Soft Citrus Drop Cookies Recipe

My grandma is famous for a lot of things. Most recently for not being very nice and not taking her medication, but also for her Orange-Sour Cream Drops. As a child I would spend many afternoons at her house around Christmas time making batch after batch of orange cookies, peanut brittle, and a cotton candy-like creation called Divinity.

Her orange cookies are noteworthy because of their two types of tang; the first from the citrus zest and juice and the second from copious amounts of sour cream. They also contain large amounts of butter which give them a melt-in-your-mouth quality, especially if you sneak one straight out of the oven—to die for people, I’m telling you.

I dream of these cookies often. I have a very, very, soft spot for them that might only be matched by my father, whose love of peanut butter and dill pickle sandwiches I also share. Great gourmands think alike, am I right?

The problem with Grandma Phyl’s Orange Drops is they are kind of a pain-in-the-butt to make, there’s lots of juicing and zesting and frosting involved. So I was psyched when I came across a very similar recipe in an old issue of Everyday Food.

They are basically a Snickerdoodle recipe with citrus swapped in for the cinnamon and vanilla and a simple little icing spread on top. They have soft centers and delicate, crisp edges with a light lemon and tangerine combo that is irresistible.

They don’t have the heft of Grandma Phyl’s cookies, and they are certainly not as intensely orange-y, but they will most certainly subdue my orange cookie craving until Christmas or at least through spring.

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Soft Citrus Drop Cookies

Yield: 5 Dozen Cookies

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour

Adapted from Everyday Food

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Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons grated tangerine zest, divided
• 4 teaspoons lemon zest, divided
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed tangerine juice
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F and arrange racks in the lower and upper third of the oven. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to break up any lumps.
2. Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add half the tangerine zest and half the lemon zest and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl then add the eggs in one at a time. Add flour mixture and beat until incorporated.
3. Scoop into rounded tablespoons and place about 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until edges are lightly golden, but cookies are still soft in the middle, about 12-15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
4. Whisk together the tangerine and lemon juices, remaining zest, and powdered sugar until smooth. Spread icing over each cookie and let stand at least 1 hour to allow the icing to harden slightly. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 477Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 182mgCarbohydrates: 80gFiber: 1gSugar: 57gProtein: 4g

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