This Orange Sugar Cookies with Clove recipe yields chewy sugar cookies flavored with fresh orange zest and ground cloves. These orange cookies also have a touch of orange food coloring to hint at the flavor. This recipe makes a citrusy soft sugar cookie with a touch of clove that's great year-round, but especially in fall and winter.
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These cookies are adapted from the Jam Lab's Neapolitan cookies, that are a mix of orange, strawberry and lemon sugar cookies. I added clove as a nod to the vintage recipe I based these on. This recipe is part of my vintage recipe redo series on social media where I reimagine a vintage recipe. The vintage halloween recipe these are based on is "goblin frosties" from the 1959 Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cookbook. Goblin frosties are hollowed-out oranges filled with lime sherbet and decorated with licorice and clove faces. I made a batch of these orange-flavored cookies, but added eyeball candies for a spooky look and filled them with homemade sherbet to make sherbet (ice cream) sandwiches.
I don't typically like to use orange extract or artificial orange flavoring, because I think it can lean chemical cleaning product, but I add just a touch here to amplify the natural orange flavor. If you're in the mood for another citrusy cookie, I have plenty of other recipes. These lemon pepper sugar cookies are also chewy, with a touch of savory (they are my BEST sugar cookies imo). I have meltaway cookies in almost every citrus variety, my favorite are my grapefruit version.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- These cookies are chewy with soft centers, especially if you don't over bake them!
- The clove adds a warming effect to the cookies.
- There is a ton of citrus flavor in these thanks to lots of orange zest and orange extract.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour provides a tender crumb to the cookies.
- Eggs provide structure and moisture.
- Baking soda gives the cookies a bit of lift.
- Unsalted butter adds richness and moisture.
- Orange zest and clove flavors the cookie.
- Kosher salt and vanilla extract balance the overall flavor profile.
- Orange extract gives the natural orange flavor a boost.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the cookie dough. They also get rolled in a little extra sugar before baking.
- Orange food coloring gives a subtle orange hue to the cookies.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here's how to customize this orange sugar cookies with clove recipe to your liking:
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- No clove — omit the clove without issue or replace it with another spice like cardamom or cinnamon.
- White chocolate — mix in 1 cup of white chocolate chips before scooping the dough.
- Dairy-free butter — swap the unsalted butter for dairy-free unsalted butter.
- Less sugar — I do not recommend decreasing the sugar in the dough, but you can skip rolling the cookie dough balls in sugar before baking.
- No orange extract — omit without issue or swap for another extract. A touch of lemon or almond extract would be nice in these!
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make Orange Sugar Cookies with Clove
Step 1: Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, kosher salt and cloves. Set aside.
Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with beaters, add the granulated sugar and orange zest. Rub the orange zest into the sugar with your fingers to express the zest’s oils. Add the butter to the zesty sugar. Mix on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary until the mixture is creamed together, lighter in color and fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and orange extract to the butter mixture. Mix until combined.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients and beat just until combined, with no dry streaks of flour remaining.
Step 4: Place ½ cup of granulated sugar in a small bowl. Scoop out the cookie dough with a 2 tablespoon scoop. Roll each ball in the granulated sugar before placing 2 inches apart onto the baking sheet. Pat them down just a bit. Bake in the preheated oven for 11-13 minutes. Do not overbake. To ensure the cookies stay soft and chewy, pull them out just a bit before they look fully baked in the centers. Leave on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Top tips
- For perfectly round cookies, swirl the top of a wide cup or bowl around each cookie right after they come out of the oven. I have a set of round cookie cutters, and I use the largest of them to do this.
- Mid-baking or right after baking, bang the tray of cookies down to flatten them, making for a pretty ripple effect.
Recipe FAQs
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For freezer storage, store unbaked dough balls in an airtight container or freezer bag, separated with wax paper or parchment paper.
I do not recommend adding orange juice to the cookie dough. It would add too much moisture and affect the texture. But you could make a glaze with orange juice and powdered sugar. Start with 1 cup of powdered sugar and whisk in orange juice slowly until you get a consistency you like.
More recipes you'll love
Lastly, if you make this Orange Sugar Cookies with Clove recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Orange Sugar Cookies with Clove
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookies
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves optional
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226g)
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar (291g) plus ~½ cup for rolling
- 3 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon orange extract
- Orange gel food coloring
Instructions
Do ahead
- Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Make the cookie dough
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, kosher salt and cloves. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with beaters, add the granulated sugar and orange zest. Rub the orange zest into the sugar with your fingers to express the zest’s oils.
- Add the butter to the zesty sugar. Mix on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary until the mixture is creamed together, lighter in color and fluffy.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and orange extract. Mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and beat just until combined, with no dry streaks of flour remaining.
Scoop the dough
- Place ½ cup of granulated sugar in a small bowl.
- Scoop out the cookie dough with a 2 tablespoon scoop. Roll each ball in the granulated sugar before placing 2 inches apart onto the baking sheet. Pat them down just a bit.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 11-13 minutes. Do not overbake. To ensure the cookies stay soft and chewy, pull them out just a bit before they look fully baked in the centers. Leave on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published 10/27/2025.
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