I don’t know about you, but I seem to change my opinion quite frequently when it comes to favorite fruits. I blame the seasons — summer is all about berries and melon, in the fall apples and pears are my favorite fruits ever, and in the winter months, it’s all about citrus. Oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes, and don’t forget those little clementines. 
This year I’ve really embraced citrus season (I suppose living in Florida will do that to a person!)… particularly, oranges. And even though oranges are just about perfect in their natural state, I couldn’t help but bring their fresh and zesty flavor into these tiny orange cooler cookies.
If you’ve ever had a lemon cooler cookie, these are basically lemon cooler cookies, with orange instead of lemon. Duh, I know. 
I’ve made orange flavored cookies before (here and here), but I think these little gems are my favorite orange cookie to date. They are really simple — not only from a preparation perspective but also ingredient wise — which allows the flavor of the orange to shine.
By adding two whole tablespoons of cornstarch, these cookies basically melt in your mouth because of how soft the cornstarch allows them to be.
When it comes to coating your cookies with the powdered sugar after they bake, the trick is to allow the cookies to cool enough that they won’t completely absorb the powdered sugar — you want the sugar to sort of “hang” on the cookie. For me, this meant about 10 minutes. My advice is to start with just a few, see if they’re cool enough, and go from there.
Soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookies bursting with fresh and zesty orange flavor. You can easily make this recipe with a different type of citrus — try lemon, lime, or grapefruit! Makes about 4 dozen small cookies Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 12 to 15 minutes In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add the orange zest, juice, and vanilla extract; mix until blended. Add the salt, cornstarch, and flour; mix until blended, scraping the sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the dough. Form the dough into a ball; place the dough in a small bowl and freeze 15 to 20 minutes, until chilled. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Form the cookie dough into 3/4-inch to 1-inch balls. Set the balls on the prepared cookie sheets, about 1 inch apart. Flatten the cookies to 1/4-inch thickness. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until just barely golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheets to cool an additional 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place the 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a ziploc bag. Once the cookies have cooled for 10 minutes (they should still be fairly warm), place them in the bag and coat with sugar. Remove the cookies from the bag, shaking off the excess sugar. Repeat with the remaining batches of cookies. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
wow Liz! These look like fluffy little white citrus clouds. I love citrus flavors – as much of it as I can get. I just made homemade orange juice over the weekend! 2 Tbsp cornstarch – love it! I swear by the stuff.
amazing cookies liz. wow!
Fluffy white citrus clouds — I love it.
Homemade orange juice? With a side of your raspberry sweet rolls, perhaps?! I’ll be over next Sunday. 
These sound delicious and I love how pretty they are. Definitely a must try.
Thanks, Paula! Anything covered in powdered sugar is automatically eye-catching, don’t you think?
you know what i like about you, Liz?
you share the important helpful stuff when you give your recipes to the blog world.
I love that I now know that the addition of cornstarch is what adds to the melt-in-your mouthness. And the tip about waiting for them to cool before sugaring?? SO HELPFUL!
Thank you, dear – for being an ALL STAR food blogger with great recipes I can rely on!
I’m thinking that these cookies may be made in the THS kitchen this week
[p.s. spoiler alert: these would be PERFECT for this week's upcoming Recipe Wednesday on HLB. just saying.]
And what I like about you is that I can read comments like these and instantly calm myself down on a busy day.
Definitely try these out, you’ll love them! And I will put a note on my calendar to share this Wednesday on HLB!
I love a cooler cookie
and really love grapefruit – I think I need to make some soon. these would FLY off the plates at our bakery 
I have been eating a grapefruit a day for the past week and a half. Cannot get enough! I say we make a variety of citrus coolers for the bakery.
yep – a lemon, a lime, a… raspberry? and as of this morning, Jason and I can vouch for the grapefruit being a winner! we had a snow day today so both of us are home – cookies were made right after I saw this!
They’re beautiful and Ive been on a citrus kick, too! Love the melt in your mouth quality. I recently made some sugar cookies and trialed a few recipes and was just meh about some of them. Glad to hear these are a win and soft and not dry!
Thank goodness we have citrus to brighten up our days in January, right?! Although I suppose with you in CA and me in FL, we can’t really complain about gloomy days.
These cookies are definitely not dry — somehow, I managed to strike the perfect balance (yay)!
I love citrus flavored cookies. These look super nice. I might try them with blood oranges since they are in season and I have a ton still in my fridge from my last recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
Jocelyn, blood oranges would be so good in these cookies! I just recently started eating those, but I love them. Let me know if you make them!
Delish! Just halved the recipe and made it with lemon (had everything but an orange)… In love! Can’t wait to try them with orange! I’m a total citrus girl (born and raised in Florida).
Thank you for the recipe! My favorite of yours so far!
I’m glad you enjoyed them with lemon, Joy! I kind of want to try them with a combination of lemon/lime… we’ll see.
Do you still live in Florida? I’m in Tallahassee. 
Lemon/lime combo sounds good! I will definitely be making the orange ones in the near future… Yep, still in Florida (Ft Lauderdale), though I am ready for a change-just not sure I can handle winter on regular basis… Hope you are enjoying Northern Florida!
Oh, gosh, don’t leave Fort Lauderdale for the north — trust me, you don’t want to have to handle winter.. haha! Northern FL is great, I love the lack of snow and mild winter.
I just tried those this evening and my husband absolutely LOVES them (and so do i). Definitely a great treat after a long day.
Thank you!
You’re welcome, Krystel! These are one of my favorite cookie recipes — so simple but so good. And you can change them up by using different types of citrus. Enjoy!
I am severely behind on your blog updates – but these cookies are calling my name! I pinned them to my cookie board so that I can make them the next time I’m in a cookie mood!
Made them… Again! For the 4th time.
Haha! The best recipes can be made over and over again… before you know it you’ll have the recipe memorized.
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