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I’ll make a prediction: once you’ve tried this recipe for orange Christmas cookies, they’ll become your favourites! They’re soft and chewy and taste incredibly citrusy while looking elegant and festive enough to jazz up every cookie plate. And the secret to their incredible orange flavour? It’s actually two secrets: homemade candied orange peel and my homemade non-bitter orange marmalade.
Here’s everything you need to make these show-stopping cookies.
What You Need for Orange Christmas Cookies
Base Cookie Ingredients
Basically, this recipe is a shortcrust, so we need
Butter
It should be right out of the fridge and thus cold. The trick to making it pliable enough to mix the dough is to grate the butter block on a cheese grater. That way, the butter is broken up into small flakes while staying cold.
Flour
All-purpose flour is the flour of choice here.
Almonds
The recipe calls for ground almonds. Whether you use peeled or unpeeled almonds is up to you; the taste is the same, it’s more of an aesthetic decision: with unpeeled almonds, the dough becomes a bit “speckled” while it stays brightly yellow with peeled almonds.
Icing sugar
Granulated sugar doesn’t dissolve well enough in the dough, which is why this recipe calls for powdered (icing) sugar.
Egg
You need one medium-sized egg, if possible from free-range chicken.
Vanilla
The seed of one vanilla pod adds a warm, velvety flavour to the cookies, counterbalancing the tangy orange taste.
Orange Flavour Ingredients
Now for the (obvious) star ingredients for these orange Christmas cookies:
Fresh Oranges
Grate the peel of two oranges for this recipe and mix it into the dough. The fresh essential oils that evaporate from the peel when it’s freshly grated add tanginess to the cookie dough.
Homemade candied orange peel
If you’ve ever tasted homemade candied orange peel, you’ll never buy that dubious stuff from the supermarket again! Don’t worry, if you haven’t made it before, it’s super easy, and I’ll show you my simple recipe for homemade candied orange peel in this blog article.
Homemade non-bitter orange marmalade
You can read here how to make this exceptionally yummy orange marmalade without any trace of bitterness. It’s an easy recipe that takes about half an hour and leaves you with a fruity, fresh and tangy taste explosion!
Instructions
Grate the butter into a bowl, add the icing sugar and mix it in a food processor until the butter becomes soft and lighter.
Chop your homemade candied orange peel into tiny pieces.
Cut the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.
Wash the oranges under hot water, dry them and grate their zest off.
Add the vanilla seeds, candied orange peel and orange zest to the butter and mix it all in.
Weigh the flour and almonds and add them to the butter mix.
Add the egg and knead it all together until you have a homogeneous dough. Work quickly here; you don’t want the dough to become too warm.
Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours, better overnight.
Preheat your oven to 160 °C (320°F) top and bottom heat or 140 °C (285°F) fan.
Roll out the dough about 3 mm thick and cut out round cookies with a diameter of about 3 cm.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and put the cookies onto it. Leave some room in between so that they won’t glue together.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15 – 20 minutes. They should be baked through and golden. Don’t let them brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool down completely.
Carefully melt the chocolate and dip half of the cookies halfway into it. If you like, you can decorate the chocolate-dipped cookies with orange zest or candied orange peels.
Spread homemade non-bitter orange marmalade on the undipped cookies and set the chocolate ones on top.
Orange Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Grate the butter into a bowl, add the icing sugar and mix it in a food processor until the butter becomes soft and lighter.
- Chop your homemade candied orange peel into tiny pieces.
- Cut the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.
- Wash the oranges under hot water, dry them and grate their zest off.
- Add the vanilla seeds, candied orange peel and orange zest to the butter and mix it all in.
- Weigh the flour and almonds and add them to the butter mix.
- Add the egg and knead it all together until you have a homogeneous dough. Work fast here, you don't want the dough to become too warm.
- Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours, better overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 160 °C (320°F) top and bottom heat or 140 °C (285°F) fan.
- Roll out the dough about 3 mm thick and cut out round cookies with a diameter of about 3 cm.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper and put the cookies onto it. Leave some room in between so that they won't glue together.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes. They should be baked through and golden. Don't let them brown.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool down completely.
- Carefully melt the chocolate and dip half of the cookies halfway into it. If you like, you can decorate the chocolate-dipped cookies with orange zest or candied orange peels.
- Spread homemade non-bitter orange marmalade on the undipped cookies and set the chocolate-decorated ones on top.
FAQs
Can I freeze these cookies?
Yes, but only the plain cookies without marmalade filling and decoration.
Let the cookies cool down completely before putting them into a freezer bag or an airtight container. If you use a container, put some baking paper between layers so that the cookies won’t stick together.
Baked cookies can be stored in the freezer for 3 months.
Filled, decorated and stored in a tightly closed cookie box, these orange Christmas cookies will stay tasty for about 2 – 3 weeks. They won’t last that long, however, as they’re too yummy to resist.
If you want to keep them longer, store them plain, that is, without marmalade filling and chocolate decoration in the cookie box and assemble them later.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes. Wrap the dough in cling film and store it for up to one week in the fridge. Alternatively, you can freeze cookie dough for about 2 months. Before baking, let it defrost at room temperature.
Why does the dough need to rest for 3 hours (or overnight)?
Letting the dough rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours is an essential step in cookie baking and must not be skipped!
During that time, the dough cools down “to the marrow”, and that helps the cookies keep their shape when being baked. If the dough is too warm, the cookies will melt and become some unsightly puddles.
While you’re rolling out one batch of the dough, put the rest of it in the fridge.
Can I use store-bought candied peel/marmalade?
Yes, but the taste will not be as good as with homemade products 😏. If using store-bought, look for high-quality products without artificial flavouring.
Can I substitute the almonds?
If you’re allergic to nuts, leave out the almonds and add flour in the same amount. Note that the texture will be slightly different – the cookies may be a bit more crumbly without the almonds’ natural oils.
Can I skip the chocolate?
You could, but the (dark) chocolate pairs exceptionally well with the tangy orange flavour. As an alternative to the chocolate dip, mix a cup of icing sugar with 1 – 2 tablespoons of orange juice or orange liqueur (for example Grand Marnier) and brush it on the top cookie.
Why is my dough too crumbly/sticky?
Sometimes, the egg is too large or small and thus provides too little or too much moisture for the dough. So, if your dough is too sticky, add a bit of flour or almonds and knead the dough quickly.
If your dough is too sticky after adding flour, it might also be too warm – chill it for 30 minutes before continuing.
If your dough is too crumbly, add 1 – 2 tablespoons of (soft) butter. Again, let the dough rest in the fridge before rolling it out.
How thick should I spread the marmalade?
Put a small dollop of marmalade, about the size of a pea, in the middle of the cookie and stick the chocolate-dipped cookie on top of it. When you press them gently together, the marmalade will spread to the edges without spilling and making a mess.
Perfect Orange Christmas Cookies Every Time
These orange Christmas cookies have a way of disappearing quickly from cookie plates – their bright citrus flavour and soft texture make them irresistible. Whether you’re baking for a holiday gathering or simply treating yourself to something special, I hope they bring a little extra joy to your season. Happy baking!
Can’t get enough of cooking and baking? You’ll find all the posts here: Recipes – seasonalsimplelife.com
If you want to learn more about making jams and marmalade (and other preserves), this is your site: Recipes – seasonalsimplelife.com
If you liked the non-bitter orange marmalade, you’ll also love these pear jam variations
And if you’re looking for more Christmas cookie recipes, this one is a great example: Vanillekipferl Recipe (Austrian Vanilla Crescent Cookies)