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Orange Creamsicle Cookies taste exactly like the orange and vanilla ice cream bar I chased down the ice cream truck for as a kid, only in soft, pillowy cookie form. A cream cheese dough keeps them tender, orange zest and extract bring the citrus, and white chocolate chips add little pockets of creamy vanilla. Maddie and Lizzie inhaled the first batch on a sunny afternoon before they even cooled. If you love our white chocolate thumbprint cookies, these bright, citrusy ones are a must.
A cream cheese based dough makes these orange creamsicle cookies extra soft and tender, with bright orange flavor in every bite.
Orange Creamsicle Cookies Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 12 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 27 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 30 cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 132kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Bright orange and creamy vanilla with white chocolate
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our white chocolate thumbprint cookies
Quick Answer
To make orange creamsicle cookies, cream softened butter and cream cheese until smooth, then beat in powdered sugar, an egg, orange zest, orange extract, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the flour, tint the dough orange with a little gel food coloring, and fold in white chocolate chips. Dollop the dough onto a tray and chill for an hour, then roll the chilled dough into balls, coat in granulated sugar, and bake at 350 degrees for 11 to 12 minutes. The cream cheese keeps these orange creamsicle cookies soft, tender, and bursting with citrus flavor.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Cream cheese makes them ultra soft. Creaming cream cheese with the butter gives these orange creamsicle cookies a tender, melt in your mouth texture that stays soft for days.
- Zest plus extract doubles the orange. Fresh orange zest adds natural citrus oils while orange extract boosts the flavor, so the cookies taste vividly of creamsicle.
- Chilling prevents spreading. An hour in the fridge firms up the soft dough so the cookies bake up thick and puffy instead of flat.
- White chocolate echoes the vanilla. White chocolate chips melt into creamy pockets that mimic the vanilla ice cream side of a classic creamsicle.
- A sugar coating adds sparkle and crunch. Rolling the dough balls in granulated sugar gives the orange creamsicle cookies a lightly crisp, sparkly exterior.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They taste just like a nostalgic orange creamsicle, soft, sweet, and full of bright citrus.
- A cream cheese dough keeps these cookies tender and bakery soft for days.
- They are easy, freezer friendly, and a fun pop of color, just like our
Key Ingredients
A handful of baking staples plus fresh orange come together for these soft creamsicle cookies.
- Butter and Cream Cheese: Both softened, they cream into a rich base that makes these orange creamsicle cookies incredibly tender.
- Orange Zest and Orange Extract: The dynamic duo for big citrus flavor. Fresh zest adds brightness while extract intensifies the orange.
- White Chocolate Chips: They melt into creamy, vanilla like pockets that capture the creamsicle vibe.
- Powdered Sugar: It sweetens and keeps the texture soft and fine, rather than coarse.
- Gel Food Coloring: A touch of red and yellow gel gives that signature creamsicle orange color. It is optional but fun.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These orange creamsicle cookies are easy to adapt.
- Skip the dye: Leave out the food coloring for naturally pale, still delicious cookies.
- Add a glaze: Drizzle with a simple orange powdered sugar glaze for extra sweetness.
- Different chips: Swap white chocolate for orange or vanilla chips.
- Lemon creamsicle: Use lemon zest and extract for a citrus twist, like our How to Make Orange Creamsicle Cookies
- Cream the softened butter and cream cheese together until smooth, using a stand or hand mixer.
- Beat in the powdered sugar a little at a time, then add the egg, orange zest, baking powder, orange extract, vanilla, and salt and mix to combine.
- Add the flour and stir until no dry patches remain, then tint the dough with equal parts red and yellow gel food coloring until creamsicle orange.
- Stir in the white chocolate chips until evenly distributed through the dough.
- Dollop 1 and a half tablespoon portions onto a lined tray and chill one hour. Roll into balls and coat each in granulated sugar, working with a few at a time.
- Place the dough balls three inches apart and bake at 350 degrees for 11 to 12 minutes until puffed and set. Cool on the tray, then transfer to a rack.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Soften the butter and cream cheese fully so they cream together smoothly with no lumps.
- Do not skip the chill, as it keeps these soft orange creamsicle cookies from spreading too thin.
- Use gel, not liquid, food coloring so you get vivid color without thinning the dough.
