Description
Delicious and aromatic Orange Clove Cookies with a spiced glaze, perfect for festive occasions.
Ingredients
Scale
- 170 g unsalted butter, softened
- 40 g honey (2 tablespoons)
- 40 g fancy molasses (2 tablespoons)
- 0.5 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Zest of 1 large orange
- Dehydrated orange rings, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 0.5 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
- 0.25 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
- 0.25 teaspoon ground cardamom
- Pinch of ground clove
- Pinch of ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 300 g all-purpose flour (2 and 1/2 cups)
- 150 g icing sugar (about 1 and 1/4 cups)
- 30–45 ml freshly squeezed orange juice (2–3 tablespoons)
- 30–40 ml Cointreau (2–3 tablespoons)
- Pinch of ground clove for the glaze
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, honey, molasses, vanilla extract, and salt using a mixer on medium speed for approximately one minute until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
- Add cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, clove, allspice, and the orange zest to the creamed mixture. Beat for about ten seconds to evenly distribute the spices and zest.
- Gradually add the flour, working first with a whisk to lightly combine, then switch to a spoon to form a cohesive, soft, and slightly sticky dough. Adjust consistency if needed with extra flour or a few drops of water or milk.
- Cover the prepared dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow it to firm up for easier handling and shaping.
- Dust dough balls (1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon in size) and a cookie stamp lightly with flour. Stamp the dough to flatten and transfer to a lined baking sheet. Trim edges if needed and re-roll scraps. Alternatively, roll out dough and use cookie cutters to desired shapes.
- Preheat oven to 175°C. Arrange shaped cookies on lined baking trays and bake for 14 minutes, or until edges are just beginning to brown. Do not overbake as cookies will re-enter the oven after glazing.
- While cookies bake, whisk together icing sugar, 2 tablespoons orange juice, 2 tablespoons Cointreau, and a pinch of clove until a thick, pourable glaze forms. Add more orange juice or Cointreau as needed for desired consistency. Replace alcohol with more juice if preferred.
- Allow baked cookies to cool slightly. Dip each cookie into the glaze or pour glaze over while still on the sheet. Return cookies to the oven for 2 minutes, turn off heat, and let rest inside for 1 additional minute to set glaze.
- Transfer glazed cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container once fully cooled to maintain texture and freshness.
Notes
- For a non-alcoholic version, substitute Cointreau with more orange juice.
- The cookies are best stored in an airtight container to keep them fresh.
- Adjust spices according to preference for more or less intensity.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 100 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg