Recipes and Cooking Citrus Sugar Cookie Eggs It's easy to change the flavor of this cookie dough. Swap the orange zest and juice with lemon, lime, or any combination of the three. Decorate with royal icing to dress up the cookies. By BHG Test Kitchen BHG Test Kitchen The Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen has been in continuous operation for nearly 100 years, developing and testing practical, reliable recipes that readers can enjoy at home. The Test Kitchen team includes culinary specialists, food stylists, registered and licensed nutritionists, and other experts with Bachelor of Science degrees in food science, food and nutrition, or culinary arts. Together, the team tests more than 2,500 recipes, produces more than 2,500 food images, and creates more than 1,000 food videos each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on April 5, 2022 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Carson Downing Hands On Time: 25 mins Total Time: 45 mins Servings: 48 Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 1 ½ cup butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoon orange zest ¼ teaspoon baking powder 1 egg 1 tablespoon orange juice 1 teaspoon vanilla ¾ teaspoon salt 3 ½ cup all-purpose flour 1 recipe Choose-a-Color Royal Icing (optional) Choose-a-Color Royal Icing 4 cup powdered sugar 3 tablespoon meringue powder* ½ teaspoon cream of tartar ½ cup warm water (100°F to 105°F) 1 teaspoon vanilla Gel paste food coloring Directions Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl beat butter with a mixer on medium to high 30 seconds. Add sugar, orange zest, and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, orange juice, vanilla, and salt until combined. Beat in flour. Divide dough into two or three portions. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough one portion at a time to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out egg shapes using 2- to 3-inch cookie cutters. (Dip cutters into flour to prevent sticking.) Place cutouts 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are firm but not brown. (Adjust timing for smaller and larger cookies.) Let cool on a wire rack. Decorate with icing, if desired. Royal Icing Tips For piping-consistency royal icing: Transfer about 1 cup unthinned icing to a pastry bag fitted with a small round decorating tip (No. 2 or 3). For icing-consistency royal icing: Thin icing with warm water (4 to 5 tsp. per cup of icing). Icing should fall in ribbons from a spoon, and ribbons should disappear into icing surface in the bowl in 10 to 15 seconds. Dip cookie surface in icing; place on a wire rack to set (about 6 hours). One cup thinned icing covers about 36 (2- to 3-inch) cookies. Choose-a-Color Royal Icing In a large mixing bowl stir together powdered sugar, meringue powder, and cream of tartar. Add the warm water and vanilla. Beat with a mixer on low until combined. Beat on high 7 to 10 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Tint as desired with food coloring. Makes about 4 cups. Store unthinned icing, covered, in refrigerator up to 2 days. *Note: Meringue powder is a mixture of pasteurized egg whites, sugar, and edible gums. Look for it in the baking aisle of large grocers or in the cake-decorating section of crafts stores. Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 102 Calories 6g Fat 11g Carbs 1g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 48 Calories 102 % Daily Value * Total Fat 6g 8% Saturated Fat 4g 20% Cholesterol 19mg 6% Sodium 86mg 4% Total Carbohydrate 11g 4% Total Sugars 4g Protein 1g Calcium 5mg 0% Iron 0.4mg 2% Potassium 13mg 0% Folate, total 17.4mcg Vitamin B-12 0mcg Vitamin B-6 0mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.