Vegan Orange Cookies
Updated: Nov 27, 2021
A perfect blend of sweet and tangy, these soft orange cookies add a delicious flavor profile to any cookie dish! It’s one of my grandma’s recipes (I’m not sure where she got it, but it’s delicious.) I don’t know why, but they seem like the perfect citrusy flavor for the holiday season.
Ingredients:
Batter:
2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
4 tbsp warm water
1 1/4 c sugar
3/4 c vegan butter or coconut oil, softened
1 c cashew milk (or another thick plant based milk)
3 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 lemon juiced and grated
1 1/2 orange juiced and grated
Icing:
3 tbsp vegan butter
1 orange juiced and grated
1/2 lemon juiced and grated
1-5 c powdered sugar
Directions:
Grate and juice the oranges and lemon (keep the juice and rinds in separate bowls for the icing and batter)
In a small bowl, whisk the ground flaxseeds and water together and set aside to gel
In the mixer, or a large bowl, beat the vegan butter and sugar together until it’s a smooth consistency
Add in your ROOM TEMPERATURE non-dairy milk* and beat until the ingredients are well incorporated
Stop the mixer, and add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, the grated rind and the juices of the lemon, and oranges
Mix the ingredients together until the flour is just incorporated into the batter
This is a slightly runnier cookie “dough” then normal, think pancake batter consistency, so if the dough is too runny, add flour 1 tbsp at a time. If the dough is too thick, add some plant-based milk or more juice 1 tbsp at a time until it’s the right consistency
Cover the batter and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F
Lightly grease 2 baking sheets
Pull the batter out of the fridge and scoop about 1 tbsp of the batter onto the baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches in between them
Place in the freezer for at least 8 minutes
Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until the edges are slightly dark (but not too dark, these cookies are supposed to be super soft)
While the cookies are cooling, in a bowl, melt the vegan butter or coconut oil
Add the grated rinds and the juices of the orange and lemon and stir
Add powdered sugar until it reaches a slightly thick consistency (the frosting should stay on the cookie when you spread it on, but it won’t be as thick as typical buttercream frostings)
Frost, and enjoy!
Notes: *If you forget, and add cold milk, you can take a hair dryer and heat the mixture up until the batter is smooth again
To store these cookies make sure you keep them in a structured container (they’re very soft, so if they’re in plastic bags, they’ll bend and/or break)
If layering them on top of each other, make sure to put wax paper in between so they don’t stick to each other because believe me, they will if given any opportunity
It might sound over the top, but to ensure your cookies don't get ruined, put the first layer of cookies in the container and then freeze them for about 10 minutes, then add the next layer and repeat
Freeze up to 2 months