
I live overseas and they don’t have sour cream. Is there anything that can be substituted for the sour cream? Thank you. The cookies look amazing!
Kathy–Your best bet is probably plain yogurt. You could also sub creme fraiche or even buttermilk, but plain yogurt will probably the most direct and inexpensive solution. 🙂
I don’t have a stand mixer (any recommendations?) will they still turn out ok?
I would use an electric hand mixer up to the point where you add the flour and then just mix it with a wooden spoon from there.
Oooo, I like Mary’s thinking… Would using lime zest/limeade concentrate for the lime ones, lemon zest/lemonade concentrate for the lemon ones work?
Could you sub out the orange with lemon or lime? I’m thinking that one batch of orange, one batch of lemon and one batch of lime would be great for baby showers, Easter or Wednesdays. If you were to sub, what would you do for the orange juice concentrate? Lemon juice concentrate?
Mary, I’m sure you could! I’d just use lemonade and limeade concentrate. Or I’m thinking there might be a lime juice concentrate that is used for cocktails (but I’m not 100% sure)–maybe you could use that?
Since orange juice is sweeter than lime concentrate or lemon concentrate, I’m thinking I may need to increase the sugar a bit, what do you think?
Oh, what a good idea! You’d still need the sweetness factor, so maybe subbing lemonade and limeade concentrates would work.
Excellent idea!
Sorry Kate! You hadn’t commented yet when I started typing. But hey, at least I was on the right track!
Whatever, dude–way to steal my thunder! 😉
mmm key lime clouds!
First of all, I love the print option for your recipes! So effortless and genious! Thank you thank you thank you! Secondly, these look heavenly! Third, I have just been trying to come up with great recipe to use up my Mom’s citrus that she has an overabundance of. This looks perfect. Thank you!
As always, LOVE your blog, recipes, and you!
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Ohhhhhhhh, Rebecca, thank you so much for all your sweetness!! 🙂
Oh my, YUM!! I have a similar, non-orange cookie recipe so I can just imagine the light texture of the cookies. And then to add in all that yummy orange flavor!! 🙂 Of course, I’ve got everything to make these EXCEPT the oranges and concentrate… Will try these soon!! {Oh, and I love the “baby angel clouds of orange heaven” remark! Ha ha ha!!}
What a great springtime treat! They look light, fluffy, and just plain delicious. 🙂
You know I love cookies and these look fantastic!
Oh, Thanks, Maria! I still need to make those Nutella cookies again…but I’m so scared I’ll eat them all by myself!
Nutella cookies?? This must be heaven! 🙂 Recipe pretty please? 😉
JustJenn–Sosososo good. Evilly good.
http://twopeasandtheirpod.com/chocolate-nutella-cookies/
I just put some ingredients on my shopping list so I can make these TONIGHT!! They look awesome!!
Theses do look like heaven! I’ve got to try them.
orange creamsicle that doesn’t melt – Awesome!!! 🙂 can’t wait to try these!
Baby clouds of orange heaven – sign me up! These look delicious!
These look wonderful! I’m in to orange desserts right now. I just put an Orange-Olive Oil cake on my blog that was great.
Those cookies look so delish!!
Mary Ann
OM NOM NOM. These sound such a delightful texture, I must try them!
This reminds me of a cookie my grandma used to make when I was a kid, we loved them! They just taste like summer to me! Thanks for the recipe, I think I’ll be trying these today!
These sounds sooooo delicious! Orange and lemon deserts make me think of spring.
These look beautiful. I have to buy the shortening from a US food website since I live in Australia and all our shortening is animal fat base and isn’t quite the same as crisco. Can I use the juice from the orange I zest instead of the concentrate then use some orange food colouring to get the same effect? I have never seen orange juice concentrate at my local supermarket.
You know, I thought of that, too, but the concentrate packs so much punch in such a small amount that either the cookies wouldn’t be as orange-y or you’d have to increase the juice and then reduce the liquid (or increase the dry ingredients) somewhere else. I’m always so scared of messing things up that I just end up eating the orange and hoping that maybe it counteracts the negative effects of the cookies. 🙂
Just wondering if instead of the concentrate, she (Alix) could maybe use a bit of orange extract mixed with the orange juice (or in a real pinch, maybe some powdered orange drink or jello)? Definately would have to experiment to get the flavor right, but it might work…. just a thought.
Look in the freezer section of your market for the orange juice concentrate. It is usually with other frozen juice concentrates sold in a tube or with the frozen fruit. If is worth looking for. You can scoop out defrost only what you need. Save the rest and marinate chicken or fish, add to a quick-bread recipe, make a vinaigrette, or just add water and drink 🙂
Hi Alix,
I am from New Zealand and like you I often need to find alternatives for US recipes. In NZ we have a product called Kremelta which is a vegetable based shortening like crisco. I am sure you must have something similar that will cost you less than importing. Just a thought all the same.