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Creamsicle orange cookies came about during a particularly desperate moment when my kids were driving me nuts on a rainy Saturday. I'd promised cookies but realized I was out of chocolate chips – rookie parent mistake. Digging through the pantry, I found white cake mix, a box of orange jello that had survived several kitchen cleanouts, and some white chocolate chips. I figured, what the heck? Worst case, I'd blame Pinterest and order pizza.
My mother-in-law – who normally has something to say about everything I bake – actually asked for this recipe after Christmas dinner last year. I nearly fell off my chair. She claims she wants to make them for her bridge club, but I caught her eating the last three straight from the freezer during her last visit.
What You'll Throw Together
- White cake mix: whatever brand's on sale works fine
- Orange jello: the small box, not the big one
- Fresh orange zest: don't skip this or you'll just have sweet orange-colored cookies
- Butter: the real stuff, not margarine (trust me on this one)
- Eggs: set them out while you hunt for matching socks in the laundry
- White chocolate chips: splurge on the good ones if you can
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Making Cookie Magic
- Heat That Oven
- Crank your oven to 350°F and let it get properly hot. My ancient oven needs a good 15 minutes to reach temperature, even though it beeps after 5 and lies to my face. Line your cookie sheets with parchment or those silicone mats if you're fancy. I've made these without lining the pans exactly once, and I'm still trying to scrape off the evidence.
- Mix The Dry Stuff
- Dump the cake mix, jello powder, and orange zest in a bowl and whisk it together. Don't worry about sifting – this isn't that kind of recipe. The zest might clump a bit, so use your fingers to break it up if needed. Your hands will smell amazing afterward, which is a nice bonus.
- Add The Wet Bits
- Throw in your butter and eggs. If the butter isn't soft enough, you'll get an arm workout with the mixer. I've microwaved butter for 8 seconds when I forgot to set it out, and while baking purists would faint, the cookies turned out fine. Mix just until everything comes together – maybe 2 minutes tops. Overmixing makes tough cookies, and life's already tough enough.
- Chips Ahoy
- Fold in those white chocolate chips by hand. If you keep the mixer running, you'll pulverize them, and then you've just got weird sweet dust instead of chunks of goodness. Also, let's be honest – this is where I steal a fingerful of raw dough. I know I shouldn't, but we all have our vices.
- Scoop And Roll
- Use a cookie scoop if you have one, a tablespoon if you don't. Roll the dough into balls – this takes me about 30 seconds for the whole batch because I'm impatient. Space them a couple inches apart unless you want one giant connected cookie situation (which, honestly, sometimes I do).
- Watch The Clock
- Bake for about 10 minutes, but start checking at 9. You want the edges set but the middle still looking slightly underdone. They'll finish cooking on the hot pan, and this way they stay soft instead of turning crunchy. My first batch always takes 11 minutes, and my second batch takes 10 – no idea why, but my oven has a personality disorder.
My son took these to his class party last year and came home saying, "Mom, Jayden's mom wants to know if these are from a bakery." I texted her the recipe while sitting in the school pickup line. Now we have a whole cookie exchange thing going, which was never my intention, but I've gotten some pretty great recipes out of the deal.
What To Serve With 'Em
Pour a cold glass of milk for the full nostalgic experience. For grown-up parties, I've served these with vanilla bean ice cream sandwiched between them. My cousin puts them out with afternoon coffee when she wants to seem fancy but didn't have time to actually bake anything complicated.
Mix It Up
If you're feeling adventurous, try lemon jello and lemon zest instead of orange. Add a handful of coconut if you're into that sort of thing. For Christmas, I've done half red (with cherry jello) and half orange, and they look festive as hell on a cookie plate. Sometimes I press a few extra white chips on top before baking just to make them prettier.
Keeping Them Fresh
Store them in an airtight container with a piece of bread thrown in to keep them soft. They'll last about 5 days before starting to get stale, though they've never made it past 3 days in my house. You can freeze them too – just let them thaw on the counter for about an hour before serving. I've frozen the dough balls too, which is dangerous because it means I can make just 4 fresh cookies at 10 PM when a craving hits.
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I discovered these cookies by accident five years ago, and they've become my signature bring-along dessert. They've been to school functions, office parties, and neighborhood potlucks. Last summer, I forgot them for a family reunion and my brother actually called me from the buffet line to complain. There's something about that orange-vanilla combo that makes people happy – maybe it's the flavor, or maybe it's just the childhood memories of chasing down the ice cream truck with sticky quarters clutched in sweaty hands. Either way, they're worth the five minutes of effort.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → Can I use orange extract instead of orange zest?
- Yes, substitute the orange zest with 1-2 teaspoons of orange extract, depending on how strong you want the flavor to be.
- → Can I use unsalted butter?
- Yes, just add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the dry ingredients if using unsalted butter.
- → Why did my cookies spread too much?
- Make sure your butter isn't too warm and try chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking. Also check that your oven temperature is accurate.
- → Can I use yellow cake mix instead of white?
- Yes, yellow cake mix works well too, though the cookies will have a slightly different flavor and color.
- → How do I know when the cookies are done?
- The edges should be set but the centers might still look slightly underdone. They'll continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet.