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panettone sugar cookies on pink plates
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Panettone Sugar Cookies

Chewy sugar cookies with the flavors of panettone, such as orange and lemon zest and dried fruit. There's a splash of triple sec and plenty of vanilla, too.
Course cookies
Cuisine American
Diet Low Salt
Keyword cream of tartar, lemon zest, orange zest, panettone, sugar cookies
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Servings 20 cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon [364 g] all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 cup [2 sticks or 227 g] unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 ¾ cup [350 g] granulated sugar plus ½ cup [100 g] for rolling
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg plus 1 large yolk
  • 1 tablespoon triple sec or other orange liqueur optional
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup [70 g] candied dried fruit or dried fruit chopped into small, bite-sized pieces (cherries, apricots, candied orange peels, etc. I love King Arthur Flour jammy bits and used those here)

Instructions

  • Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Line three sheet pans with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 ¾ cups [350 g] of the granulated sugar, orange and lemon zest, and salt and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, yolk, Triple sec, if using, and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Add the dried fruit and mix on low again, then use a rubber spatula to mix the dough again to make sure it is completely combined.
  • Place the remaining ½ cup [100 g] of sugar in a medium bowl.
  • For the cookies into 1 ½ oz [45 g] balls (2 tablespoons). Roll each ball in the sugar and place 8 cookies on each sheet pan.
  • Bake one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. Bake until the sides are set and the bottoms are light golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer the sheet pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the pan, then remove them and let them cool completely on the wire rack. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Notes

*Throughout my recipes posted on this website, 1 cup of flour equals 142g. Please note that 1 cup of flour can range anywhere from 120g to 142g, depending on the baker or website. I found that after weighting many cups of flour and averaging the total, mine always ended up around this number. If I am posting a recipe from another cookbook, I will use whatever gram measure of flour used in that book, which is why you may see a few posts with a different cup measurement. 
 
Different brands of flour have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high, which can result in very different outcomes when baking. I’ve found Gold Medal all-purpose unbleached flour to be the best option for many of my recipes; I use it in all the baked goods that don’t use yeast. For yeasted doughs that call for all-purpose flour, I like to use King Arthur Brand. If you are using White Lily flour, please note that it is a low protein flour and doesn’t absorb liquid the same as regular all-purpose flours. Check the back of the flour bag for instructions on substituting it for regular all-purpose flours.