Orange Cardamom Cookies (2024)

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Bring your typical shortbread cookie recipe to a whole new level with a little cardamom spice! Orange Cardamom Cookies are the perfect elegant addition to your holiday cookie platter.

With a crumbly shortbread cookie base, easy icing recipe, and chopped pistachios, these cardamom butter cookies are uniquely delicious!

Originally from Effortless Entertaining Cookbook, our Orange Cardamom Cookies have a shortbread dough made with pistachios, ground cardamom spice, orange zest, and almond extract. The flavors work together to create a floral and nutty cookie, complete with a simple glaze recipe!

You can even add an extra burst of color with a sprinkling of decorating sugar, ground pistachios, or even dried rose petals. As an added bonus, the shortbread dough can also be prepared and frozen ahead of time for easy holiday planning!

What is cardamom?

Cardamom is a type of spice derived from the seeds of plants in the ginger family. It’s a slightly sweet and warming spice that’s very versatile—it’s used in everything from curries and teas. And, of course, you can use cardamom in cookies!

Cardamom spice has only recently started to gain popularity here in the United States for baking, but it has long been a favorite in the Middle East, South Asia, and Scandinavia.

There are a few different varieties, but green cardamom is most often used in sweet treats, while black cardamom is usually used for savory dishes.

Use freshly ground cardamom from the pods when possible to get the most flavor out of the spice for all your cardamom recipes!

Cardamom Orange Cookies Ingredients

• 1 ¼cupsall-purpose flour
• ¾tsp. ground cardamom
• 1largeorange,zested
• ¼tsp.salt
• ½cupunsalted butter(1 stick), softened
• ½cupgranulated sugar
• 1largeegg
• 1tsp.almond extract
• ⅓cuppistachios,shelled and chopped

Simple Icing Recipe

• 1cuppowdered sugar
• 1Tbsp. milk(1 to 3 tablespoons)
• Decorating sugar or ground pistachios for garnish

The dough for these cardamom cookies is a simple shortbread recipe, with the added flavor of pistachios, orange zest, cardamom, and orange zest. These butter cookies are full of flavor and so delicious!

How to Make Cookies with Cardamom & Orange

1. In a medium bowl, combine 1 ¼ cups flour, ¾ tsp. ground cardamom, orange zest from one large orange, and ¼ tsp. salt. Set aside.
2. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or hand mixer on the medium-high setting, beat together 1 stick unsalted butter and ½ cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in 1 large egg and 1 tsp. almond extract. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Fold in ⅓ cup shelled and chopped pistachios with a spoon or spatula.
3. Place the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, and shape into a 2 x 12-inch (5 x 30-cm) log. Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until firm and chilled through.
4. Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and slice into ⅓-inch (8-mm) thick slices. Place the slices onto the prepared baking sheet, 1 inch apart, and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until slightly golden on the edges. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. In a small, wide bowl, slowly whisk 1 (to 3 Tbsp.) milk, 1 Tbsp. at a time, into 1 cup powdered sugar until just thin enough to coat the tops of the cookies. If too thick, add a little more milk. If too thin, whisk in a little more powdered sugar. Dip the top of each pistachio cookie into the glaze, dripping off any excess.
6. Top with decorating sugar or ground pistachios. Allow to set before storing in an airtight container.

If you have yet to try cardamom in cookies, give this butter cookies recipe a try! These orange cookies with cardamom are so delicious and are beautiful cookies for holiday celebrations or special occasions.

Orange Cardamom Cookies Recipe Tips

• Chill the dough: Chill the dough well before slicing. A sharp knife is best for cutting through the pieces of pistachio. If your slices are a little rectangular, shape them gently back into a circle.
• Work in batches: The glaze sets quickly, so work in batches when adding the toppings to make sure they have a chance to stick.
• Style the cookies: Styling the cookies is one of the favorite parts of baking in our kitchen (aside from sneaking a few bites of cookie dough). The kids will have fun decorating these cookies! The original recipe calls for decorating sugar. We actually alternate topping the freshly glazed cookies with ground pistachios and pearl sugar. I also like to sprinkle a few dried rose petals to add a floral hint and extra contrast of color to pair with the pistachio and orange.
• Double the recipe: Feeding a crowd or need more for a cookie exchange recipe? This recipe can easily be doubled and the prepared dough can be frozen ahead of time.

Try more of the best cookie recipes!

Browse our cookies category for more ideas, or try some of our favorites below:

• Greek Wedding Cookies
• Chocolate Oreo Crumbl Cookies
• Copycat Levain Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Guava Coconut Cookies Recipe
• Gluten Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

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