So, I made these Vegan & Gluten-Free Orange Juice Cookies for the BBQ party I threw this last weekend and, well, I kind of impressed myself. Now, I made some tweaks to the recipe (because my first go-round was kind of tough, which is not the cookie way), but I really think…really, really, really, that the second round I made (the ones I DIDN’T serve to my guests, but gobbled-up about an hour after they left…but don’t tell them…)–made the PERFECT cookie. I was so pleased. I mean, the first round was good, but this recipe…this was just so awesome, I couldn’t help but share.
The trick is to not use too much flour in these. There’s something about over-flouring, especially with gluten-free cooking, that just makes things tough and hard. Maybe that’s why there are such things as recipes. Because, you know, you’re supposed to follow them, but because I’m experimenting…I rarely follow anything but my tummy’s rumblies (thank you Winnie the Pooh for that sentiment).
And, frankly, though Vegan & Gluten-Free Orange Juice Cookies aren’t where it’s at. No, it’s the soft, crumble-apart-in-your-mouth ones that make my day. Because, who doesn’t want a soft, moist cookie? Despite that word (“moist”) is no one’s favorite…somehow they always want a cookie that meets that standard. So, here’s to it. I hope you like.
Vegan & Gluten-Free Orange Juice Cookies

Vegan & Gluten-Free Orange Juice Cookies
I made these Vegan & Gluten-Free Orange Juice Cookies for the BBQ party I threw this last weekend and, well, I kind of impressed myself.
Ingredients
- Cookies
- 2/3 cup coconut oil, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, room temperature (I like Earth's Best for this sort of thing)
- 1 cup orange juice, I used non-concentrate, but I think it'll work with either...depends on how orangey you want it to be
- 6 tblspns aquafaba, my beloved bean juice
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- pinch of salt
- 6 teaspoons baking powder
- 5 cups gluten-free flour blend, I used Bob's Redmill
- Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tblspn orange juice
- 2 tblspn corn syrup
- Sprinkles of your choosing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
- Cream coconut oil, vegan butter and sugar together.
- Mix orange juice, aquafaba and salt into the sugar mixture.
- Combine flour and baking powder in a separate bowl.
- Add dry ingredients to wet in 1/3 increments.
- Dough will be very sticky.
- You can roll dough into shapes like knots, twists or, like I did, rolls or you can just drop them on your parchment-paper-covered baking sheet. Either way.
- Bake for 12 minutes.
- Do not allow the cookies to brown--they will be icky then. So, just pull them out at 12 minutes and don't panic.
- While the cookies are cooling, combine all the ingredients for the icing, except the sprinkles.
- As soon as the cookies are done cooling to the touch (about 10 minutes), dip the tops in the icing, then turn them over and place them on a wire rack to drip-dry.
- The minute you have all the cookies iced, sprinkle them with your chosen sprinkles and eat them all--no, wait, you should probably give some to your guests...or not. I didn't...sooooo...
Ok, so, tell me what you think. Do these Vegan & Gluten-Free Orange Juice Cookies float your boat or sink your sub? Leave me a comment below–or find me on Facebook. I’ll be honest, I won’t respond anyway because comments tend to be mean and depressing, so don’t get your hopes up. Heh. But, feel free to leave one. Because that’s where it’s at, my lovelies…comments that no one will respond to (because I’m the ultimate introvert).