Orange biscuits
I remembered when I made these orange cookies for the first time that I didn’t even know how to properly remove them from the molds. I rushed, flipped them over while they were still too hot, and, of course, half of them broke. I ate cookie crumbs straight off the table; it didn’t bother me, the taste was still there. Then I decided not to rush them anymore, to let them do their thing in the tray as long as they wanted. That’s what I learned: patience is earned, not inherited.
These cookies aren’t the kind that are so crunchy you might break a tooth on them, nor are they too soft, but they have a delightful consistency, a bit chewy in the middle, with slightly golden edges. They don’t even get a chance to cool down, as they disappear one by one, with hands dusted in sugar on the table. I’ve tried them with butter, margarine, and varying amounts of flour. They are very forgiving, no matter what mischief you do with them.
Time: 10-15 minutes to mix everything (if your phone doesn’t ring), about 15 minutes to bake, plus another 15 minutes to let the dough rest. I’d say an hour is enough.
Servings: 16-20 pieces, depending on how generous you are with the portions and how big your heart allows you to break them.
Difficulty: no studies required, just don’t forget to turn on the oven.
Why do I make them over and over again? To be honest, when it’s orange season and I crave something sweet, complicated desserts don’t appeal to me. Plus, I always find leftover peels from the morning’s orange. These cookies aren’t very sweet, nor heavy, and I think the orange flavor beats any decoration. Kids take them to school or pack them for the road, and no one refuses them with afternoon coffee. What I love most is that, whether you put this recipe into pretty molds or just drop some dollops on a tray, you can’t end up with something completely unsuccessful. They’re tolerant of mistakes.
Ingredients (with what I usually use):
- 125 g margarine (butter works too, but for this specific taste, margarine gives them a certain soft texture that I can’t quite explain. If you want them to be truly vegan, use vegetable margarine, but make sure it’s good quality, without hydrogenated fats, if that matters to you.)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (don’t pack it in, and don’t use brown sugar, it completely changes the flavor, but if you want, you can reduce it to 2 tablespoons for a lighter version)
- 1 tablespoon honey (adds a slight moisture and rounds out the sweetness, so they don’t turn out dry)
- 1 teaspoon powdered sugar with vanilla beans (plain powdered sugar works, but if you have the patience and budget, some natural vanilla extract is even better)
- 1 teaspoon almond essence (not mandatory, but it really changes everything; however, too much can make them smell like soap, so don’t go overboard)
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice (about from one orange, it should be a bit tart, not from a carton)
- zest of one orange, finely grated (don’t scrape the white part, that’s bitter)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (for a bit of volume, without rising too much)
- 10-11 tablespoons flour (I start with 10, see if it needs more – depends on how big the orange is, how moist the margarine is, etc. The dough should be soft, not too firm like playdough, nor liquid)
- some decorations – if you want, powdered sugar, melted chocolate, raisins, nuts, each with their own little quirks
Preparation steps (as I do them):
1. First thing: take the margarine out of the fridge in advance so it’s soft, otherwise, I’ll struggle for nothing. Ever since I broke my mixer, I prefer to mix by hand. This way, I feel the dough and know when it’s ready.
2. In a large bowl, I put the margarine and sugar. I don’t complicate things with a mixer; with a wooden spoon or directly with my hands, I mix well to make a cream. The sugar doesn’t have to dissolve completely, but there shouldn’t be any large chunks.
3. I add the honey, vanilla powdered sugar, almond essence, orange juice, and grated orange zest. This is when the whole kitchen starts to smell, and it’s not bad at all.
4. I sift the flour and mix it separately with the baking powder to avoid lumps or unspread flour. I start adding it to the cream in the bowl gradually, in 2-3 batches. At first, I mix with the spoon, then with my hands. The dough should remain quite soft and sticky, but workable without sticking to your fingers. If it’s too soft, I throw in another spoon of flour; if it’s too firm, just a splash more of orange juice.
5. I let it rest for 15 minutes on the table, covered with plastic wrap or a clean towel, to relax the gluten. Not in the fridge, as it will harden and won’t be moldable.
6. In the meantime, I preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius to get it nice and hot. The trick doesn’t work with a cold oven, as they won’t bake nicely.
7. If I have silicone or metal molds, I lightly grease them (especially the metal ones), then break off small pieces of dough and press them into the molds, not too thin, or they’ll come out dry. If I don’t have molds, I use an ice cream scoop or two spoons to drop dollops on parchment paper, flattening them slightly.
8. I put the tray in the oven and let them bake for 12-15 minutes. I don’t rely on the timer; I check at 10 minutes – they should be slightly golden around the edges, not browned all over, or they’ll harden too much as they cool.
9. After taking them out, I let them cool in the molds if I have the patience. I don’t force them; otherwise, they break. If I take them out of the tray, I slide them directly with the parchment paper onto a wooden board and let them cool.
10. I decorate if I feel like it – sometimes I dust with powdered sugar, other times I dip half in melted chocolate or put some candied orange peel on top. They keep well in airtight boxes or jars with lids, but I rarely get to test that.
