Orange Thyme Cookies - Sunshine Texas Cookies (2024)

Orange Thyme Cookies

Orange thyme cookies are made with an olive oil base to produce a light and ultra-chewy cookie. The juice and zest of fresh oranges along with honey are combined in this soft dough that is rolled in a fresh orange zest sugar for a sweet, bright, and delicate springtime cookie.

Have you ever tried an orange olive oil cake? Orange scented, fluffy olive oil cake that is dense with flavor and light as air on the palate. The slight bitterness from a good quality unfiltered olive oil shines through the cake and the flavor is brightened with an acidic pop of fresh oranges. It’s a delicious cake and quite easy to make even for the novice baker. With the weather warming up in Texas and my citrus trees blooming, an orange cookie is way past due. (Fun joke, right? We have hit 90*F in February. Already. I’m not sure if this joke will land well come July and August.)

Here is my take on a classic and simple orange olive oil flavor combination in which I have included thyme as a flavor buddy to hype up the sunny fresh vibes. These come together easily and the cookies stay fresh and chewy for up to a week after baking.

I began this recipe determined to make candied oranges and incorporate them into a spring cookie. While making candied oranges was fun, despite the one batch I let get too hot and burn on the stove, all subsequent batches were simply delicious. I couldn’t make them work like I had imagined inside the cookie dough. They were nice as a garnish on the tops of the cookies without a roll in the orange zest sugar, but the sugar coating also imparted more flavor to the cookie than an awkwardly placed slice of candied orange on top. I think I will rework a recipe to include chopped candied orange, perhaps a nice ricotta cookie? I will be sure to share as soon as I figure out a better place for my delicious, candied oranges. As it stands, they are too yummy just eating them on their own.

The olive oil as a base in this cookie is wonderful. I ventured out of my baking comfort zone, replacing my tried and true butter with delicious and rich olive oil. Olive oil is rich, spicy, maybe a little sweet, and definitely buttery feeling on the tongue. I used a high quality unfiltered Italian olive oil which had a smooth flavor with a tiny bit of a spicy finish.

The result in the cookies is nuances of spice, bitter, and sweetness without any of the flavors strong enough to overpower each other. You can definitely taste the olive oil in the cookie. So, if you aren’t a fan of this flavor, it is best to pass on this recipe. The acidic elements of the orange zest and juice, alongside a slight astringent flavor of the thyme works so well with the generous dredging of the small one ounce cookie dough balls in an orange zest sugar. This cookie is on the sweeter side but has more complexity than I am used to with regular drop cookies. These cookies would accompany a glass of dry white wine or sparkling prosecco very well. I will be conducting research on this theory soon with the fast approaching weekend coming up. I will update my findings on this pairing. (APPROVED)

Need more orange recipes? I have you covered!

• Blood Orange Thumbprint Cookies
• Blood Orange Curd
• Carrot Cake Cookies-Stuffed

Why I Love This Recipe

Flavor-Although they are small, my orange thyme cookies are mighty in flavor. Fragrant, cold pressed, unfiltered olive oil is used as the fat component instead of butter in this cookie dough. The olive oil gives the cookie a rich and complex flavor. You can taste the olive oil subtly with every bite. The orange zest and juice add acidity and brightness to the dough.

The use of fresh thyme highlights the flavor of the orange and olive oil while also flavoring the cookie with earthy, floral notes and a hint of bitter. An orange zest sugar is prepared by rubbing fresh orange zest into sugar then the cookies are rolled in the mixture creating a sweet pop of flavor to the outside of every bite. This balances the bittersweet notes of the thyme and olive oil.

Texture -Where are my chewy cookie fans at? You MUST make these! The olive oil keep these cookies so chewy! I’m not kidding, they stay ultra-chewy for days after baking. The middle of the cookie stays moist and soft wile the orange zest sugar create a crisp and bright exterior around the cookie. The combination of chewy, crunchy, and soft make for an addicting cookie. It doesn’t hurt either that they are smaller cookies, they are great for a sweet little afternoon treat with a cup of tea.

Bright Flavor-A perfect cookie to celebrate warmer weather or if you need a pick me up in cold winter months. Citrus season happens to fall at the cusp of cold winter blues and the hopes for sunny spring days. This cookie reminds me of a sunny day with every bite.

Ingredients You Need

-Olive Oil-I used unfiltered cold press extra virgin olive oil.

-Granulated Sugar

-Egg

-Oranges- I used two medium navel oranges for the zest in the cookie dough and the zest in the sugar coating. You can substitute with whichever citrus you prefer. A nice grapefruit or Meyer lemon twist to the recipe would be lovely!

-Baking Soda

-Honey-gives the cookie sweetness and boosts chewiness.

-Salt-for flavor.

-Flour- I used Sonora Wheat from Barton Springs Mill in this recipe. Delicious flour to bake with.

-Heavy Cream-to add richness to the cookie. Can substitute an egg yolk.

-Fresh Thyme-the flavor of fresh thyme is pungent, sweet, earthy, and mesmerizing. I love it. If you are not a fan you can omit or substitute with half as much fresh rosemary. Dried thyme can be used but won’t be as pungent as fresh thyme. I remove the tender leaves from the thyme sprigs.

Passport to the Italian Coast…3,2,1…

In a large bowl combine the olive oil, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, fresh thyme leaves, egg, and cream. Mix with a spatula or fork until creamy and no egg remains. You can also use a hand-held mixer.

Next, I add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and mix until it comes together into a soft dough. The dough will be quite soft, similar to a really thick cake batter.

I preheat the oven to 350*F and prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment. It’s important to use parchment as these cookies will spread during baking.

Then, in a small bowl I combine the zest of the second orange with a half cup of granulated sugar. I rub the zest into the sugar, so it resembles wet sand.

Using a ¾ ounce cookie scoop, or a tablespoon, I scoop a portion of dough into my hand, roll the dough between my palms to smooth it, then drop into the orange zest sugar. I make sure to coat the cookie dough entirely in the sugar then place on the prepared baking sheet.

Leave around 2 inches spacing between the cookies to allow for spread.

Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. The edges will be golden, and the middle will be puffed up. They will settle as they cool. I let the cookies set up on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

These orange thyme cookies will keep in a tightly closed container for up to a week. They store remarkably well and stay soft and chewy for days!

If you try this recipe and love it as much as I do, please tag, follow, and like @sunshinetxcookies on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok. New posts every Thursday so be sure to follow me for more delicious cookie recipes. Happy Baking!