Soft Italian Orange Drop Cookies are a holiday cookie swap essential — wonderfully moist and chewy, packed with bright citrus flavour from a generous amount of fresh orange zest, and finished with a glossy orange glaze that deepens the flavour even further. The dough uses both butter and olive oil, which gives these cookies an extraordinary texture and richness, while almond flour adds moistness and a subtle nuttiness. The key to getting that soft, dense, chewy crumb is to mix the dough without incorporating any air — so no creaming the butter as you would for a standard cookie. A short rest in the fridge while the oven preheats makes them even better. Makes about 16 cookies. Prep: 15 mins · Cook: 14 mins.

Ingredients

For the Cookies

• ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup (loosely packed) orange zest — from about 2 large or 4 small navel oranges (organic recommended)
• 2 tablespoons (28g) olive oil
• 2 teaspoons natural orange extract (optional but recommended — see notes)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1¾ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup (75g) almond flour

For the Orange Glaze

• 1 cup (115g) powdered / icing sugar
• 2–3 tablespoons fresh orange juice, plus more as needed

Instructions

• Preheat the oven: Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and position the racks in the middle and lower-middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Mix the wet ingredients: Using an electric mixer (or a bowl and sturdy spoon), combine the sugar, softened butter, orange zest, olive oil, orange extract, vanilla extract, salt, and baking powder. Mix until well combined — the goal here is to combine without incorporating air, so do not cream the butter as you normally would for cookies.

• Add the egg: Mix in the egg until fully combined, then scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

• Add the flours: Add the all-purpose flour and almond flour and mix until just combined — stop as soon as the flours are incorporated. Scrape down the bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly mixed. For the very best results, cover the dough and rest it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes while the oven preheats.

• Portion and roll: Using a 1-ounce cookie scoop or about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie, portion the dough and roll each portion into a smooth ball. Place the dough balls evenly spaced across the two prepared baking sheets.

• Bake: Bake for 14–16 minutes, switching and rotating the trays halfway through, until the cookies have just started to puff up and show slight surface cracks but still look slightly moist. Do not overbake — they will continue to cook from the residual heat of the tray. Leave the cookies on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

• Make the glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice until very smooth and creamy — it should be about the consistency of thick cream. If too thick, add a little more juice; if too thin, whisk in a little more powdered sugar.

• Glaze and set: Once the cookies are fully cooled, dip the top of each cookie into the glaze, lift out and let the excess drip off, then place glazed-side up on the wire rack to set before serving or storing.

Notes

• Orange extract: Natural orange extract (sometimes labelled "orange flavor") deepens the citrus flavour significantly. Omitting it will result in a milder orange taste — orange liqueur can be substituted with a similar effect.
• Oranges: Buy organic if possible, as this recipe uses a large amount of zest and non-organic rinds can contain pesticide residue and wax that mutes the flavour.
• Measuring flour: Weigh flour for best results. If measuring by volume, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off — do not scoop directly from the bag.
• Salt: Recipe was tested with Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If using Morton's kosher salt or fine table salt, halve the volume amount.
• Gluten-free: Substitute a 1-1 gluten-free baking flour and add 2 tablespoons of milk to the wet ingredients. Chill the dough for 30 minutes before scooping and baking.
• Storage: Store in an airtight container — do not leave uncovered for more than 6 hours or they will harden. Keeps for 3–5 days. Unglazed baked cookies can be frozen for up to 1 month; do not freeze the dough.

Recipe adapted from Kelli Avila, Everyday Pie