Tips, variations, and serving ideas
Tips:
- If you have small children, let them knead the dough too; it’s sticky but not annoying, and nothing will happen if they eat some raw, just remind them to wash their hands first.
- Don’t overheat the oven. At over 180 degrees, the edges burn and the middle stays raw. If you have an old oven, it’s better to check halfway through.
- Don’t put the white part of the orange peel, as it’s bitter and you can’t fix anything afterwards. If you have organic oranges, that’s perfect; if not, scrub them well with a brush under warm water.
- If you think the dough is too soft, don’t panic; add a teaspoon of flour at a time until it binds, but don’t overdo it.
Ingredient substitutions and adaptations:
- For a gluten-free version, I’ve tried using rice flour + a bit of starch (about 7 tablespoons of rice flour, 3 tablespoons of starch). They don’t come out as fluffy, but they have their charm.
- Butter instead of margarine – it makes them softer, but you lose a bit of that “plastic” texture that many want in cookies.
- No almonds? You can put lemon essence or even a bit of cinnamon. If you want to give them a different twist, try adding some ground nuts to the dough.
- If you want them sweeter, add another tablespoon of sugar, but I think it’s sweet enough as is.
Variations:
- You can add small raisins, dried cranberries, or chocolate chunks to the dough.
- For a more festive touch, decorate with a glaze made from powdered sugar mixed with a bit of orange juice.
- You can make sandwich cookies, with chocolate cream or jam between two pieces.
Serving ideas:
- I eat them with morning or afternoon coffee, but they also go well with a strong black tea.
- Kids love them packed for the road or at school; they don’t crumble much.
- At parties or winter gatherings, I put a whole box on the table; they disappear quickly.
- Paired with a cup of warm milk or plant-based milk, they work wonders for sweet cravings.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use store-bought orange juice?
Honestly, I don’t recommend it. It has added sugar and dubious flavors. It’s best to squeeze one or two oranges; you get the best from the peel and pulp. If you have nothing else on hand, use it, but the taste won’t be the same.
What if I don’t have silicone or metal molds?
Just drop dollops of dough directly onto the tray with a spoon, on parchment paper. Flatten them a bit with a wet hand. They don’t have to be perfect; that’s part of the charm.
Can I use only butter?
Yes, and they’re really good that way, especially if you like the taste of real butter. But the texture is a bit different, softer. Don’t use margarine with a butter flavor; that never works.
How do I prevent them from sticking to the molds?
Grease them with a bit of oil or butter if they’re metal. If they’re silicone, they usually don’t stick, just don’t take them out while they’re still too hot.
How thick should the cookies be to avoid drying out?
About 7-8 mm, maybe even 1 cm. If you make them too thin, they’ll be hard; too thick, they’ll stay raw in the middle. Test one on the first batch and adjust from there.
Nutritional values (approximate)
To be honest, they’re not a diet dessert, but they’re not a calorie bomb either. A cookie weighing about 25 g has around 90-100 calories, more than half of which come from carbohydrates (sugar, flour), the rest are fats from margarine/butter and very few proteins. If you make them with vegetable margarine and cut down on sugar, they can be suitable for fasting, without too much guilt. Don’t expect to find many vitamins, but at least you get a bit of vitamin C from the orange (if you don’t bake them too hard), plus flavor. If you add nuts or almonds, you’ll add some omega-3 and protein, but in modest amounts. For kids, they’re fine as a dessert; for adults, it’s not something that sends you to the gym the next day, but I wouldn’t recommend eating them all at once either.
How to store and reheat
It’s best to keep them in a large glass jar with a lid or a metal tin. Don’t leave them exposed to air, as they’ll harden and lose their initial fragility. At room temperature, they last about 4-5 days without any issues. If you want to keep them longer, you can put them in the freezer in a sealed bag, but when you take them out, let them come to room temperature; don’t microwave them, as they’ll turn gummy. If you want them warm, 1-2 minutes in a conventional oven at 120-140 degrees will bring them back to life.
That’s my story with orange cookies. I’ve tried, I’ve made mistakes, but in the end, they always disappear from the plate. I think that’s the best sign that they’re worth making again, regardless of the season or occasion.
In a bowl, we put the margarine with the sugar and mix them by hand until we obtain a paste. We incorporate the orange juice and zest, then the honey, sugar with vanilla pods, and almond essence. We sift the flour, mix it with the baking powder, and gradually incorporate it over the margarine cream. We mix by hand until we obtain a soft and slightly sticky dough, so it will not be a hard dough. We let it rest for 15 minutes, but not in the fridge, rather at room temperature. We prepare some silicone molds, break pieces of dough, and press them into the molds with our fingers. We do not make the cookies too thin so that they are not too crunchy after baking. If you do not have molds, you can place small piles on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. We place the silicone molds on a baking tray and put them in the preheated oven. We let the cookies bake until they become slightly golden, about 12-15 minutes. When they are ready, we take them out of the oven, let them cool, and then remove them from the molds. We decorate them as we wish and serve them. From this mixture, I made 18 aromatic and delicious cookies!
Ingredients: 125 g margarine in a package, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon powdered sugar with vanilla beans, 1 teaspoon almond essence, 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice, grated orange peel, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 10-11 tablespoons flour, various decorations.
