Description
These Orange Clove Christmas Cookies are festive spiced shortbreads that combine the warm flavors of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, clove, and allspice with fresh orange zest and a sweet honey-molasses blend. Finished with a luscious orange and Cointreau glaze that crisps up beautifully in the oven, these cookies make an elegant and flavorful holiday treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 170 g butter, softened
- 2 tbsp (40 g) honey
- 2 tbsp (40 g) fancy molasses
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large orange, zested
- Few dehydrated orange rings, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger (or more, to taste)
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg (or more, to taste)
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- A pinch of clove
- A pinch of allspice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/2 cups flour (300 g)
Glaze
- 1 and 1/4 cup (about 150 g) icing sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) orange juice (or slightly more)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) Cointreau (or slightly more)
- A little pinch of clove
Instructions
- Cream the butter mixture: In a bowl, use a mixer to cream together the softened butter, honey, molasses, vanilla extract, and salt on medium speed for about one minute until smooth and well combined.
- Add spices and orange zest: Mix in the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, clove, allspice, and orange zest, beating for about 10 seconds to evenly incorporate the flavors.
- Form the dough: Gradually stir in the flour, starting with a whisk then finishing with a spoon until a soft, pliable, and slightly sticky dough forms. Adjust the consistency if needed by dusting with flour or adding a few drops of water or milk. Cover the dough and refrigerate it for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Prepare to shape cookies: If using a cookie stamp, shape small pieces of dough (1 tsp to 1 tbsp) into balls. Lightly dust both the balls of dough and the cookie stamp with flour to prevent sticking. Press the stamp onto the dough balls, flattening and spreading the dough to the edge of the stamp, then carefully remove the stamped dough and place onto a lined baking sheet. Trim uneven edges with a small round cookie cutter if needed and reuse scraps. Alternatively, roll out chilled dough and cut with cookie cutters if not stamping.
- Preheat and bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Arrange the cookies on lined baking sheet(s). Bake for 10-14 minutes, depending on cookie size and oven, until edges are lightly browned but still slightly underbaked as they will bake more after glazing.
- Make the glaze: While cookies bake, whisk together icing sugar, orange juice, Cointreau, and clove in a small bowl. Start with 2 tbsp of orange juice and liqueur each and adjust to get a thick but pourable, slightly runny glaze consistency, similar to runny honey. Substitute extra orange juice for alcohol if desired.
- Glaze and finish baking: Remove cookies from oven and let cool for a few minutes until easy to handle. Quickly dip each cookie into the glaze or pour glaze over each cookie, then return cookies to the baking sheet and place back in the still-on oven for 2 minutes. Turn oven off and leave the cookies inside for another 1-2 minutes to set the glaze, resulting in a crisp, crackling finish.
- Cool and store: Allow cookies to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. Enjoy these beautifully spiced, glazed Christmas cookies!
Notes
- Using flour to dust the cookie stamp and dough balls prevents sticking without adding extra sugar.
- The dough will be soft and slightly sticky; chilling helps firm it for easier shaping.
- You can substitute more orange juice for Cointreau to keep the glaze non-alcoholic.
- Remove cookies from oven when edges are lightly browned and slightly underbaked; final baking with glaze finishes cooking and crisps glaze perfectly.
- Reuse dough scraps by re-rolling and shaping to minimize waste.
- Store cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh and crispy.
