Italian Orange-Poppy Seed Cookies
We can't get enough of these citrus-kissed Christmas cookies! Inspired by our beloved Easy Italian Christmas Cookies, we added ricotta cheese, fresh orange and crunchy poppy seed to Pillsbury™ sugar cookie dough for this flavorful twist on a classic.
Servings 36 Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 roll 16.5 oz Pillsbury™ refrigerated sugar cookies
- 1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese from 15-oz container
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons poppy seed fresh (see Tip)
- 3 teaspoons grated orange zest
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper.
- In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Stir or knead in ricotta cheese, flour, poppy seed and 2 teaspoons of the orange zest until well blended. Shape dough into 36 (1 1/4-inch) balls. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Recipe TIP: Use fresh poppy seed in this recipe. Due to its high oil content, if not stored properly, poppy seed can go rancid quickly. Fresh poppy seed can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge 3 to 6 months or in the freezer up to 1 year.
- Bake 10 to 13 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
- In small bowl, stir powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of the orange juice and remaining 1 teaspoon orange zest; mix well. If necessary, add additional orange juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, until thin enough for glaze. Dip tops of cookies into glaze. Let stand about 20 minutes or until glaze is set.
Notes
Store cookies in an airtight container in single layers between parchment or waxed paper in refrigerator up to 1 week. Cookies can be frozen up to 2 months. To thaw, let stand uncovered at room temperature 1 to 2 hours.