A bright and cheerful variation of the classic crinkle cookie, these citrus cream cheese crinkle cookies are something else. Bursting with tangy citrusy goodness and a richness that can only be developed with the addition of cream cheese. They are light and fluffy with a delicate melt in your mouth texture and with citrus season just around the corner, they are the perfect way to celebrate lemons, limes, oranges, clementines, grapefruits, mandarins, tangerines… you get the picture. You can use a little bit of a few different citrus fruits or stick with your favorite one, either way, these cookies will be fabulous.
Let’s get them started…
Start by setting 8 tablespoons of butter and 8 ounces of cream cheese out to soften up a bit about an hour before you start making the cookies. If you are super excited and want to make these cookies right now, place the butter and cream cheese together in a glass bowl and microwave them on defrost mode for about 90 seconds. Check on them every 30 seconds or so. You want them to have a soft texture that will cream easily, but they should not be runny or melted.
In addition to the softened butter and cream cheese, you will need 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 3 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon of orange extract and 2 tablespoons of fresh citrus zest.
Today, I am using 1 tablespoon of clementine zest and 1 tablespoon of lime zest. Its what I had on hand and the cookies turned out absolutely fantastic. I have made these cookies with only lemon zest, I did a batch with just tangerine zest and a batch with a combination of orange and grapefruit zest too. I couldn’t tell you which cookies were my favorite, because they were all delicious! Use what you have in your kitchen and you will love them…
In a large bowl, cream together 8 tablespoons of softened butter with 8 ounces of softened cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar.
Once the mixture is smooth, creamy and pale in color, add 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon of orange extract and 2 tablespoons of fresh citrus zest.
Mix to combine.
Gradually add 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 3 teaspoons of baking powder and once it has all been added, mix until the dry ingredients are full incorporated.
Cover the bowl with a clean towel and place the dough into the freezer for 20 minutes.
While the dough chills, combine 1 cup of confectioners sugar and 2 tablespoons of your favorite sprinkles or sanding sugar (or both!) in a small bowl.
Once the dough is chilled and has firmed up a bit, we are ready to dress them up. The easiest way to complete this process is to grease a cookie dough scoop with non-stick spray and use it to transfer a ball of dough directly into the confectioners sugar. Use your finger tips to toss the cookie dough around in the confectioners until it is completely coated.
Place the coated balls of dough onto parchment lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.
These cookies will be super puffy and delicate when you first bring them out of the oven. Due to the coating of confectioners sugar, their bottoms can get dark if they are baked too long, so as long as they feel a little springy to a gentle squeeze transfer the baking sheets onto a cooling rack and let the cookies cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring them directly onto the cooling rack.
These little cookies are so cute and puffy. They don’t spread out too much, but they sure do puff up! Their light, airy texture is really wonderful, but the flavor is amazing. The bold citrus flavor is so cheerful and tangy and they make even the chilliest afternoon feel like spring is on its way. The addition of cream cheese gives the cookies a tender, richness that is addictive and delicious.
Whether you use lemons, limes, clementines or grapefruits, you are going to love these citrus cream cheese crinkle cookies.
Happy citrus season everyone!
Citrus Cream Cheese Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh citrus zest
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- sprinkles or sanding sugar (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together 8 tablespoons of butter, 8 ounces of cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar using an electric hand mixer
- Once the mixture is pale and creamy, add 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon of orange extract and 1 tablespoon of orange zest. Mix to combine
- Add 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 3 teaspoons of baking powder and mix to combine
- Cover the bowl with a clean towel and chill the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper
- Combine 1 cup of confectioners sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of your chosen sprinkles or sanding sugar in a small bowl
- Once the dough has chilled and firmed up a bit, use a greased cookie dough scoop to transfer a scoop of dough directly into the confectioners sugar
- Toss the dough in the confectioners sugar until the entire exterior is well coated
- Place the coated dough onto parchment lined baking sheets 2 inches apart
- Bake on a rack set to just above the center of a 350 degree oven for 12-14 minutes
- Transfer the baking sheets onto cooling racks and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes
- Once the cookies are set enough to move, transfer them directly onto cooling racks
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature
