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Beautiful, buttery Orange Cream Star Cookies
Fill your holiday cookie jar with these delicious tender and buttery Orange Cream Star Cookies.
I can’t. stop. eating. these wonderful little bites of orange heaven! They’re so easy to pop right in your mouth, even straight from the freezer 🙂 And, of course, I had to make this recipe for star cookies a few times to nail it all down for you. I’m definitely in cookie overload right now.
It took a while but I finally figured out that if I froze the cookies in a container and then sealed the whole thing tightly in foil, I’d have a better chance of not eating one every time I pass the refrigerator! All that to say, these cookies are fantastic and are probably that something special you’ve been looking for.
OVERVIEW: Ingredients needed to make these cookies:
For the cookies:
- cream cheese
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- finely grated orange zest
- 1 large egg yolk
- salt
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
For the orange cream filling:
- unsalted butter
- powdered sugar, plus more for dusting on top
- vanilla extract
- finely grated orange zest
- fresh orange juice
How do you get all the star cookies the same size?
To make the cookies all the same size I use a simple template. To create a template draw 1 1/2-inch circles on one side of a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit a cookie sheet. The circles should be spaced about 1-inch apart.
Turn the parchment over so the pencil marks are on the bottom. Pipe the cookie dough into one of the circles just until it’s almost full. The cookies won’t spread very much so you’ll end up with just about what you piped onto the parchment paper.
After baking and cooling, match up similar sized cookies to create a sandwich cookie. Mix the filling ingredients together and pipe about a teaspoon onto the bottom of one cookie. Press the matching cookie on top and enjoy, or refrigerate until needed, or freeze in an airtight container.
How to shape the star cookies
- For best results hold the piping bag straight up and down with the edge of the tip hovering slightly above the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Squeeze the bag firmly until you have a generous, thick 1 1/2-inch diameter star. Use the template as a guide. The cookies should be similar in size so they’ll match when sandwiched together.
- Stop squeezing, then slightly twist the tip as you pull up and away.
- If having a hard time getting the dough to release, put the bag in a warm location for a few more minutes.
The cookie dough should be soft enough to be pushed through a cookie press, or piped onto a baking sheet using a pastry tip as I’ve done here. I’ve used a couple of different tips but found that the Ateco #826 open star tip works best to create the perfect sized star.
You’ll also need two piping bags. One bag for the cookie dough and another for the cream filling.
PRO TIP:
Make sure your butter and cream cheese are both very soft before making the cookie dough. You don’t want to melt the butter, but it needs to be very soft. It’s much easier to pipe consistently beautiful cookies if the cookie dough is soft.
These star cookies are loaded with fresh orange flavor.
For this recipe we’ve used zest from two large oranges along with fresh squeezed orange juice in the filling. The orange flavor is fragrant, clean and fresh tasting and the perfect compliment to the buttery star cookies.
Make a batch for your next gathering or put them in a pretty tin and gift a few to your favorite peeps. I think you’re going to love this one!
Thanks for PINNING!
Orange Cream Star Cookies
Equipment
- Open Star Tip
- 2 piping bags
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 3 ounces cream cheese, very soft (86g)
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, very soft (16 tablespoons or 226g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (206g)
- finely grated zest from 1 orange
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour (337g)
For the orange filling:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (4 ounces or 113g)
- 1 ⅔ cups powdered sugar, plus more for dusting (190g)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cut two pieces of parchment to fit your baking sheet(s). Using a round cookie cutter create a template by drawing 1 ½-inch circles, about 1-inch apart, on one side of the parchment. Turn the paper over so the circles are on the bottom. Repeat with the second sheet of parchment. Set aside.
- Fit a pastry bag with a large open star tip (Ateco # 826) and set aside.
To prepare the cookie dough:
- In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, butter, sugar, zest, egg yolk, salt and vanilla. Beat on medium-high until the mixture is fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and blend again. Add the flour in 3 additions, scraping the sides as needed.
To pipe the cookies:
- Scoop half the cookie dough into the prepared pastry bag. The dough must be soft to pipe correctly. If needed, place the pastry bag and dough in a warm location to soften.
- Squeeze out generous 1 ½-inch stars using the template as a guide. The cookies should be similar in size so they match when sandwiched together. To get the best shapes, hold the bag straight up and down with the edge of the tip hovering slightly above the baking sheet. Squeeze the bag firmly until the cookie is as wide as the circle. Stop squeezing, then slightly twist the tip as you pull up and away. If having a hard time getting the dough to release, put the bag in a warm location for a few more minutes.
- Bake the cookies until the edges just begin to brown, about 7 to 11 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the cookie. NOTE: The cookies go from done to brown in flash so watch the baking time carefully. Transfer the cookies to a rack and cool completely before filling.
To prepare the filling:
- Beat all the filling ingredients until smooth. Scoop the filling into a pastry bag. Cut a small opening at the tip. Match up all the cookies and pipe the orange cream filling on the bottom half of half the cookies. You should use about 1 teaspoon per sandwich cookie. Top with matching cookie to create a sandwich.
- Refrigerate or freeze until needed.
Recipe Notes
- Freeze these cookies for up to 60 days well sealed in an airtight container.
- Store the cookies in the refrigerator for best results.
- Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving to allow them to come to room temperature. You can also serve them straight from the refrigerator if desired.
- Adapted from Fine Cooking
Nutrition
Open Star Tip used in this recipe:
For this recipe you will need an open star tip with a 1/2-inch opening like the one pictured here. You can find this common pastry tip at most stores that carry cake decorating supplies. Click on the photo for more information or to purchase from Amazon.
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Here are a few more recipes you might also enjoy:
Cranberry Orange Muffins
Cranberry Orange Bread
Shanna D. says
These were so good! Loved the orange flavor & the cookie texture was a 10/10.
Only thing was I tried and tried and tried to pipe it out (had the right pipe tip), and could not get it to go. So I just made 1 1/2 inch discs, but they still turned out great!! Will definitely make again 🙂
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Shanna!
Julie G says
We LOVED these cookies! Very easy to mix the ingredients together and bake. They give off a wonderful fragrance of orange while baking and the filling smelled equally delicious.
I’m a firm believer in using quality ingredients and a scale when baking. Measuring everything properly will ensure a good final product.
I knew this would be a firmer dough as that’s what’s needed for the star to hold its shape. I took a few minutes to hold the filled piping bag in my hands to warm it up a little so I wouldn’t have any issues when piping. It worked beautifully. I piped out each star one after another without any issues.
I also took the time to draw the circles on the parchment (only a couple of minutes) so I would have a guide and was glad it did. I made certain my butter and cream cheese, along with the egg yolk, were room temperature. I beat them, as directed, for several minutes…scraped down the bowl, and beat again. It was a beautiful dough.
The cookie texture is so nice and we’re delicious at room temperature. We found ourselves eating them right out of the fridge too! Excellent recipe, Tricia!
Tricia Buice says
So glad you tried, and liked these cookies Julie. They are a personal favorite. Thanks for all your insights and recommendations. Outstanding!!
Lisa says
These cookies are delicious! I couldn’t pipe them either, so I refrigerated them for an hour or two and then rolled them out to use my one inch star cookie cutters. They were very time consuming though. But they are still cute! Thanks.
Tricia Buice says
Thanks for the feedback Lisa. I’ve made these many times and never had trouble as long as the dough was warm. Hope you’ll try again sometime. Blessings to you and your family!
Maureen says
This is the first failed cookie recipe I believe I have ever make! Could not get the dough to pipe…and I have Re-read and followed it to the letter. So I am left with orange snowball sandwich cookies! Taste good..I even added some orange juice because it was so dry?
Tricia Buice says
Sorry you had trouble Maureen. I’ve never had an issue with these cookies but will double check the measurements and recipe.
Kayla says
How can I tell they are done?
Tricia Buice says
They are barely brown on the bottom and just set on top. Try baking a few first, instead of a whole pan and see if you can nail down the perfect time for each batch.
Jennifer says
These are delicious! But holy moly, they were not quick to prepare. I did not bother with drawing circles on the parchment or piping the icing which would have taken even more time. They were incredibly difficult to pipe even warm and with a large nozzle, it took forever and my poor wrists were so sore! By the end I was almost hoping that I wouldn’t like them so that I would never have to make them again, but unfortunitely for me they are delicious so I am goona wanna make them every year. I think next time I will skip the piping altogether and just do tiny blobs, they won’t be half as cute, but they will still taste good!
Tricia Buice says
Thanks for the feedback Jennifer. Sorry it was a difficult recipe for you. However, I think dough balls will work well, too. Enjoy and happy holidays!
Siggi says
I had the same issues, Jennifer, so I just ended up using the daisy cookie disc on my spritz cookie gun. Easy peasy and fast!
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Siggi. Glad these worked for you.
Cheryl says
These were great. I dipped half of some in chocolate and they were a hit at Christmas. Next time I’d make them a little smaller – maybe an inch.
Tricia Buice says
Yum! I love the chocolate idea Cheryl. I may have to do that next year. Thank you for trying the recipe and for the awesome inspiration 🙂 Have a wonderful holiday and a fantastic New Year!
Pam T says
Great flavor. I found it easier to use a cookie press, it allowed for more uniform size and my arthritic hands preferred it.
Tricia Buice says
Thanks for trying the recipe Pam.
adela Uribe says
they are great and do you have to keep them in the refrigerator i would like to give them as a gift for holidays. thank you
Tricia Buice says
Hi Adela. Glad you liked these cookies and gave them a try. Yes they should be kept in a cool location but are fine for a few hours at room temperature. If gifting, you can freeze them first so the filling will stay firm a bit longer. Enjoy and happy holidays!
Lin says
On the orange cream star cookies can I use a cookie press instead of a decorating bag and tip
Tricia Buice says
Yes Lin, you should be able to use a press for these cookies. Enjoy!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Just lovely and orange is one of my favourite flavours this time of year!
Tricia Buice says
Me too Jennifer. Orange is so bright and lovely, and the perfect flavor for these delicious cookies. Happy holidays!
Janet Dugan says
Thanks for the great addition to the holiday cookie platter!
Tricia Buice says
Thank you Janet! Have a wonderful holiday 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
I don’t think that foil/freezer thing would work for me, they look and sound too goooood!
Tricia Buice says
The challenge is real 😉 Thank you Chris!
Angie@angiesrecipes.blogspot.com says
Those star cookies are so perfectly piped and very festive too.
Tricia Buice says
Thank you Angie – hope you have a wonderful holiday season!