- Zest before juicing and use only the orange part of the peel, since the white pith is bitter.
- Roll in sugar right before baking for the prettiest sparkly, crackly tops.
- Pull them when just set; they finish on the hot tray and stay soft as they cool.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These orange creamsicle cookies are a sunny treat any time of year. Serve them with a cold glass of milk or alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream to lean fully into the creamsicle theme.
They are perfect for cookie trays, spring and summer parties, and bake sales. Pair them with other soft cookies like our
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white-chocolate-thumbprint-cookies/”>white chocolate thumbprint cookies and
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lemon-sandwich-cookies-recipe/”>lemon sandwich cookies for a bright, citrusy spread.
Building a cookie box? Mix these orange creamsicle cookies with our
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crispy-peanut-butter-cookies-lunch-lady-recipe/”>lunch lady peanut butter cookies and
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the-best-almond-cookies-easy-recipe/”>almond cookies for a variety of flavors and textures, then tie it up with a ribbon.
Orange Creamsicle Cookies FAQs
Why are my orange creamsicle cookies flat?Flat cookies usually mean the dough was too warm. Be sure to chill the orange creamsicle cookie dough for a full hour, and work with just a few dough balls at a time so they stay cold before baking.
Can I make orange creamsicle cookies without food coloring?Absolutely. The gel food coloring is purely cosmetic, giving that signature orange hue. Your orange creamsicle cookies will taste exactly the same without it.
How do I store orange creamsicle cookies?Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. The cream cheese dough keeps these orange creamsicle cookies soft and tender the whole time.
Can I freeze orange creamsicle cookie dough?Yes. Freeze the portioned dough balls on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time.
What does orange extract do in these cookies?Orange extract concentrates the citrus flavor beyond what zest alone provides, giving the orange creamsicle cookies their bold, unmistakable orange taste.
Can I use orange juice instead of extract?Orange juice adds liquid without much flavor, so it is not a good substitute. Stick with zest and extract for the strongest orange creamsicle cookie flavor.
Craving more soft cookies? Try our lemon sandwich cookies next.
Easy Orange Creamsicle Cookies
These soft orange creamsicle cookies have a tender cream cheese dough, bright citrus flavor, and white chocolate chips, just like the classic ice cream bar.Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon navel orange zest
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons orange extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon red gel food coloring optional
- ⅛ teaspoon yellow gel food coloring optional
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth.½ cup unsalted butter, 4 ounces cream cheese
- Add the powdered sugar to the bowl a little at a time until mixed in. Add the egg, orange zest, baking powder, orange extract, vanilla extract, and salt, mix to combine.1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon navel orange zest, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons orange extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Add in the flour and stir to combine until there are no dry patches, scrape down the sides as needed.1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- Add equal parts red gel food coloring and yellow gel food coloring until you get your desired color, optional.⅛ teaspoon red gel food coloring, ⅛ teaspoon yellow gel food coloring
- Stir in the white chocolate chips.1 cup white chocolate chips
- Line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Take 1 & ½ tablespoons of the cookie dough and dollop them on to the sheet tray, they can be close together. Place into the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper. Add the granulated sugar to a small bowl.¼ cup granulated sugar
- Roll the dough balls in your hands to form balls, roll in the granulated sugar. Only work with a few cookies at a time so the dough doesn’t warm up too much.
- Place the coated dough balls about 3 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes until they are puffed up, lightly golden brown on the bottom and they appear dry on top.
- Let cool on the sheet tray for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Chill the Dough: Let the dough rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour to help flavors develop and keep cookies from spreading too much.
- Don’t Overbake: These cookies should still look slightly soft in the center of the cookie when you remove them from the oven.
- Test a Single Cookie: If you’re worried about color or sweetness, bake one cookie first, taste it, and adjust if needed.
- Use Gel Food Coloring: Gel coloring is stronger than regular food dye, so you need only a tiny bit to get a bright, orange color.
- Make ‘Em Chewy: If you like chewy orange creamsicle cookies, take them out of the oven at the 11-minute mark. If you like them crispier, leave them a minute longer.
- Experiment with Extracts: If you want a deeper vanilla flavor, use half a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste in place of the usual extract for a more luxurious taste.
Nutrition DisclaimerNutrition
Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 40mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 156IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 0.4mgLove This Recipe?
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