Vanilla Orange Sugar Cookies

The vanilla orange flavor of my sugar cookie recipe was inspired by the Creamsicle, a favorite childhood treat. These are my go-to cookies for the thousands of decorated cookies that I have created over the years, featuring a hint of salt to cut through the sweetness. They are buttery, crisp, and retain their shape after baking. And the are always a hit!

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Servings cookies

Calories 135 kcal

5 from 15 votes

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Equipment

1 stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld electric mixer
1 Rolling Pin
1 microplane or zester

Ingredients

4¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1½ cup granulated sugar
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
Zest from one large orange
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, orange zest and vanilla until well combined.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to the bowl, mixing until combined.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into three equal pieces. Shape each piece into a flat disk. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, until cold, or up to 3 days.
Preheat your oven to 350 °F, placing racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one disk of dough to a thickness of ¼ inch (.5 cm). Using a cookie cutter, cut out shapes and carefully transfer them to the 2 prepared cookie sheets, spacing shaped about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Reroll scraps as necessary. Repeat the process with more dough until both cookie sheets are full.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, switching positions of cookie sheets halfway through, until cookies are set and lightly browned. Let cookies cool on cookie sheets for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely before decorating.

Video

Notes

If you don't have a stand mixer, you can use a handheld electric mixer for Step 2, but use a wooden spoon to mix the dough in Step 3, as the dough becomes thick and might damage the motor of your handheld mixer.
When working with one disk of dough, keep the other disks in the refrigerator until ready to use. Chilled dough retains its shape better.
If you have 4 cookie sheets, it's easier to bake these cookies using 4 sheets instead of 2. When the first batch of cookies is baking, you can roll and cut shapes for the second batch so that they are ready to bake as soon as the first batch is done.
This recipe will make anywhere from 30 to 60 cookies, depending on the size and shape of your cutter. Larger (4-5") sizes will be closer to 30 cookies.

Nutrition

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