Soft Vanilla-Orange Tea Cookies
Simple, tender little cookies with plenty of vanilla and a gentle touch of orange. They bake up soft in the middle with lightly golden bottoms and a delicate tea-cookie texture.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven. Heat to 350°F / 175°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Whisk eggs and sugar. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar for about 1 minute, until smooth and slightly lighter.
- Add the wet ingredients. Whisk in the oil, vanilla, and orange juice until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
- Mix gently. Stop as soon as no dry flour remains. Do not overmix.
- Check the dough. The dough should be soft, slightly tacky, and able to hold a scoop shape.
- Chill only if needed. If the dough is too sticky to handle, refrigerate it for 20-30 minutes instead of adding extra flour.
- Portion. Scoop about 1 1/2 Tbsp dough per cookie.
- Shape. Roll gently into balls with lightly oiled or slightly damp hands.
- Flatten slightly. Place about 2 inches apart and press each ball down gently with fingertips or the bottom of a glass.
- Bake. Bake for about 11-14 minutes, beginning to check at 11 minutes.
- Check for doneness. The tops should look dry, the edges should be set, and the bottoms should be just lightly golden while the tops remain fairly pale.
- Cool on the pan. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes.
- Finish cooling. Transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
Optional Finish
- Serve plain.
- Dust cooled cookies lightly with confectioners’ sugar.
- For a dressier version, drizzle with a simple confectioners’-sugar-and-orange-juice glaze.
- Unbaked dough: Refrigerate covered for up to about 24 hours.
- Room temperature: Store baked cookies airtight for about 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze completely cooled cookies for up to 2 months.
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