Flecks of orange zest brightened with a touch of lemon nestled inside a tender, buttery cookie that’s been rolled in toasted walnuts and a sprinkling of sugar. This is a delightful addition to your list of holiday cookies!
Oranges were always at our house during the holidays. Sent every Christmas by a rancher that my Dad bought cattle from, they arrived in a glorious gift box with each gorgeous piece of fruit wrapped in holiday paper. This cookie is a beautiful cross between a traditional sugar cookie and shortbread with a delicate flavor making it perfect to showcase the vibrancy of those oranges.
Creamy butter is blended with sugar plus one golden egg yolk to provide the backdrop ideal to host a generous portion of both orange and lemon zest. A drop or two of orange oil highlights the citrus notes along with a splash of pure vanilla.
Little balls of cookie dough are dipped in egg wash then rolled in crunchy walnuts sweetened lightly with a bit of sugar, making for a delicious coating. Then they’re gently flattened before popping them in the oven for a quick bake.
This is a small batch recipe – you’ll have enough for nibbling by the fire while you watch the lights twinkling on your tree – and enough to share with a friend!
Orange Walnut Cookies
½ cup butter, room temperature
⅔ cup sugar, divided
1 extra-large egg, separated
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon orange oil or extract
1 cup flour
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon orange zest, about 3 lemons
1 tablespoon lemon zest, about 3 to 4 lemons
2 cups finely chopped toasted walnuts
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with ⅓ cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Add the egg yolk and beat into the butter and sugar on medium speed, about 30 seconds. In a small bowl whisk together the flour and kosher salt. Stir in the vanilla extract and orange oil along with the flour and salt, blending into the butter and sugar mixture on low speed just until blended, about 30 seconds.
Toss in the orange and lemon zest then blend into the batter on low speed.
Whisk the remaining ⅓ cup sugar with the chopped walnuts.
Scoop small rounds of dough out, about 1” diameter. Coat the cookies in the unbeaten egg white then roll each one in the walnuts and sugar.
Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat liner or with parchment paper and flatten slightly with your hands. The cookies should be about ½″ thick. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly golden on the bottom.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Makes 2 dozen cookies.
Orange Walnut Cookies
Equipment
- Electric mixer
- Zester
- Baking sheets lined with Silpat liners or parchment paper
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- ⅔ cup sugar, divided
- 1 extra-large egg, separated
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon orange oil or extract
- 1 cup flour
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon orange zest, about 3 lemons
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, about 3 to 4 lemons
- 2 cups finely chopped toasted walnuts
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with ⅓ cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add the egg yolk and beat into the butter and sugar on medium speed, about 30 seconds.
- In a small bowl whisk together the flour and kosher salt.
- Stir in the vanilla extract and orange oil along with the flour and salt, blending into the butter and sugar mixture on low speed just until blended, about 30 seconds.
- Toss in the orange and lemon zest then blend into the batter on low speed.
- Whisk the remaining ⅓ cup sugar with the chopped walnuts.
- Scoop small rounds of dough out, about 1” diameter. Coat the cookies in the unbeaten egg white then roll each one in the walnuts and sugar.
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat liner or with parchment paper and flatten slightly with your hands. The cookies should be about ½” thick.
- Bake in a 350-degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly golden on the bottom.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
4 thoughts on “Orange Walnut Cookies”
These are wonderful! I did not have any fresh oranges or lemons, so I subbed the rind with extract for both lemon and orange. I can only imagine how much better they would be, and these were phenomenal, if they have the fresh rind. Next time, however, I will make half of the ground nuts and sugar, as I still have half of it left, and I made sure to coat all of them well. I don’t much care to make cookies, but I was looking for something simple, but elegant, for company tonight. These will be perfect.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, and hope your company does as well! It’s an old, old recipe which are quite often the best. Thanks for sharing and for following our blog!
Donna
My mom made cookies similar or the same as this recipe when I was young because we had an orange tree in our yard. They were a treat! She used fresh orange juice and powdered sugar to make an icing drizzle and that was the perfect finishing touch. I just got a bag of oranges from dad, and am going to make some in her honor. My mom was an incredible self-taught humble cook.
What a wonderful memory – thank you for sharing! I grew up in the Texas Panhandle and the weather was certainly not suitable for any type of citrus tree! Appreciate the note and thanks for following.
All my best,
Donna