These Orange Zest Sprinkle Cookies come out tender and light, with butter, sugar, and eggs beating into a soft dough that bakes into gentle domes with lightly browned bottoms. The orange zest does not take over; it settles into the crumb and frosting as a light citrus note behind the vanilla, which makes these soft sugar cookies especially fitting for spring.
I like them for an Easter tray or any afternoon when orange cookies and a handful of sprinkles are enough to brighten the table. These make a —dare I say quaint— addition to a tiered cookie tray alongside a cup of tea or coffee.
Note: The Steps + Photos, Tips for Success and Tools & Equipment sections I think you’ll find very helpful for this recipe. But you can Jump to Recipe to walk you down to the full ingredients and instructions, too.
Tools & Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Small mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Parchment paper
- Cookie sheet and cooling rack
- Plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel
- Whisk or spoon
- Microplane or fine grater (I love my OXO barrel zester)
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Steps + Photos to make this recipe for Orange Italian Sprinkle Cookies
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture looks light and fluffy. This first step gives these easy sprinkle cookies their soft, airy texture.
Step 2: Add the fresh orange zest, vanilla extract, and one egg, mixing until combined, then add the second egg and mix well. The dough begins to loosen and turn glossy as the eggs absorb into the butter mixture.
Step 3: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and beat with an electric mixer until a soft dough forms.
Step 4: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. This rest firms the dough so it is easier to roll and helps the cookies hold their shape.
Step 5: Roll the chilled dough into 30 1-inch balls and place them on parchment-lined cookie sheets, leaving at least 1 inch between each one. Then return the sheets to the fridge and chill the dough balls for 30 to 60 minutes before baking.
Step 6: While the dough balls chill, preheat the oven to 350F. The cold dough and fully heated oven help these soft frosted cookies bake up thick, soft, and evenly set.
Step 7: Bake the cookies for 10 minutes at 350F, until they are set and lightly browned on the bottom. Once baked, transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely to room temperature before spooning over the glaze.
Step 8: To make the frosting, stir together the powdered sugar and vanilla extract in a small bowl, then add the heavy whipping cream or milk 1 T at a time, stirring well between each addition until the glaze frosting is thin enough to drizzle but not so thin that it runs off. Stir in the orange zest at the end.
Step 9: When the cookies are completely cool, the cookies are ready to glaze. Spoon over each one with about 1 t glaze and finish with nonpareils (these are or sprinkles (as many as your heart desires!). The tops set with a sweet shell while the centers stay soft, making these homemade sprinkle cookies especially good for a holiday tray.
Tips for Success
- Use fresh zest for the best and brightest flavor in these Orange Sprinkle Cookies.
- You can use any kind of sprinkles, but these cookies have pastel nonpareils so they look fairly subtle on these.
- Not in the mood to zest? Try two drops of Fiori di Sicilia extract – a wonderful orange-vanilla extract. Homemade Bakery makes a high-quality version that has a robust flavor (a little goes a long way; I bought this in 2022 and still have more than half the bottle left).
- Lemon zest can be used in place of the orange for a slightly different version of these Springtime Sprinkle Cookies.
- Leave out the zest altogether if you prefer a vanilla-forward cookie.
- Chill the dough in the bowl, then chill the rolled dough balls before baking so the cookies stay thick and soft.
- Bake just until the cookies are set and lightly browned on the bottom.
- Cool the cookies completely before adding frosting.
- Add the cream or milk to the frosting 1 T at a time so it does not become too thin.
- If the frosting thins out too much, stir in more powdered sugar.
- A microplane makes quick work of zesting and gives fine, fragrant zest for these Easter Sprinkle Cookies.
- Store the finished cookies in an airtight container once the frosting has set.
For these homemade citrus sugar cookies, get these items out before you start baking so you’re ready to begin. It helps keep you from running all around the kitchen when you’re trying to follow the recipe, I promise. (The Amazon links are to products we like, use or recommend—help us keep the lights on as we develop recipes. Thank you for your support at no cost to you!)
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Orange Zest Sprinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Ingredients
- 6 T butter softened
- 2/3 c granulated sugar
- 1 T fresh orange zest
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 c all-purpose flour
- 1 t baking powder
- ¼ t salt
Glaze Ingredients
- 1 ½ c powdered sugar
- ½ t vanilla extract
- 4-5 T heavy whipping cream or 3 T milk
- 1 T orange zest
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- First things first: Clear space in your refrigerator to make room for a cookie sheet. You’ll need the space to chill dough balls before baking.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the orange zest, vanilla extract (or two drops of fiori di sicilia, if using instead of zest and vanilla extract), and one of the eggs; mix until combined. Add the second egg and mix well. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and beat with an electric mixer until combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- With clean hands: Roll the chilled dough into 30 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, leaving at least 1 inch of space between each cookie. (They won’t spread out too much.) Place the cookie sheets in the refrigerator to chill the dough balls for 30-60 minutes before baking.
- While the dough balls chill, preheat the oven to 350F.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes at 350F until set and lightly browned on the bottom. Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature before frosting.
- While the cookies cool, make the glaze: Pour the powdered sugar and vanilla extract into a small mixing bowl. Add the cream or milk 1 T at a time, stirring well between each addition, until it reaches the point where it gently drips off the spoon—just thin enough to drizzle, but not so thin that it will run right off the cookies. If too thin, add more powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time. Stir in the orange zest last.
- When the cookies are completely cooled, spoon glaze on the top of each cookie with about 1 teaspoonful, then add the colorful sprinkles, as many as your heart desires!
Nutrition
The bottom line
These Orange Zest Sprinkle Cookies are a tender, cheerful bake with a soft crumb, a restrained hit of citrus, and a simple spoon-over glaze that dries neatly under a layer of nonpareils sprinkles. I like that the orange stays in the background, letting the butter, vanilla, and sugar carry the cookie while the zest adds subtle fragrance. They fit neatly into any lineup of holiday sprinkle cookies, whether you call them Italian Easter Cookies, Easter Sprinkle Cookies, Springtime Sprinkle Cookies, or simply a batch of soft sugar cookies worth making again. I think you’ll enjoy that tiny crunch from the delicate nonpareils, too!
Want more cookie recipes? Try our popular No Bake Avalanche Cookies, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, or Lemon Cool Whip Cookies made with a cake mix!
