Tangerine Vanilla Sugar Cookies are the perfect citrus cookie that’s crispy on the edges and chewy in the center!
Tangerine Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Inspired by one of my favorite candle fragrances (Tangerine Vanilla by Yankee Candle), I recently created these delicious tangerine vanilla sugar cookies! They’re crispy on the edges, chewy in the center, and full of citrus flavor.
I’ve been on quite the citrus kick lately! If you missed the Lemon Bread Pudding I posted earlier this week, be sure to check it out! It’s delicious as well.
These tangerine vanilla cookies are the quintessential summer cookies. The citrus smells so fresh and amazing! Plus, there is no glaze or icing so you can pack them up for outdoor picnics, beach trips, and more outdoor activities without worrying about melting.
Can I Make These Cookies with any Citrus Fruit?
These cookies are made with tangerines, but you can definitely use oranges as well. Actually, any citrus fruit would be delicious as well. I’ll have to try these cookies with lemons and limes too. Yum!
I like to add fresh tangerine zest on top of these cookies as they come out of the oven. Your kitchen will smell absolutely divine! Plus, I love the extra boost of citrus flavor, but you can certainly leave it off as well. There is plenty of tangerine flavor baked right inside the cookie.
Baking Tips for Tangerine Vanilla Sugar Cookies
- Always use fresh citrus juice (in this case, tangerine).
- Don’t skip the zest. You can find the microplane I use for zesting here.
- Be sure to use cold butter and cream it with the sugar until light and fluffy.
- You can make any size cookies, I made quite large sugar cookies. The baking time will vary depending on your size of cookie so just watch carefully and be careful not to over-bake! You still want the inside to be chewy.
- I added extra zest and sparkling sugar on top of my cookies after removing from the oven. This is an optional step, but it makes these cookies extra delish!
Speaking of sparkling sugar, I LOVE to keep this in my pantry and use it for sprinkling on top of cookies as well as pies, cobblers, and more! It’s a great baking pantry staple.
Tangerine Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter cold, cut into cubes
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons fresh tangerine juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons tangerine zest
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for at least 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Add in eggs, tangerine juice, vanilla extract, and tangerine zest. Stir to combine.
- Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix just until combined. Do not over-mix.
- Drop dough by the spoonful on to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes. For larger cookies, aim for 11+ minutes. For smaller cookies, aim for 9 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid over-baking.
- Optional: When removing cookies from oven, sprinkle with sugar and top with extra tangerine zest.
My daughter and I baked extra tangerine vanilla sugar cookies for our sweet neighbors and packaged them up with the candle. She was so excited to gift them!
I hope you’ll try these tangerine vanilla sugar cookies!
For more of my favorite citrus recipes, check out these below:
These cookies are so refreshing and good. I will be making these again. Just the right amount of sweetness.
Thank you!
Just wondering salted or unsalted butter?
Can’t wait to try, looks sooo yummy.
&CONGRATULATIONS
Pamela, I used salted!