Orange Puff Cookies
What is it about these Orange Puff Cookies that makes them so irresistible? They are light and fluffy and nearly melt in your mouth, with a subtle orange flavor. These cookies are delicious left plain, rolled in powdered sugar, or frosted.
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Sugar cookies are quite versatile. You can add different extracts to the dough and experiment with limitless flavors. I suggest starting with 1/2 teaspoon of extract at a time. We love the refreshing orange and citrus flavors and hope you do too!
To Make Orange Puff Cookies, You Will Need These Ingredients:
- Cake flour ~ for gluten-free, substitute a 1-to1 baking blend
- Cornstarch ~ Arrowroot for corn-free
- Baking soda
- Baking powder ~ corn-free if needed
- Salt
- Butter (I use salted) ~ dairy-free substitute or shortening if needed
- Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- An egg ~ aquafaba for egg-free (liquid in garbanzo beans)
- Milk or a dairy-free substitute (I used Macadamia milk)
- Zest of an orange
- Orange extract
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar ~ optional
- Frosting ~ optional
Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Vanilla is gluten-free and plant-based. It does contain corn and soy. Miss Jones Vanilla Frosting is gluten-free and vegan. It does contain coconut.
To make a frosted sugar cookie, follow these simple steps:
- Skip rolling dough balls in powdered sugar.
- Form a walnut-sized ball and place it on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Slightly press the dough to about half the size.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.
Everybody seems to have a favorite way of eating these cookies. I like them frosted, my husband likes them rolled in powdered sugar, and my mom likes them plain. However you decide to eat them, that refreshing orange flavor will come through.
Can I Make Orange Puff Cookies Gluten-Free?
- Substitute the cake flour with a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour or King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure Flour.
- Stir the flour before measuring and spoon the flour into the measuring cups.
- Please don’t shake it or pack it in the measuring cup, or you will end up with more flour than the recipe requires.
If you love sugar cookies as much as I do, you will love these sugar cookie recipes too:
Enjoy!
Orange Puff Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour ~ for gluten-free substitute a 1-to-1 baking blend
- 2 tsp cornstarch ~ arrowroot for corn-free
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp Baking powder ~ corn-free if needed (see notes)
- 1 cup butter I use salted
- 1 cup Granulated or beet sugar
- 1/4 cup Brown sugar
- 1 Lg egg ~ 3 Tbsp aquafaba for egg-free (liquid from canned garbanzo beans)
- 1 tbsp milk ~ or non-dairy
- 1 tbsp or zest of 1 orange
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp orange extract
- 2 cups Powdered sugar for rolling cookies ~ amounts may vary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
- Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl.
- In a medium mixing bowl cream butter and sugar.
- Add egg, milk product, orange zest, orange extract, and vanilla extract. Mix together well.
- Stir the flour mixture in, being sure to scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl. Avoid overmixing as that creates a tough cookie.
- Chill dough for up to 2 days or form walnut-sized balls. Slightly less than 2 tablespoons.
- Roll balls in powdered sugar and bake for 9 minutes. Edges of cookies just start to brown lightly.
- Remove cookies from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. After they reach room temperature, you can roll the cookies in the powdered sugar again if desired.