Easy One Bowl Soft Orange Cardamom Cookies (2024)

These Orange Cardamom Cookies are a mashup between a simple sugar cookie and a snickerdoodle, with warm cardamom spice and fresh orange flavor. The texture is perfection: crisp golden edges yield to a soft and chewy center. Make a batch today!

Sugar cookies are welcome in any cookie jar, with their simple flavor profile and ability to pair equally well with a cup of coffee or tea as they do with a glass of milk. These orange cardamom cookies are made in one bowl to satisfy a cookie craving ASAP. I started with my favorite Snickerdoodle cookie recipe when creating these cookies, and I'm very pleased where things ended up.

For more citrusy dessert inspiration, check out these Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies or this Lemon Cream Cheese Fruit Dip!

Ingredients

I include ingredient notes here when I think they’ll be helpful, including ways to source, any preparation tips, or why I've chosen a particular ingredient. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and their quantities!

• Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe and there's no need to bring it to room temperature to soften it. We'll be melting it for the simplest preparation.
• Eggs: As always, I use large eggs in developing my recipes.
• Granulated and Brown Sugars: Adding a combination of both plain white sugar and brown sugar adds an extra depth of flavor and moisture, thanks to the molasses in the brown sugar.
• Vanilla: Vanilla extract adds that familiar cozy warmth and sweet base to the flavors in this cookie.
• Orange Zest: Zest is the best way to add orange flavor to the cookies. For maximum flavor, zest your washed orange directly over the bowl so that you catch all of the oils.
• Cardamom: Ground cardamom is easy to find at your supermarket, no harvesting of seeds and hand grinding required. Check out the section below for more information on cardamom.
• All Purpose Flour: Your basic everyday four works perfectly here, just make sure you are scooping and leveling the flour so that you don't pack it into the measuring cup and add too much.
• Baking Soda: Baking soda will add lift to our cookies.

One Bowl Preparation

These cookies are meant to be baked at the drop of a hat. You can definitely get them mixed up before the oven is heated! Start by preheating the oven to 350°F.

Melt your butter in a large bowl in the microwave and then stir in the sugars and vanilla. Zest the orange with a micro plane grater directly over the bowl so that you capture all of those lovely oils. Add in the cardamom, vanilla, and eggs, and stir until combined.

Sprinkle the flour and baking soda right on top of the wet ingredients. Making this recipe in one bowl feels like so much less work, and I’ve never had any issue with the flour or baking soda clumping.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together well. You've got ribbons of lovely cookie dough all ready to scoop out and bake... NO CHILLING REQUIRED! It already smells heavenly and look at all of those lovely little specks of cardamom and orange zest in there!

Mix up ½ cup of granulated sugar and a teaspoon of ground cardamom in a small bowl for coating the dough balls. Use a cookie scoop to portion out generous tablespoonfuls of dough, roll them into balls, and then coat them with the cardamom-sugar mixture. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2-3 inches apart.

Baking the Cookies

Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes. They should be just barely getting a little color at the edges. Remove them from the oven and let them sit on the pan for an additional two minutes. This will allow them to continue to cook and get the golden edges you see above. Transfer them to wire racks to cool completely and enjoy right away for soft and chewy centers and crisp edges.

Equipment

A cookie scoop is a great tool for shaping this soft dough into balls before rolling in the cardamom and sugar mixture. I use one that is about one tablespoon in volume.

Storage

The Orange Cardamom Sugar Cookies should be stored in an airtight container. They will soften a bit more over the next couple of days and lose the crisp edges, but they are still delicious. I actually think the orange and cardamom flavors get richer the second day!

Make-Ahead Options

You can store the baked cookies for a couple of days in an airtight container, but making the dough ahead of time is a great time saver! Once the dough is mixed together, wrap it in two layers of plastic wrap and freeze it for up to six months. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight and then scoop, roll in sugar, and bake as needed.

Notes on Cardamom

Cardamom walks the sweet-savory line and I love the way it pairs with citrus. Generally I use cardamom in Indian spice mixes and if you've never had it before I'd describe it as part mint, part clove, and part coriander, so you can see how it can work in a cookie. Cardamom seeds are packed into pods which can be crushed and added to recipes (think Indian curries or kheer) or the seeds can be ground which is what we use for this recipe.

FAQ

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Check out these cookies and bars that are popular with the whole family:

Give these Orange Cardamom Cookies a try and let me know what you think of them in the comments. I want to see your results! Tag your photo with #planeatpostrepeat and mention me @planeatpostrepeat on Instagram or Facebook. I can give you a virtual high five and thank you for cooking one of my recipes! Comment below with any questions and please leave a review so others can find this recipe more easily.

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