Description
These delicate orange cardamom cookies feature a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture with a bright citrus aroma balanced by warm cardamom spice. Perfectly dusted with powdered sugar for a snowy finish, they make a delightful treat for special occasions or everyday indulgence.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 1 cup (about 226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (about 90 g) powdered sugar for the dough
- Zest from 1 orange (grated orange peel)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (about 250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For Rolling
- About ½ cup powdered sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Cream the Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter together with the powdered sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. This helps make the cookies tender and smooth.
- Add Orange and Vanilla: Stir in the grated orange zest and vanilla extract. The orange zest gives a bright citrus aroma that balances beautifully with the spice.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground cardamom, and salt.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms. Don’t overmix — gentle folding keeps the cookies tender.
- Shape the Cookies: Take small portions of dough and roll them into small balls (about 1 inch / 2.5 cm each). Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving a little space between each.
- Bake: Bake in a moderate oven (about 325°F or 160°C) until the cookies are just starting to set and may have very light color underneath — they should stay pale and soft, usually about 12-15 minutes.
- Roll in Powdered Sugar: Remove the cookies from the oven and while they are still warm, roll them gently in the extra powdered sugar so they get a sweet, snowy coating.
- Cool and Second Dusting: Set the cookies on a cooling rack. Once fully cooled, give them a second light dusting of powdered sugar if you like — this gives them their classic meltaway look.
Notes
- Use room temperature softened butter to ensure easy creaming with sugar.
- Do not overbake; the cookies should remain pale and soft for the meltaway texture.
- If desired, you can use a sifter to evenly dust the powdered sugar on cooled cookies.
- Store cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness and softness.
- Ground cardamom can be adjusted to taste; replace with cinnamon for a different spice profile.
