Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour (3 cups): Provides the structural base of your dough.
- Granulated Sugar (1 cup): Sweetens your dough while helping it achieve a tender crumb.
- Unsalted Butter (1 cup or 2 sticks): Creates a smooth, rich texture. Softened butter is key.
- Egg (1 large): Binds everything together, adding richness.
- Fresh Orange Zest (1–2 tablespoons): The secret to that uplifting citrus burst.
- Fresh Orange Juice (2 tablespoons): Enhances the zest and intensifies that orange flavor.
- Baking Powder (1 teaspoon): Gives a subtle lift, ensuring a light, cookie-like texture.
- Salt (½ teaspoon): Balances the sweetness and heightens all the other flavors.
Instructions
1. Cream the Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. This step ensures your cookies have a delicate crumb.
2. Add Wet Ingredients: Crack in the egg, then add the fresh orange juice and orange zest. Mix thoroughly.
3. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing gently to avoid overmixing.
4. Chill the Dough: Form the dough into a disc, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This step ensures the cookies maintain their fish shape while baking.
Shaping the Cookies
1. Roll Out the Dough: Flour a clean surface and roll the chilled dough to about ¼-inch thickness.
2. Choose Your Cutter: Use a fish-shaped cookie cutter or create a “head of a fish” stencil to shape the cookies.
3. Transfer to a Baking Sheet: Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about an inch of space between them.
Baking and Cooling
1. Preheat and Bake: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the cookies for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges just begin to turn a light golden brown.
2. Allow to Cool Completely: Move the cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool entirely. This ensures the icing or glaze won’t melt when decorating.
Notes
- Spice It Up: Add a pinch of ground cardamom or cinnamon for an aromatic twist.
- Stickiness Tip: If the dough feels sticky, dust with extra flour or pop it back in the fridge for 10–15 minutes.
- Freezing the Dough: Wrap the dough tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling and cutting.
- Flavor Variations: Swap in fresh lemon or lime juice and zest for a new citrus profile.
- Decorating Ideas: Simple orange glaze or royal icing works well. Let cookies cool fully to avoid melting the icing.
- Dietary Adaptations: For a vegan version, use dairy-free butter and a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water).
- Prep Time: PT15M
- Cook Time: PT12M
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 167G
- Sugar: 8G
- Sodium: 80MG
- Fat: 8G
- Saturated Fat: 5G
- Unsaturated Fat: 3G
- Trans Fat: 0G
- Carbohydrates: 20G
- Fiber: 0.4G
- Protein: 2G
- Cholesterol: 28MG
Keywords: Orange fish cookies recipe, Fish-shaped cookies, Citrus-flavored cookies, Orange zest cookies, Fresh orange cookies, Fish cookies for kids, Rosh Hashanah cookies, Easy fish cookies recipe, Decorated fish cookies, Whimsical cookie recipe, Fun cookie ideas, Orange-themed cookies, Kid-friendly cookies, Baking citrus cookies, Fish biscuits recipe, Octonauts fish cookies, Playful cookies for kids, Homemade fish cookies, Citrus-infused cookies, Creative cookie shapes, Holiday fish cookies, Festive orange cookies