Italian Orange Drop Cookies with Icing (Gluten-Free)

Italian orange drop cookies with a sweet orange icing stacked on a brown plate with a bite out of one. showing the chewy center.

5 from 6 votes

Italian Orange Drop Cookies with Icing (Gluten-Free)

Enjoy our easy gluten-free Italian Orange Drop Cookies recipe. These melt-in-your-mouth treats are made with mandarin orange juice, zest, sweet icing, and easy preparation.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Chill Time2

Total Time2 25

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegetarian

Servings: cookies

Calories: 154kcal

Author: HWC Magazine

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

½ cup butter unsalted or plant based butter to keep dairy free
½ cup granulated sugar
1 whole egg large (see notes below for vegan options)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or ¼ teaspoon almond or anise extract)
1 tablespoon orange zest fresh (We used mandarin orange zest but you can also use a naval orange zest)
⅓ cup orange juice fresh (We used mandarin orange juice but you can use naval orange juice but you can also use canned juice in a pinch)

Dry Ingredients

1 and ¾ cups gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum (We used King Arthur Gluten - Free Measure for Measure flour)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten free)

Mandarin Orange Icing

1 cup powdered (icing) sugar
⅛ cup mandarin orange juice
fresh or naval orange juice (2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon mandarin orange zest plus extra for garnish - optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, add your room temperature butter (or plant based butter) and sugar. Mix until light and fluffy.
Add egg, vanilla extract, mandarin orange juice and zest and mix well. Don't worry if your mixture starts to separate; it's normal.
In a separate large bowl mix together your dry ingredients; gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum, corn starch, salt and baking powder and mix well.
Slowly with the mixer on low add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well. Your cookie dough mixture will be thick and sticky.
Cover the orange cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days, if you are busy. Refrigeration prevents your cookies from spreading while baking.
Preheat oven to 350 degree F or 176 degree C.
Line your baking trays with parchment paper or baking mats to prevent sticking. Use a tablespoon to scoop a heaping tablespoon of orange cookie dough and drop it on the lined baking trays 2 to 3 inches apart. The cookies do not spread very much if you do not use real butter and refrigerate your dough.
Bake cookies for about 9 -12 minutes or until the edge of the cookies feel slightly firm but the middle of the cookie will still be slightly soft. These cookies do not turn golden brown on the top but the bottom of the cookie will be golden brown when cooked perfectly. 10 minutes was the perfect time for our oven but each oven varies a little. Do not wait until the tops of the cookie turn golden brown or they will be dry and not chewy.
Allow the orange drop cookies to cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Then, carefully use a spatula and move them to a wire rack to cool.
In a medium bowl add powdered sugar, mandarin orange juice and zest. Mix well. Drizzle the mandarin orange icing glaze over the cookies.
Allow the cookies to dry and enjoy. You can freeze these cookies so you can enjoy them through the holidays.

Video

Notes

What can I substitute for the egg to make the cookies vegan?

For a vegan option, replace the egg with ¼ cup of applesauce and add an extra ½ teaspoon of baking powder to the dry ingredients. In addition, you will need to replace the unsalted butter with a plant based butter.

Storing

Once the Italian orange drop cookies are cooled and adorned with sweet orange icing, allow them to dry. Seal the cookies in a container, keeping them away from direct sunlight. They can stay fresh at room temperature for up to 3 days.

For longer storage, freezing is an option. Arrange the glazed orange cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen cookies to a freezer-safe container or bag, using parchment paper to separate layers. Cookies with icing are typically good for 2 months in the freezer. Unglazed cookies, on the other hand, can be stored for up to 6 months, allowing you the flexibility to glaze them later.

Nutrition