Soft Ginger Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze

Soft Ginger Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze anyone? This recipe has a long name, but these cookies are a breeze to make. (And they disappear even faster!) They are perfectly soft and slightly chewy. And the aromatics such as orange, honey, molasses, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove will make your entire house smell amazing when baking.

Hello folks – happy Friday! I hope you all have had a wonderful week, and you are ready to enjoy your weekend. Any holiday baking?

Not for me this time. Unfortunately, last weekend my camera broke, and it was sent to the manufacturer. Luckily, we have had an extended warranty that would hopefully cover this. But that means no cooking for me – because what’s the point of cooking when I cannot use my camera, right?! Of course, I am exaggerating a bit. But I am taking a break from making festive recipes for the blog for the next few weeks.

Luckily, I had prepared enough of holiday recipes for this season before the camera stopped working. And I also have a few recipes from last year.

I am talking about these Soft Ginger Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze – it is your time to make an appearance!

Soft Ginger Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze

These Soft Ginger Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze have been one of my favourites for a few years. I make them every year at least once. I have shared them with our neighbours (cookie boxes) and at work. Everyone loved them!

Despite the long list of ingredients, they are easy and quick to make. No mixer, no chilling required. Just melt the butter and combine it with the remaining ingredients then bake. How simple is that?!

Their soft and chewy texture is similar to the famous German cookies Lebkuchen. And the best part is that you can make them a few days in advance. They will not become stale. Indeed, their texture will mature and enhance. I have also read somewhere that you can always place a slice of apple in a container with this kind of cookies; it will also prevent them from hardening. I tried – it worked well! There is just a little problem, though… these cookies usually disappear within a day or two, so it is hard to say whether this advice works LOL

And the flavour? It is a fantastic combination of warming spices and citrusy notes. Also, instead of orange juice for the icing, you can use an orange liqueur like triple sec. I have tried it – it is a wonderful version, as the alcohol cuts down the sweetness and accentuates the citrusy notes even further.

More Holiday Cookies to Try

Also, be sure to check more festive cookies:

Cranberry Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Orange Clove Cookies

Orange Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

Cranberry Rosemary Shortbread Cookies (Christmas Wreath Cookies)

Candy Cane Cookies

I hope you like these cookies, and you will give them a try. If you make it, let me know in this post or send me an Instagram message or share you photos adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.

Cheers!

Soft Ginger Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze

Recipe by Ben | HavocinthekitchenCourse: Dessert

Servings

18-24

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Cooling time

20

minutes

Soft Ginger Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze are soft and slightly chewy. And the aromatics like orange, honey, molasses, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove will make your entire house smell amazing!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (125 gr.) unsalted butter

• 2 tbsp. (40 gr.) honey

• 1 tbsp. (20 gr.) molasses (I used fancy)

• 2 tbsp. (25 gr.) brown sugar

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1/2 to 1 tsp. ground ginger and cinnamon, each

• 1/4 tsp. ground clove and nutmeg, each

• zest of 1 orange

• a good pinch (about 1/2 tsp.) of salt

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1 egg

• 1 1/2 cup (180 gr.) flour, may need a bit more for dusting

• Orange Clove Glaze (See Note):

• 1/4 cup (60 ml.) orange juice

• 1 1/2 cup (195 gr.) icing / confectioners’ sugar, may need a bit more

• 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped or 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• a good pinch of clove – adjust to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200-205 degrees C).
• Melt the butter over the low heat or using a microwave.
• In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, honey, and molasses to incorporate. Add the egg, orange zest, vanilla, salt and other spices.
• Sift the floor and baking powdered into the wet ingredients.
• Roll dough into medium-small balls (16-18 gr. each) and place on parchment lined cookie sheets
• Bake for 10-14 minutes (depending on your oven) or until the surface is firm and just begins to crack. Remove from the oven and cool completely before icing.
• For the icing, in a small bowl whisk together the orange juice, vanilla, clove then incorporate in few batches the icing sugar, whisking until smooth and homogenous. You may need to adjust the consistency by adding more of icing sugar. Try and add more of the clove if desired – be careful, that’s a very potent spice.
• Dip the cookies upside down into the bowl of icing and shake off the excess of it. Since the cookies themselves are not too sweet, you can be quite generous with the glaze – this amount is enough for that. If prefer just a drizzle of the icing, then reduce the amount of the glaze.
• Allow the glaze to set completely before transferring to storage container. The cookies will store well in an airtight container for up to 1 week; they will firm up a bit but should not turn stale. Enjoy!

Notes

• This amount of icing glaze makes enough to fully dip the cookies. If you prefer just a drizzle, you should reduce it in half. You can play with the glaze by swapping wet ingredients, i.e., adding some milk instead of the orange juice or orange liqueur like triple sec.

Ben | Havocinthekitchen

Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.