Blood Orange Icebox Cookies

Why You Need This Recipe

It is a more approachable way to do decorated cookies. As I’m sure most home bakers can relate, piping frosting and other techniques are not in my skillset. I tend to stick to drop cookies and baked goods that are meant to be more rustic. With this recipe, I get the look of a fancier cookie that acknowledges my amateur status.

There’s so much to love about slice-and-bake cookies. No matter the cookie style, I usually chill the dough before baking because it gives the dough time to develop more flavor and prevents the cookies from spreading as much when they bake. Here that extra step of shaping the dough into a log before chilling it, let’s you do the slice-and-bake method.

These cookies are flexible. I like the flavor of citrus and almonds, and you can use blood oranges or any other type of orange, lemons or even limes. Oranges will give you pastel pink or orange frosting. Lemons and limes will be whiter in tone. Also, you can shape the profile of the log into a rectangle or circle if you want the cookies to be round.

What are Icebox Cookies?

Also known as refrigerator cookies, once you make the dough, you shape it into a log and then put it in the fridge. Chilling the dough firms it up, making the log easy to cut. They are the original slice-and-and-bake cookies and are similar to a shortbread cookie.

They may not come out as intricate or perfect as using cookie cutters, but icebox cookies are a quicker way to do shaped cookies. There is no rolling and re-rolling required. You can decorate and flavor them in lots of different ways. In this recipe I use orange zest, almonds and almond extract.

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

• Orange: As it is written, the recipe calls for 1 blood orange. You will use the zest in the cookie dough and the juice in the icing. These are oranges are sweeter than other varieties and have red colored flesh, which explains their name. The icing will be light pink.
• Powdered sugar sweetens the dough. Also known as confectioners’ sugar, it is finely ground into a powder and also has some cornstarch in it, which absorbs more moisture. This helps the cookies keep their shape rather than spread.
• Unsalted butter: Make sure to use butter that has had time to soften at room temperature.
• Sliced almonds give the cookies both texture and flavor. I love how the thin almonds end up layered throughout out the dough, and you can see in the baked cookies.
• Almond extract enhances the distinct nutty taste.
• Flour: The recipe uses all-purpose flour.
• Salt brings out the overall flavor of baked goods.

Variations

Citrus: As mentioned, you don’t have to use a blood orange. You can use lemon zest, 2 limes or another orange variety instead.

Nut-Free: You can leave out the sliced almonds, but be aware that this will lower the yield of the recipe when you don’t use nuts. Then also swap out almond extract for vanilla extract. Other great mix-ins for these cookies include sprinkles, dried cranberries or mini chocolate chips.

Storing and Freezing Tips

Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days. When it comes to putting them in the freezer, you have options during certain steps in the recipe:

1. Freeze the cookie dough log. Just make sure to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and then put it in a bag or another container. Thaw the log overnight in the refrigerator. Then slice the cookie dough and bake the cookies
2. Freeze the sliced cookie dough. You need to place the unbaked cookies on a sheet pan lined with wax paper to freeze them individually, or they will stick together. Then you can put them in the same container. You do not need to thaw them before baking. They might take a couple additional minutes to bake
3. You can freeze baked and iced cookies. Thaw them at room temperature.

More Cookie Recipes

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
Brookies
Lemon Lime Shortbread
Cornflake Cookies