The Soft Mandarin Cookies are similar to the famous Lemon Crinkle Cookies — soft lemon cookies cracked on the surface — and they are delicious! Less famous than the chocolate Crinkle Cookies, these little treats are also soft cookies with a mandarin fragrance, with a characteristic and unique texture that seems to melt in your mouth! Very soft inside, slightly crisp outside and wonderfully fragrant, the mandarin crinkle cookies or soft cookies are coated with powdered sugar and granulated sugar, distinguished by their cracked surface and are perfect for everyone’s breakfast or snack, as well as a fragrant dessert.
The preparation of the soft mandarin cookies is so simple that you can get your kids to help and spend a cheerful hour together!
The mandarin crinkle cookies are also the perfect homemade gift that everyone will love! If you love mandarin desserts as I do, try the Mandarin Jam, the Mandarin Bundt Cake or the Chocolate & Mandarin Pinwheel Cookies. Let’s go to the kitchen now and discover together how to make the Mandarin Crinkle Cookies, but first, if you want to stay updated on new recipes you can follow my Facebook page and my Instagram profile.

Also check out:

Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Rest time: 1 Hour
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients for making mandarin crinkle cookies

2 1/3 cups 00 flour (all-purpose flour)
2 mandarins (organic, about 1/3 cup (70 ml) juice and all the zest)
7 tbsp butter (softened)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg (medium)
1 pinch salt
2 tsp baking powder (for cakes)
as needed powdered sugar (for finishing)
as needed granulated sugar (for finishing)

Steps

To make the soft mandarin cookies, mix in a bowl the softened butter, the sugar and the grated mandarin zest.
Add the mandarin juice and the egg, and beat with a whisk until you obtain a creamy, homogeneous mixture.
Then add the flour and baking powder and work the dough well until you obtain a uniform mass. Place it in the fridge to rest for about 40–60 minutes, covered with plastic wrap.
After resting, the dough will be firmer and easier to work with. Prepare two small bowls, one with granulated sugar and the other with powdered sugar (fundamental to give the cookies their “cracked” appearance during baking).
Form balls about 1.5–2 inches in diameter and first roll them roughly in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar (make sure as much powdered sugar as possible sticks to them).
Bake in a preheated conventional oven at 347°F for 13–15 minutes. The cookies should remain slightly soft inside and appear just lightly golden on the bottom and white on top.