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    Home » Recipes » Seasonal Recipes » Orange Cardamom Cookies

    Orange Cardamom Cookies

    Published: Dec 13, 2019 Modified: Apr 20, 2023 by Isabel Laessig

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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!

    A stack of four orange cardamom cookies with an icing whisk off to the side

    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 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
    • ¾ tsp. ground cardamom
    • 1 large orange, zested
    • ¼ tsp. salt
    • ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 tsp. almond extract
    • â…“ cup pistachios, shelled and chopped

    Simple Icing Recipe

    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 1 Tbsp. 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 on a baking rack after adding icing and toppings

    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
    • Iced Gingerbread Cookies
    • Guava Coconut Cookies Recipe
    • Gluten Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
    Two orange cardamom cookies stacked on top of each other; one has a bite taken out of it, and there are five cookies behind them with an icing whisk

    📌 Pin our Orange Cardamom Cookies to save for later!

    📋 Recipe

    Rows of orange cardamom cookies after baking and glazing, ready to enjoy

    Orange Cardamom Cookies

    Isabel Laessig
    These Orange Cardamom Cookies are the perfect way to add a little elegance to your holiday cookie platter. The crumbly shortbread cookie base is studded with chopped pistachios and topped with a light glaze.
    4.25 from 65 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 13 minutes mins
    Total Time 28 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 24
    Calories 110 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Cookies

    • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 156 grams
    • ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
    • 1 large orange zested
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick or 114 grams unsalted butter, softened
    • ½ cup granulated sugar 95 grams
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 teaspoon almond extract 5 milliliters
    • â…“ cup pistachios shelled and chopped

    Icing

    • 1 cup powdered sugar 130 grams
    • 1 tablespoon milk 1 to 3 tablespoons or 15 to 45 milliliters
    • Decorating sugar or ground pistachios for garnish
    Cooking Conversions

    See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!

    Instructions
     

    • In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cardamom, orange zest and salt. Set aside.
    • Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or hand mixer on the medium-high setting, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the egg and almond extract. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Fold in the pistachios with a spoon or spatula.
    • Place the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, shape into a 2 x 12-inch (5 x 30-cm) log and wrap tightly with the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm and chilled through.
    • Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and slice into â…“-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.
    • In a small, wide bowl, slowly whisk the milk, 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) at a time, into the 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 cooking into the glaze, dripping off any excess. Top with decorating sugar or ground pistachios. Allow to set before storing in an airtight container.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 110kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 28mgPotassium: 41mgSugar: 9gVitamin A: 155IUVitamin C: 4.2mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 0.4mg
    Keyword Best Cookie Exchange Recipes, Christmast Cookies, Orange cardamom cookies
    Did you try this recipe?Tag #SundaySupper on social and leave a comment below!
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    Isabel, AKA Family Foodie

    About Isabel Laessig

    Hi! I’m Isabel Laessig, also known as Family Foodie, creator of Sunday Supper Movement and author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook. Sunday Supper is my mission to bring family back around the dinner table. Join me in making family meal-time a tradition to celebrate!

    » About Me

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. palatablepastime says

      December 10, 2017 at 11:22 am

      I know of only two different kinds of cardamom- black and the green (white is still green cardamom). I love the black cardamom pods in curry and pho. The ground green cardamom (which looks gray in the jar) is great for baking. I also keep the green in pods for various uses and I have found you can now buy the green cardamom seed before they are ground, which you can grind yourself, or add those instead of green pods to things like rice pudding (kheer). I’ve been using it for decades, but I am also insane about the flavor- not something I liked that much when I was a kid, but now I adore it. Beautiful cookies, btw- I love the add of the rose petals, feels very Persian.

      Reply
    2. Laura Dembowski (@piesandplots) says

      December 10, 2017 at 12:08 pm

      What a sophisticated cookie! I love that they are kind of a grown up treat.

      Reply
    3. thatskinnychickcanbake says

      December 10, 2017 at 1:07 pm

      Beautiful! The glaze makes these even more tempting!!!

      Reply
    4. The Wimpy Vegetarian says

      December 10, 2017 at 1:28 pm

      I use cardamom in so many things, and you’re right – it’s now gaining in popularity here. These cookies sound fantastic, and I love the glaze with the pistachio crumbles. Gorgeous!!

      Reply
    5. Brooke says

      October 22, 2020 at 2:17 am

      I made these as written, just without the glaze. What a wonderful combination of flavours! Absolutely beautiful.

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        October 22, 2020 at 12:06 pm

        Thank you so much, Brooke! We’re so glad you enjoyed them!

        Reply
    6. Jen says

      September 08, 2022 at 2:02 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! I made them and they were easy and delicious!

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        September 12, 2022 at 10:20 am

        Thank you so much, Jen! We’re glad you enjoyed them!

        Reply

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