Orange Cream Cheese with Vanilla Bean Icing Cookies

5 from 1 vote

Orange and Vanilla go together so nicely and this is an easy cookie to make that will sure to be a hit.

Prep Time15

Total Bake Time9

Chill1

Total Time1 24

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: cookies

Calories: 220kcal

In a bowl, weigh or measure your flour and baking powder. I run a whisk through to blend and then set the bowl aside. In another bowl, weigh or measure the powdered sugar and set that bowl aside. Next, zest, then juice the orange. You should get a packed tablespoon of zest and 2 tablespoons of juice.
With a hand-held or stand mixer, add the butter and cream cheese and mix. Add the powdered sugar slowly, and then turn the mixer to medium speed for 3 minutes. You want light and fluffy. Next, blend in the egg and add the orange juice, orange zest, and orange extract. Finally, gradually add the flour and baking powder and blend until all the flour is incorporated.
Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C), and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. Next, using a medium cookie scooper, add 12 scoops of cookie dough to a prepared sheet pan. I space the scoops a couple of inches apart.
Bake for 9-11 minutes. I start to check them at 9 minutes. You only want the bottom of the cookies to be a very light brown. Move them to a cooling rack once they are out of the oven.

Add the softened butter to a mixer bowl and mix for a minute. You want the butter to lay against the bowl and have soft peaks. If it is clumpy, the butter is still cold, so let the mixer run longer. Now add the powdered sugar and mix on a low speed. Once the powdered sugar has been incorporated, turn the mixer to medium speed for 2 minutes.
Scrape down the bowl and add the vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of the half and half. Blend until incorporated, then turn the mixer to a medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes. You want thick and buttery vanilla icing. I use a butter knife and put the icing on the cookies.