Erin C.
The 2022 Holiday Cookie Recipe Contest’s Grand Prize winner is a beautifully balanced cookie with the warming spice of cardamom and citrusy zing of orange by Erin C. Topped with decadent cream cheese icing, this cookie sure is a winner, and is a must-add to your holiday cookie plate!
3.5 (7 Reviews)
5
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3
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45 min Prep Time
10 min Cook Time
- Prep Time: 45 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
Ingredients
-
Cookie Dough
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon freshly juiced orange
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
-
Cream Cheese Icing
- 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons whipping cream
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Salt to taste
- Sliced orange as garnish
Instructions
Cookie Dough
Step 1
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking to brown the butter, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, cool and refrigerate to solidify.
Step 2
Heat oven to 375˚F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 3
Cream solidified brown butter and sugars in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add in orange zest and juice, egg and vanilla; mix until combined.
Step 4
In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined.
Step 5
Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out dough. Roll into a ball and press down slightly.
Step 6
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly brown around edges but still soft in the center. Cool completely.
Cream Cheese Icing
Step 7
Beat butter and cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined.
Step 8
Add in powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
Step 9
Add in whipping cream, vanilla and salt to taste and beat for 3 minutes or until fluffy.
Step 10
Ice cooled cookies and garnish with orange slice.
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Reviews & Tips
3.5 (7 Reviews)
5
(2)
4
(3)
3
(0)
2
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Carol
Excellent recipe. Won 1st place in my office Christmas Cookie bakeoff. Made a couple of changes. Increased cardamom to heaping tsp. Made frosting with equal parts butter and cream cheese. Add a couple dashes of orange bitters in the frosting. Garnished with section of candied orange (available at Trader Joes). When I make them again, I will pipe the frosting instead of hand frosting for a tidier look. I would also use a slice of candied orange peel vs a wedge for aesthetics.
Jacqueline
Really excellent recipe! Great flavor. I plan on adding an orange icing of some kind, maybe a Candied Orange piece? Mine also were a bit crumblier than I prefer. I might try to modify a bit for a softer result. I give cookies away to my neighbors for the holidays and they need to stand up to packing and sharing.
Kayla
I see why these won! I made these cookies for my mom who absolutely loves anything cardamom (took Lisa's advice and added more cardamom than the recipe called for) and they turned out splendidly. Best thing is that my mom can't get enough! Can't wait to make these again!
Kieran
These cookies are SO tasty. Mine turned out really crumbly, kind of like shortbread. I might try modifying the recipe so they fall apart maybe a little less, but overall they were great! HOWEVER! If you are like me and get really spun up on reviews, and you see the review from the person talking about too much butter, do NOT panic! I followed the recipe exactly and it worked like a charm. The only thing I can think of is that maybe they didn't brown the butter, or measured the butter after browning it - browning the butter reduces the total amount by quite a bit due to evaporation. So, basically, follow the recipe and you'll be fine.
Lisa
Did you put all the butter in the cookies instead of just the brown butter? I made them and they came out perfect. I'm about to make them again. Might bump up the cardamom level just a bit. They are delicious!
Sherry
I sent my review in earlier and talk about a typo! I did one myself. I meant too much BUTTER! Not sugar.
Sherry
I made these today. I really do believe the amount of sugar is a typographical error? I followed directions precisely. They were so oily that they spread out flat on the cookie sheet and even soaked through parchment paper! I wasted 1 and 1/2 cups of butter! I would love to try them again if I knew the correct amount of butter for the recipe. Thank you
