If you love convenience and pairing a dainty tea cookie with your afternoon tea, these cookies are perfect for you! These slice-n-bake cookies last up to a week in your fridge, or three months in the freezer, and are always ready for a moment’s notice afternoon tea with a friend. These lace-like citrus icebox cookies are really thin with a crispy edge and super soft center, and just the right amount of citrus tang to complement your floral flavored tea. Top them off with an edible flower like a red pansy or violet and serve them on a pretty vintage mirror tray. Your friends will be so impressed with them.
What is an Icebox Cookie?
First of all what is an icebox? An icebox is the first name for our modern refrigerator. An icebox cookie is a slice-n-bake cookie that you keep rolled up in a log shape for on the go baking. Or…. simply just eating raw. This is why my cookie logs are tucked away in the back of my fridge drawer. Out of sight out of mind as they say! Pillsbury still sells these wrapped up in a perfect log in the easy bake section of the store. I’m sure you have tried their holiday sugar cookies with the shape of a pumpkin pre-baked into them. They are SO delicious. But these are better. Here’s why!
The Secret Ingredient
The secret ingredient is not only some orange zest, which of course is alway a nice tangy addition when making sugar cookies, and my mom’s favorite to add to her cookies. Adding a hefty ¼ cup of fresh squeezed orange juice is key. And the orange has to be a sweet and juicy one. I typically buy a few different varieties from Whole Foods until I find the right one. But not during citrus season, you can’t really go wrong.
Ingredients You Need
- Flour
- Unsalted Butter
- Sugar
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Salt
- A juicy, fresh orange
- Vanilla Extract
- Edible Flowers
How to Make Icebox Cookies
Allow the butter to soften overnight. Overnight I said- yep that is totally fine! It will be perfect in the morning. Cream the butter and sugar together then add in all the dry ingredients. Refrigerate the dough for at least thirty minutes so it’s easier to form into two logs. I like to keep them rather small, because the cookie spreads quite a lot when baked. To adhere an edible flower, make an egg wash with one egg white whipped, and brush it on top of the cookie. Paint an extra coat on top, and sprinkled with some sugar. For some vintage baking tips from the classic cookbooks, check out this post!
What Flowers Are Edible?
You can have my guide for free on edible flowers! It contains my favorite flowers to use in baked goods. Here are some common ones you may be able to find at the market. I grew the red pansies from my Click and Grow garden. Just make sure that you don’t use flowers you buy from the grocery store, as they have been sprayed with pesticides.
- Violets
- Pansies
- Carnations
- Roses
- Marigold
- Chrysanthemum
So when you decide to host a girly tea party, these delicious and dainty icebox cookies must make an appearance!
Classic Citrus Icebox Cookies
These dainty edible flower tea cookies have a delicious tangy citrus flavor and a thin chewy texture. Perfect for tea time!
- Prep Time30 min
- Cook Time10 min
- Total Time40 min
- Yield24
- 1 1/2 sticks butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1.5 tablespoons orange zest 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Edible flowers for topping
Preparing the spices
In a bowl with an electric mixer, cream together softened butter with sugar until fluffy. Add in the vanilla, orange zest, and orange juice.
In a separate bowl sift together all the dry ingredients. With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes minimum.
Form the ball of dough into two small cylindrical logs about two inches in diameter. Using a piece of wax paper can help and some extra flour to roll it out with out sticking. Put back in the fridge and slice off into thick disks when you are ready to bake them.
Arrange on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. The cookies will flatten out and look Lacey like a pretty lace doily. If you’d like to add flowers, whisk an egg white and using a flat paintbrush, brush the egg wash onto the top of the cookie, and press the flower into the cookie. Cover with a little more egg wash for a shine. Sprinkle some extra sugar on top.
Serve with tea on a vintage mirror tray!
