Orange Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Recipe By: Cece Kirkwood This post may contain affiliate links.

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These festive Orange Cinnamon Sugar Cookies are the ultimate fusion of festive flavors with the classic sugar cookie we all know and love to decorate every holiday season. You know, those cozy holiday nights with family, baking cookies, decorating and just devouring cookie after cookie after cookie. 

They are soft, delectable with every bite and the orange and cinnamon flavors are subtle but so beautiful. I’m just so excited to share this one with you, let’s go ahead and dig into it, shall we? 

Looking for more holiday baking? Check out all the Baking by Cece Holiday recipes!

The Process 

Mix together the Orange Cinnamon Sugar Cookie dough: 

After pre-measuring the ingredients, in an electric mixer, combine the sugars, butter and whipping cream. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. This will take about 3-4 minutes. Set a timer, walk away and let the mixer do its thing. 

Then add in the egg, vanilla and orange zest and mix on low-medium speed until just combined. 

Next, in a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Then, gradually add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture, being sure to wipe down the bowl between additions.

Prep and chill the dough: 

Grab a sheet of parchment paper at least 9 x 13”, lay it on your work surface and dust with flour. 

Then, dump the cookie dough on the lower third of the parchment paper, closest to you. Dust that with flour, then dust your hands with flour. Using your hands, push the dough together to form a long log shape. It should be about the length of the short end of the parchment paper. 

Dust with a bit more flour, then roll up the dough in the parchment paper. Place the log on a baking sheet and chill for 1-2 hours until firm or up to 2 days. 

Shape and cut the cookies & bake: 

With about 30 minutes left in the chilling, preheat the oven to 400ºF. After chilling, either…

Remove the log and slice the cookies into 1/4 inch cuts. If your log wasn’t a perfect circle, like mine, gently shape the cookie into a circular form before placing it on the sheet. 

Or, roll the log out into about 1/4 inch thick sheet of cookie dough and use cookie dough cutters to cut out the cookies into any shape you like! 

Place the cookies on a baking sheet, at least a couple inches apart. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Be sure to stay close by as these cookies bake up quickly! 

Cool the Orange Cinnamon Sugar Cookies and decorate:

Allow the cookies to fully cool on a baking rack. While the cookies cool, mix together all the icing ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Once the cookies have completely cooled, decorate the cookies using a piping bag or a simple spoon and knife to spread the goodness around. 

The Tips 

Do I need an electric mixer to make these cookies?

Yes, you do need an electric mixer to whip the butter up into a very fluffy and light state. Either a hand held or standing electric mixer will work! 

Why is this recipe in grams?

Baking is a science and in science you want things to be exact and precise. The best way to do this is by weighing out your ingredients using a simple scale. Ever baked a cookie using the same recipe, yet somehow it turns out slightly different each time? That is because when measuring by volume, you can’t be as precise. It is vital that your ingredient ratios are accurate for a reliable bake every time.

Do I need to refrigerate the Orange and Cinnamon Sugar Cookies dough before baking?

Yes! I promise I am truly not trying to make these more difficult for you. This recipe has a lot of butter and sugar in it, which are two ingredients that will melt, spread and burn very quickly in the oven if they are not brought back to the same chilly temperature needed. If you’d like to learn more about the effect chilling time has on cookies, check out my baking basics blog post! 

How long do the Orange Cinnamon Sugar Cookies last in the fridge?

Before baking, the sugar cookie dough can be made ahead of time up to 2 days and will stay well in the fridge if tightly wrapped. 

After baking and decorating, these cookies will stay good in the fridge for up to 1 week when packed in an airtight container. 

The Orange Cinnamon Cookies Recipe

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