Easy Soft Orange Cream Cheese Cookies

Today we're making some little cookies that are super soft, melt in your mouth, and are so easy to prepare. These are bite-size orange cream cheese cookies, and they have such a delicious, refreshing flavor. It's an ideal beginner recipe for anyone who wants a treat that feels special, is perfect for sharing, but is still simple to whip up. To get started, grab a large bowl and add half a cup or 113 grams of room temperature butter, three quarters of a cup or 150 grams of granulated sugar, and one teaspoon or five grams of vanilla extract. Next, we'll add the zest of one orange. One important detail, when you're zesting, try to only get that colorful outer layer of the peel. Try not to reach the white part, or the cookies might taste a little bitter. We just want that bright, citrusy oil from the surface. Now beat this with a mixer until the mixture looks nice and creamy. Once that's ready, we're going to add the cream cheese. Put in half a cup or 113 grams of room temperature cream cheese, and beat it just a bit more until it's fully incorporated. Now add one medium egg. I'm using an egg straight from the fridge, so it's fine if it's cold. While the butter needs to be soft to achieve a creamy texture, the egg doesn't have to be room temperature. Beat everything until it's well combined and then set it aside. In another bowl, combine one and three quarters cups or 210 grams of all-purpose flour, half a teaspoon or two grams of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Give those a quick mix. Next, we're going to add this flour mixture to our wet ingredients little by little. I like to do this in about three additions. Use a spatula to gently fold it in, using cutting motions through the center of the dough to help the flour incorporate easily. Scrape down the sides as you go until you have a thick dough. At this point, the dough will be too soft to roll with your hands, so we'll put the bowl in the fridge for about one hour, or a little longer if needed, until it's firm enough to handle without sticking to your hands. When it's ready, we'll scoop the dough into portions that are about one tablespoon each. I'm using a cookie scoop with a one tablespoon capacity to keep them all even. Level off the scoop each time so your cookies are the same size. Roll the dough between your palms to form a little ball and place it onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure to leave some space between them because they'll grow and spread a bit in the oven. If your pan isn't big enough for all of them, you can bake them in batches and just keep the rest of the dough in the fridge while the first set bakes. We're going to bake these in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or 180 degrees Celsius, for about 12 to 15 minutes. You'll know they're done when the bottoms are lightly golden. Once they come out, let them rest on the pan for a few minutes to firm up. Then, use a spatula to move them to a cooling rack so they can cool down completely. While those are cooling, let's make a quick glaze. In a bowl, mix half a cup, or 70 grams, of powdered sugar with about one tablespoon, or 15 grams, of pure orange juice. I recommend adding the juice little by little and mixing as you go. If you add even a tiny bit more than necessary, it can become too runny and you'll need to add more sugar to reach the right consistency. You can add a few drops of food coloring to make it orange. I'm using a bit of red and yellow gel coloring. Keep adding a tiny bit of juice until you have a creamy texture that isn't too liquid, so it stays perfectly on the cookie. Transfer your glaze to a small piping bag, snip off the tip, and make a nice zigzag pattern over half of each cookie. If you want to cover the whole cookie, you might need to make a little more glaze. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for two or three days, or in the fridge for up to one week. And that's it! Little bite-sized orange cream cheese cookies that are incredibly soft and easy to prepare. If you enjoyed this easy dessert, please give the video a like and subscribe for more recipes. See you next time!