Biting into one of these white chocolate orange cookies will take you back to the summer days of your youth. With the tangy orange zest and sweet white chocolate, they are reminiscent of the orange creamsicles we all loved so much!
WHITE CHOCOLATE ORANGE COOKIES
When I was a kid, we loved creamsicles so much that my mom came up with these orange zest cookies to replicate the flavor. We called them orange dream cookies or orange cream cookies, but they are most often known as creamsicle cookies. Whatever you call them, they are dang tasty!
I love white chocolate in cookies, and this recipe is a favorite of mine. The orange flavor is just wonderful and they are always soft and chewy in the middle and crisp around the edges. Yum! I like them with pecans, and they are also great with semi sweet chocolate chips.
We go through a lot of oranges this time of year, so I stock up on grated orange peel (aka zest). Every time we eat an orange, I zest it first. Then I measure out teaspoonfuls of the zest, dump them onto a small plastic lid, and pop them into the freezer.
After about an hour, I take them off the lid and place them into a small freezer container. Then, every time I need orange zest, I just grab the container and pull out however many teaspoons I need. They defrost really quickly and it is so simple!
HOW TO MAKE ORANGE COOKIES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE
Ingredients needed:
- margarine (The texture of these cookies is best with half margarine, half butter, but you can use all margarine or all butter if you prefer.)
- butter (I use salted butter.)
- granulated sugar
- brown sugar (I use light brown sugar, but dark brown works just fine.)
- egg (I use large eggs in all of my recipes.)
- freshly grated orange zest (Dried orange peel doesn’t add the same flavor, use the fresh stuff!)
- vanilla extract
- all purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
- white chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli brand the best.)
- PREP – Soften your butter to room temperature. It’s best to let it soften on the counter for a few hours. Zest the orange(s) until you have at least two tablespoons.
Line baking sheets with silicone liners or spray with non stick spray. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. - WET INGREDIENTS: Cream butters and sugars together in a large bowl. Beat in the egg, orange zest, and vanilla.
- DRY INGREDIENTS: Either whisk together the dry ingredients in a small bowl and add them, or dump in the flour, make a well on top, and carefully stir the dry ingredients into the pile of flour. Stir just till flour is moistened; stir in the chips.
- FORM – I recommend using a cookie scoop to portion the dough. Roll it into balls and place on prepared pans.
- BAKE -Bake at 375° for about 8-10 minutes, or until tops are set and edges are lightly browned.
PRO TIP: For pretty bakery style cookies, after you roll the dough into balls, press some white chocolate chips into the tops of each cookie dough ball.
Store leftover cookies in airtight containers at room temperature. They will last for up to 5 days.
To store longer, you can freeze them. I like to place cooled cookies in heavy duty ziplock bags, then freeze them. They will last for 3-4 months in the freezer.
ORANGE COOKIE VARIATIONS:
- Instead of using white chocolate, try semi sweet or dark chocolate chip. The dark chocolate pairs really well with the orange flavor, and the cookies are less sweet and more rich.
- Add a cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter. Toasting them first makes them extra tasty!
- Stir in a cup of dried cherries or Craisins. This is especially nice during the holidays as the red color makes the cookies look so festive!
RECIPES USING ORANGE ZEST:
MORE SIMPLE COOKIES YOU’LL LOVE:
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Brookies
- Andes Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Kiss Cookies
- Melted Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Easy Sugar Cookies
- Strawberry Cookies (with white chocolate)
- Andes Mint Cookies
- Cookies and Cream Blossoms
ORANGE CREAMSICLE COOKIES RECIPE
Orange Creamsicle Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup margarine
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp grated orange peel
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- ¾ tsp soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups white baking chips
Instructions
- Zest oranges to get two tablespoons of zest; set aside. (I used two oranges.)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cream margarine, butter, brown sugar, and sugar in a large bowl.
- Beat in egg, orange peel, and vanilla.
- Stir in dry ingredients and white chips.
- Drop dough by spoonfuls on lightly greased or silicone lined cookie sheets.
- Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes. Let sit on pans for 3-5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
(Recipe originally published 12/17/2008, post updated September 2020.)
These white chocolate orange cookies will be a hit any time of year! Give them a try and let me know how you like them. 🙂
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Just enter your email and get it sent right to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!
Can I add a small amount of orange extract ???
Yes, I think that should work just fine!
I did not expect this combo to actually be super good! The white chocolate in cookies with the orange flavor was so delicious. It was crispy outside and moist inside, so yum!
I’ve seen other people have the same reaction when they bite into one. So glad you enjoyed them, I sure do! 🙂
I love creamsicle anything and these cookies were no exception! So good, soft and chewy, we couldn’t get enough of them!
Glad you loved them! Creamsicle treats are always yummy, but I especially enjoy them when it’s hot outside. 🙂