Brunlee's Best Orange Blossom Cookies

These soft, buttery, vibrant cookies are hand made to be enjoyed. They are flavored with freshly squeezed orange juice, zingy orange zest, and our floral single origin Tahitian Vanilla Extract.

Along with few special tricks, our Tahitian vanilla extract will make these cookies stand out from the crowd. All you need are a few simple ingredients, and you’ll have these delicious cookies in no time.

Tip: Rub orange zest in the sugar!

Using your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar that’s called for in the recipe. It takes a few minutes, but eventually, all of the zest (including its oils!) will be absorbed by the sugar and it will have the consistency of wet sand. Now, when the butter and sugar get creamed together, all of that wonderful orange essence will be infused throughout the entire batter. It makes for a flavor that is far more potent and cookies that are more aromatic than compared to just mixing the zest in with the other ingredients.

Tip: Chill before baking!

In order to ensure the cookies rise uniformly and to prevent them from spreading, we refrigerate the dough for 20 to 40 minutes before portioning and baking. Also, you can refrigerate the dough for for up to 2 days before scooping and baking. After long term chilling though, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for approximately 20 minutes for easier portioning.

Ingredients

For the Cookies:
2½ cups (300 g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
1 ½ medium oranges zested
1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon Tahitian Vanilla Extract
1 egg

For the Sweet Orange Glaze:
1½ cups (170 g) powdered sugar
½ medium orange zested

½ tablespoon Tahitian Vanilla Extract
Fresh orange juice until thinned enough

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats; set aside.

For the Cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the the sugar and orange zest, rubbing them together with your fingers until the zest is completely incorporated into the sugar.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and the orange zest-infused sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, orange juice, and Tahitian Vanilla Extract. Mix until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. If the dough seems a little on the soft side, refrigerate it for up to 20 to 40 minutes.
Using a medium cookie scoop, or 2 tablespoonfuls), scoop out the dough and roll them into balls, placing them 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges, but still pale in the middle. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the cookie sheet, and then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the Orange Blossom Glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, orange zest, Tahitian Vanilla Extract, and (slowly) add enough orange juice to achieve the desired consistency. We prefer a slightly thicker glaze to achieve our signature orange blossom cookie look. Spread glaze over top of the cooled cookies, and allow to set at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Store at room temperature in an airtight container (divide layers with wax paper so the cookies don't stick together).