These orange creamsicle cookies are my take on one of the most nostalgic desserts from my childhood. I wanted to capture that same creamy orange flavor in a soft, chewy cookie. After some experimenting, this recipe totally delivers! Made with a combo of orange Jell-O for bold citrus flavor and real vanilla ice cream for richness and softness, these cookies are bright, sweet, and seriously melt-in-your-mouth delicious. If you grew up loving dreamsicles like I did, you’re going to be obsessed with every bite of these cookies.
Creamsicle Cookies Recipe
I’ve been getting compliments on my orange creamsicle cupcakes for years, so it was time I tried my hand at this summer flavor again for another easy dessert recipe. It might sound unusual, but orange Jell-O and vanilla ice cream are the key to nailing that nostalgic orange creamsicle flavor in cookie form.
The Jell-O adds a vibrant citrus taste and a pretty pastel color that’s instantly recognizable. As for the ice cream, it’s my not-so-secret ingredient that brings in extra moisture, richness, and subtle vanilla notes. I use it in place of some of the butter, sugar, and eggs to get that creamy, dreamy creamsicle flavor. A bit of cornstarch in the dough helps keep the cookies soft and chewy while giving them a picture-perfect shape every time.
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Chill the Dough
For the best flavor and texture, let your creamsicle cookie dough chill for at least 15 minutes before baking. This allows the cornstarch and ice cream to fully hydrate the flour, which helps the cookies bake up soft and chewy while holding their shape. Chilling also gives the orange flavor time to deepen and develop. I think it’s totally worth the wait!
Orange Creamsicle Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Hand Mixer
- 2 Baking Sheet
- Cookie Portion Scoop
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup salted butter slightly melted (1 stick)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract optional
- 3 ounces orange Jell-O mix (1 box)
- ½ cup vanilla ice cream
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (from 1 orange)
- 1½ cups white chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, and baking soda together. Set the dry mixture aside for now.3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- In a separate large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the granulated sugar and butter together on high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. The mixture will look a bit crumbled but that’s okay – it will come together more in the next step.1¼ cups granulated sugar, ½ cup salted butter
- Beat the eggs and vanilla (on high) into the butter mixture until light and a bit fluffy, about 1 minute.2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Beat the orange Jell-O powder, ice cream, and orange zest (on high speed) into the wet mixture until well combined, about 1 minute.3 ounces orange Jell-O mix, ½ cup vanilla ice cream, 1 tablespoon orange zest
- Add the flour mixture into the wet mixture and beat on low just until combined (until you no longer see streaks of white flour). Do not overmix.
- Use a spatula (not the electric mixer) to gently fold in 1¼ cups of the white chocolate chips (set aside the remaining ¼ cup of white chocolate chips for now). It’s important to not use the electric mixer for this step. If the dough is over mixed, the cookies won’t be soft and chewy.1½ cups white chocolate chips
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a 2-tablespoon sized cookie scoop, scoop balls of cookie dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet. These cookie dough balls will be about 30 grams each. The cookies can be close together for this step but not touching or they’ll stick together.
- Use your hands to roll the cookies into round balls. This cookie dough will be really sticky. Spray your hands lightly with nonstick spray so the cookie dough balls don’t get stuck to your hands. Top the cookie dough balls with the remaining ¼ cup of the white chocolate chips.
- Place the tray of unbaked cookies in freezer for 15 minutes. Freezing the cookies before baking helps to prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper, take some cookies out of the freezer then place those cookies on the baking sheet. Cookies should be at least 2 inches from each other on the baking sheet to allow a bit of space for spreading. It is important to only bake one tray of cookies at a time to ensure an even baking temperature for all cookies. Leave the rest of the cookies in the freezer until you are ready to bake them.
- Place one tray of cookies into the oven to bake. Bake each tray of cookies for 12-13 minutes. The baked cookies will look slightly undercooked on the tops but they’ll continue to bake on the hot tray after you remove them from the oven. You don’t want to overbake the cookies or they won’t be soft and chewy.
- Let cookies cool for 10 minutes on the hot baking tray before removing to wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Make sure not to use sugar-free Jell-O in this recipe. The cookies will not turn out right.
- Add the Jell-O mix as a dry ingredient. Do not prepare the Jell-O!
- I used white chocolate, but feel free to use milk, dark, or semisweet chocolate if you prefer.
- Feel free to add other mix-ins like chopped nuts or dried fruit in place of some of the white chocolate chips in this recipe. Keep the total mix-ins to 1½ cups.
- Try swapping out the orange Jell-O for your favorite flavor, like strawberry, blackberry, peach, lemon, apricot, raspberry, cherry, or pineapple. Swap the orange zest for ½ teaspoon of the matching flavor extract, or just use vanilla extract!
- Freeze your cookie dough before baking to prevent spreading.
- You can freeze the raw cookie dough balls for up to 3 months. Start by laying the raw cookie dough balls flat in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze for 2 hours, then transfer to an airtight container or Ziplock bag. Add 2 minutes of baking time if baking from a frozen state.
- Bake cookies one tray at a time for best results.
How to Make Orange Creamsicle Cookies Step-by-Step
Mix the Dry Ingredients: Gather the list of ingredients. Bring the eggs to room temperature and slightly melt the butter, then zest the orange. In a medium bowl, whisk 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, and 1½ teaspoons of baking soda together. Set the dry mixture aside for now.
Cream the Butter: In a separate large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat 1¼ cups of granulated sugar and ½ cup of salted butter on high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. The mixture will look a bit crumbled, but that’s okay – it will come together more when you add the eggs.
Beat in the Wet Ingredients: Beat 2 large eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (on high) into the butter mixture until light and a bit fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat 3 ounces (1 box) of orange Jell-O powder, ½ cup of vanilla ice cream, and 1 tablespoon of orange zest (on high speed) into the wet mixture until well combined, about 1 minute.
Form the Dough: Add the flour mixture into the wet mixture and beat on low just until combined (until you no longer see streaks of white flour). Do not overmix. Use a spatula (not the electric mixer) to gently fold in 1¼ cups of the white chocolate chips (set aside the remaining ¼ cup of white chocolate chips for now). I do not recommend using the electric mixer for this step, because if the dough is over-mixed, the cookies will become tough and dry.
Shape and Chill the Cookies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 2-tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, scoop balls of cookie dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. These cookie dough balls will be about 30 grams each. The cookies can be close together for this step, but not touching, or they’ll stick together. Use your hands to roll the cookies into round balls. This cookie dough will be really sticky, so spray your hands lightly with nonstick spray so the cookie dough balls don’t get stuck to your hands. Top the cookie dough balls with the remaining ¼ cup of the white chocolate chips. Place the tray of unbaked cookies in the freezer for 15 minutes–freezing the cookies before baking helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
Bake the Cookies: While the cookies chill, preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper, take some cookies out of the freezer, then place those cookies on the baking sheet. Cookies should be at least 2 inches from each other on the baking sheet to allow a bit of space for spreading. It is important to only bake one tray of cookies at a time to ensure an even baking temperature for all cookies. Leave the rest of the cookies in the freezer until you are ready to bake them. Place one tray of cookies into the oven to bake. Bake each tray of orange creamsicle cookies for 12-13 minutes. The baked cookies will look slightly undercooked on the tops, but they’ll continue to bake on the hot tray after you remove them from the oven. You don’t want to overbake the cookies, or they won’t be soft and chewy. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the hot baking tray before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Store
The orange creamsicle cookie dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
Store leftover baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Let thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
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