We have a local store named Stauffers that carries many local products. They have an aisle (both sides, mind you) of store-packaged items—everything from nuts to fruit and candy that come in clear containers so you can see everything. I have wandered down this aisle many times, letting my mind go all over the place on the combinations I could do for my cookies.
We also have another store called Oregon Dairy. They have the same sort of setup along a wall with the same type of containers as Stauffer's. They, of course, package their nuts, dried fruit, and ingredients. So, I am fortunate to live in Lancaster County, PA, where baking is a way of life and not just something to think about but never get around to doing. The two containers I picked up this week were regular dried cherries and roasted pistachios unsalted.
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Ingredients for Cookies
- Butter unsalted
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Egg
- Orange juice
- Orange zest
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Kosher Salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Dried sweet cherries (I have used just regular dried cherries)
- Pistachios roasted and unsalted (If you cannot find unsalted just cut out the salt in the recipe)
- Super fine sugar (I use either of these Caster Sugar or Domino superfine sugar)
Do I Need a Kitchen Scale
The cherry orange with pistachio cookies is not hard to make! One secret is to weigh your ingredients. Kitchen scales have become very easy to use and affordable. I have seen scales in the price range of $12 to over $100.00.
When you purchase a scale, make sure it has a Tare button. This button sets the weight back to 0 so you can add more to the bowl and see the weight of the ingredient you are adding. Also, I like scales that have more than one power source. I go through too many batteries when that is the only power source.
I would also ensure it has grams and ounces that you can go back and forth on easily. Depending on whether you will be using the scale for more than just baking, please check that it has the weight types you need.
The one I use is the My Weigh KD-8000. I had to buy the power cord separately when I order from Amazon. The power cord I got years ago has changed, so search for My Weigh Kd-8000 power cord, and there will be quite a few in different price ranges for you to choose from.
When doing a Google search, I did find companies selling the scale and power cord cheaper but did not link to them since I am unfamiliar with the companies.
So, if you can grab a kitchen scale to try out, please let me know if you like it. It may take a little time to get used to weighing your ingredients, but whether or not it is worth it depends on how the cookies turn out.
How to Make the Cookies with Dried Cherries
Dried cherries and oranges go so well together. Adding the zest and juice of oranges only reinforces the orange sweetness to counter any tartness of the cherries.
Prepping
The pistachios I purchase are already roasted, and I also like the unsalted since I add salt to my cookie dough. But this is a preference that you can make. The roasted nuts chop up nicely and give another layer of flavor to the cookie.
I rough chop the pistachios and only add the chopped pieces to the measuring cup, eliminating the fine pieces. Chopping the pistachios also shows more of the fantastic green color associated with the nut.
This is what I use to juice and zest my orange. I use all of the zest for the recipe.
This shows that I only take the first layer off of the orange when zesting. If you go down to the white layer, the zest could be bitter.
Weigh or measure the powdered sugar into a bowl and set it aside. Weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, and ground cinnamon in another bowl. I then run a whisk through to blend.
Mixing the Ingredients
Add the cream cheese to a mixer bowl along with the butter. I cube it so that if it is not quite soft enough, this will speed up the process. Blend for two to three minutes on a medium mixer speed.
Turn the mixer onto a low speed and slowly add the powdered sugar. Turn the mixer back to a medium speed and mix for about two minutes.
Next, add the orange juice and zest along with the egg. Mix until the egg is incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl's sides.
Turn the mixer on to a low speed and add the flour mixture about a quarter of the bowl at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides, and using a spatula, incorporate any loose flour that did not get mixed in. Finally, add the cherries and nuts.
Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for 1 hour.
Baking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
Add the superfine sugar to a small bowl and grab a medium cookie scooper. You can use a spoon to make the cookie balls; try to make the balls about the same size for even baking.
This is about the amount of cookie dough I use to make my cookie dough balls. Roll the dough with your hands to create a nice round ball. The warmer the cookie dough gets, the tackier it gets and the harder it is to roll into a ball. Coating the cookie dough ball in the sugar will solve the problem of handling the tacky cookie dough balls.
Drop the cookie dough ball into the bowl with the superfine sugar and roll it around until the sugar coats the entire cookie dough ball.
Line twelve cookie dough balls on a prepared sheet pan and bake at 350°F (175°C or 180°C) for 11-13 minutes. Move the finished cookies to a cooling rack after you take them out of the oven.
Enjoy!
FAQ's
Oh my goodness, yes, cherry and orange go together with chocolate. So, I say yes, add them.
Unfortunately, pistachios are nuts, and they are not suitable for people with nut allergies. Better safe than sorry. But this would be a good reason to add chocolate chips instead of the pistachios.
You can add a little pure orange extract if these cookies still need a more pronounced orange flavor to satisfy your orange flavor craving. Add a little and taste, or you might be unable to taste anything else in your cookies.
These cookies store great in a sealed container. They will stay good for 5-6 days.
Try a Few Other Cookies with Orange
Recipe
Cherry Orange with Pistachio Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
We'll email a link of this post to you, so you can come back any time!
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- 4 ounces (4 ounces) Cream Cheese room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) Powdered sugar
- 1 (1) Egg room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Orange juice fresh
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Orange zest packed
- 1 ¾ cups (218.75 g) All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (121.21 g) Dried sweet cherries
- ½ cup (61.5 g) Pistachios Chopped
- ½ cup (100 g) Super fine sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Zest and juice the orange into two containers. Weigh or measure the powdered sugar and set it aside. Weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; I run a whisk through to blend. (If your roasted pistachios contain salt, you may want to eliminate the salt.) Rough chop the pistachios.
- Blend the butter and cream cheese for 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed using a stand or handheld mixer. Turn the mixer down to low and add the powdered sugar slowly. After all the sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer back to medium speed for a few minutes. I stop and scrape down the sides and across the bottom and mix for another minute. Turn the mixer to low, add the egg, orange juice, and orange jest, and mix for about another minute. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix for a minute until the flour is blended. At this point, I scrape down the sides once more, then add the pistachios and cherries, Cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line 2 cookie pans with parchment paper. I take a bowl and pour Superfine sugar into the bowl to roll the cookie balls. Take the cookie dough out of the refrigerator and, using a medium cookie scoop, roll it into a ball with your hands, then place it in the superfine sugar and roll to coat. The superfine sugar has two functions: first, it creates a nice sweet crust around the cookie and balances the cherries' tartness. Second, the dough will be tacky as it warms up and helps to coat the outside. Place 12 balls on a prepared sheet pan.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, then move to a cooling rack when the cookies are pulled from the oven. I got about 2-½ dozen, but this depends on your ball size. The orange and cinnamon create a delightful smell and taste. Enjoy!
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
Susan Conrad says
Barb. These look amazing. So impressed with your site. You should write a cookie cook book.
Barbara says
Yes, it may be on my to-do list in a couple of years. 😉
Candyce D Rogers says
These cookies are not just good...their amazing! The freshness of the orange paired with the slight tartness of the cherries is nice. I didn't have pistachios, so I used pecans. They were delicious, but next time I would like to try pistachios. Thank you for this recipe!
Barbara says
Hi Candyce, I am so glad you enjoyed the flavors of these cookies. I love the orange and cherry also! - Barbara
Patty says
Barbara, I'm so sorry but I gave you the wrong email address I corrected it
so when you read my message and reply to it you will have the right email again again I'm so sorry.🙁
Barbara says
Hi Patty, Yes, you can substitute the pistachios; it would be a good match since orange and cherries go very well with chocolate. These are not dry cookies since I added cream cheese; they will stay moist inside. But rolling them in the superfine sugar gives the cookies a crusty outside. These will last for at least five days. I hope this helps, and please let me know how they turned out.
Patty says
Hi Barbara, Happy New Year!! The Cherry Orange cookies with mini chocolate chips in them turned out good and My husband and I thought that they were really good thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
Barbara says
Hi Patty,
I am thrilled you made these for you and your husband and you enjoyed them. Happy New Year to you also!
Patty says
Hi Barbara,these cookies look so good I'm planning on making them for Christmas and so I was wondering could I substitute pistachio nuts and put mini chocolate chips in?and do they keep well? and for how long do they keep?are they a soft cookie or a dry cookie? sorry I had so many questions I could let you know how they turned out and how good they were if you would like me to though.