After baking so many cookies over the winter for my 12 Days of Christmas Cookies Cookie Box, you’d think I would be tired of cookies, but I’m not! My little boys love cookies, and our freezer is always well stocked with a variety of yummy treats to fill their cookie jar. Today’s recipe for orange ginger shortbread cookies was on my list for this winter, and it seems like the perfect time to share it for citrus season. These shortbread cookies are buttery and not too sweet, spiced with candied orange peel, as well as both ground ginger and candied ginger. A thin glaze of orange icing adds more delicious orange flavor that’s just perfect with these slightly spicy cookies.
Looking for more holiday cookie recipes? Don’t miss these cranberry pecan shortbread cookies, decorated gingerbread cookies, and buttercream frosted Christmas tree cookies.
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Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour. Adds structure and protein to the cookie dough.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens the dough. The fine texture of powdered sugar makes a softer, more tender cookie than granulated sugar does.
- Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Ginger. Both ground ginger and candied ginger adds flavor and a touch of heat
- Candied Orange Peel. Adds orange flavor, as well as a hint of bitterness from the peel, which nicely balances the sweetness in the cookies. Get the recipe for candied orange peel, and keep a batch on hand.
- Unsalted Butter. Adds fat, moisture, richness and flavor.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Milk. Moistens the dough and binds it together.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Instructions
Make and chill the dough.
- In a food processor, pulse the flour, powdered sugar, salt, ground ginger, candied ginger and candied orange peel, until the candied ginger and orange peel is finely chopped and evenly distributed.
- With the processor running, drop the pieces of butter in, pulsing just until distributed. Add the vanilla and the milk. Process until the crumbs start to stick together into a soft dough.
- Dump the dough out onto the counter, and knead a few times to bring it together into a smooth, supple ball of dough with your hands.
- Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes.
Roll out the dough and cut the cookies.
- Lightly flour a clean work surface, and dust the dough with flour as well. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick or slightly thinner. Dip a cookie cutter in flour and cut as many cookies as you can. Gather up the scraps, re-roll the dough, and continue cutting cookies until you’ve used up all the dough.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set the cut cookies on the baking sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake the chilled cookies on the center oven rack for about 11 1/2 minutes. They should still be pale in color, with flaky edges, no dark browning, and no appearance of raw wet dough in the middle. If your cookies are larger/thicker, they may need to bake a little longer.
Brush the cookies with orange icing.
- Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Set the rack over the baking sheet, and brush the warm cookies with the glaze.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make a stamped design on shortbread cookies?
To learn how to make the stamped designs on your shortbread cookies, please review this post for stamped chocolate shortbread cookies. The stamping technique looks prettiest with a dark dough and light icing. It’s not as noticeable on these orange ginger shortbread cookies since the color of the dough and icing is so similar.
Can I make these cookies without the icing?
Yes, of course, the cookies are great with or without the icing. I made the icing very thin, so it was a translucent glaze brushed over the cookies. But you can make it thicker with less liquid, and spread it on top of the cookies for a sweeter finish. It would look beautiful sprinkled with more of the candied orange peel and ginger.
What if I don’t have candied orange peel?
Candied orange peel is very easy to make, and you can review my recipe here. The sugary orange peel keeps for a long time in an airtight container, and I use it as a garnish on all kinds of baked treats to add a hint of orange flavor. If you don’t want to make any, just use a little fresh orange zest instead. Of course, you can also buy candied orange peel!
What if I don’t have candied or crystallized ginger?
Candied or crystallized ginger is a yummy ingredient that’s absolutely delicious eaten as candy, or chopped and added to baked goods. If you like, you can leave it out and just increase the ground ginger in the cookie dough.
Can I make shortbread cookie dough without a food processor?
You can, but it takes a bit more effort than the ease of using a food processor. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, then use a pastry cutter to cut the butter in until evenly distributed. Add the vanilla and milk, and use your hands to quickly work the liquid into the crumbs until it all comes together into a soft dough.
Can I make the cookies or dough in advance and freeze them?
Yes, both the cookies and the dough freeze very well. After baking the cookies, store them in an airtight container and freeze for 3-6 months. To make the dough ahead of time, wrap it well in plastic wrap, label the dough, and freeze for 3-6 months until you’re ready to bake your cookies.
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Orange Ginger Shortbread Cookies with Orange Icing
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ¾ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp roughly chopped candied ginger (or increase the ground ginger to 1 1/4 tsp)
- 1 tbsp roughly chopped candied orange peel (or 1 tsp freshly grated orange zest)
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
Icing
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 2 tsp light corn syrup
- 2 ½ tbsp orange juice, warm
Instructions
Cookies
- In a food processor, pulse the flour, powdered sugar, salt, ground ginger, candied ginger and candied orange peel, until the candied ginger and orange peel is finely chopped and evenly distributed.
- With the processor running, drop the pieces of butter in, pulsing just until distributed.Add the vanilla and the milk. Process until the crumbs start to stick together.
- Dump the dough out onto the counter, and knead a few times to bring it together into a smooth, supple ball of dough with your hands.
- If you don't have a food processor, you can make this dough with a bowl and pastry cutter. You'll need to cut the butter in with the pastry cutter, then use your hands to work in the cream until you have a smooth dough. It's much easier and quicker with a food processor, though.
- Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes.
- Lightly flour a clean work surface, and dust the dough with flour as well. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick or slightly thinner. Dip a cookie cutter in flour and cut as many cookies as you can. Gather up the scraps, re-roll the dough, and continue cutting cookies until you've used up all the dough. How many cookies you get will depend on the thickness of your dough and the size of your cookie cutters.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set the cut cookies on the baking sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. If you have room in your freezer, you can just freeze the pans for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350.Bake the chilled cookies on the center oven rack for about 11 1/2 minutes. They should still be pale in color, with flaky edges, no dark browning, and no appearance of raw wet dough in the middle. If your cookies are larger/thicker, they may need to bake a little longer.
- Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Set the rack over the baking sheet, and brush the warm cookies with the glaze.
Icing
- In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, corn syrup and orange juice until smooth.
- After transferring the warm cookies to a cooling rack, immediately brush the cookies with the glaze, using a pastry brush.
- Let the cookies cool and the icing set completely before storing.
Notes
- Stamped Cookies: For stamped cookies, follow the instructions outlined in this post for stamped chocolate shortbread cookies.
- Make in Advance: The dough can be made in advance, wrapped well, and refrigerated up to 5 days, or frozen for 3-6 months.
- Storing: Leftover cookies should be stored in an airtight container for 7-10 days.
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