This easy blood orange marmalade sugar cookie recipe makes a cookie that is fudgy on the inside and crisp on the outside. Filled with bright blood orange marmalade and made using the Master Cookie Recipe with melted butter, oil, and precise gram measurements.
These blood orange marmalade sugar cookies are the kind of cookie you make once and then keep making forever. They’re simple, bright, beautifully balanced, and incredibly reliable thanks to the Master Cookie Recipe—formulated with both melted butter and oil for crisp edges and moist center. And both the ingredients and the cookies are measured by grams for perfect consistency every time.
With a background in both food photography and sustainable agriculture, I combine an eye for detail with a love for quality ingredients in every recipe I create. This recipe proves that great food doesn’t have to be complicated — just the best ingredients, smart chef tips, and a feel-good, sustainable twist. I name the brands I use in the recipe, so there is no guessing. There is a detailed explanation for why I use each brand on the “quality brands” page. Brands like King Arthur flour and Wholesome Sweet sugar make a big difference in how these cookies come out. We are not paid to promote a brand – we are just passing on what we know.
Each ingredient in these cookies is chosen with care. Organic butter from sustainable dairies, flour grown with soil health in mind, and sugar harvested without rainforest encroachment all contribute to a recipe that is as responsible as it is delicious. The marmalade adds another layer, helping preserve seasonal fruit and reduce waste.
The result? A cookie that celebrates accuracy, ease, and sustainable ingredients—all in a bright, jewel-toned bite.
This cookie recipe also includes a tested gluten-free variation, with no special techniques or hard-to-find ingredients.
Updated:
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Table of contents
Ingredients
Using the best ingredients creates the best cookies. I name the brands I use in the recipe, so there is no guessing. There is a detailed explanation for why I use each brand on the “quality brands” page.
- Marmalade – Blood Orange Confiture from Italy. Confiture or marmalade is perfect for using in cookies because it is usually thicker and stays centered while baking and gives the cookies a cleaner, more polished look. What makes this recipe even more meaningful is its sustainability. The marmalade is made from peak-season blood oranges, giving citrus growers another way to use their harvest when the fruit comes all at once. Turning this fruit into marmalade reduces waste and helps support farmers who grow responsibly and depend on value-added products.
- All-Purpose Flour – King Arthur Organic All-Purpose flour King Arthur responsibly sources the wheat for their flours, and it pays off in the taste and quality. They have a “never bleached” guarantee, which means their flours don’t have an off taste or unpredictable results that can be caused by bleaching. They also carefully calibrate the protein content, so the flour gives you the same results everytime.
- Sugar – Wholesome regenerative organic sugar produced from organic sugar cane fields that are green cut and are not burned or treated with herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. Burning sugar cane fields contributes to air pollution, climate change, and is also a major cause of the destruction of the rain forest.
- Milk, Cream, Butter – Horizon Organics – Milk, Cream and Butter that are produced organically, sustainably, and responsibly. You can taste the difference.
- Sunflower Oil – La Tourangelle Organic Regenerative Sunflower Oil is a great substitute for butter. The flavor works well in cookies, and the oil gives the cookies a fudgy center and crisp edges.
- Salt – Diamond Kosher tastes cleaner and measures differently.
- Vanilla – Baker’s Imitation Vanilla Flavoring The flavor or real vanilla and imitation is indistinguishable when high heat is used. Double the usual amount of vanilla called for to improve the flavor.
No Affiliates Statement
We call this our “no affiliates” statement because we accept no advertising, have no affiliates and accept no payment. We are not paid to mention brands – we just love buying the best, sharing that information and saving the planet at the same time. The effort put into writing and photographing the blog is solely based on our dedication to the cause.
Blood Orange Confiture from Italy
Blood Orange Confiture from Italy – Blood oranges have a unique flavor—citrus with hints of raspberry and berry-like sweetness. When cooked into marmalade, the flavor intensifies, becoming bright, slightly bitter, aromatic, and deeply fruity. Wherever we travel, we make try to bring home a jar of local preserves. It’s one of the easiest ways to experience a place. Fruit tastes different everywhere, and bringing home preserves allows us to bring home a taste of the country we visited. In this case, we were on a trip to Bologna, Italy and found this blood orange confiture, made by Casa Forcello. Casa Forcello preserves and mostardas are handmade using local ingredients and traditional recipes. The company was founded by Paola Calciolari and follows her grandmother’s recipes to create its products. The confiture pairs beautifully with the buttery base of the sugar cookies, giving each bite a perfect contrast of sweet and tart. You can use homemade blood orange marmalade or a high-quality local brand.
Sustainability and Supporting Local Growers
When blood oranges ripen, trees often produce far more than can be used fresh. Making marmalade not only preserves the fruit but helps growers stabilize their income by offering a value-added product at a time when fruit supply surges.
By choosing marmalade made from sustainably grown fruit, you are supporting small growers, reducing food waste, and helping keep diverse citrus varieties in cultivation.
This makes every cookie a small but meaningful act of sustainability.
Method
This recipe uses an easy, foolproof method that requires only a few minutes of active time. Check out our Master Cookie Recipe for a more detailed explanation on how this works.
- Measure the dry ingredients by weight
- Measure the wet ingredients by weight
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together without overmixing.
- Chill the mixture –
- Weigh out cookies
- Bake
This recipe uses our Master Cookie Recipe. An easy, foolproof, updated way of making cookies.
Why this Works
- Melted butter means there is no creaming – Using melted butter makes this recipe incredibly beginner-friendly. There’s no need for a mixer or creaming butter, and no sifting flour or fussing over egg temperature. Everything comes together quickly in one bowl. Using melted butter means the cookies come out chewy in the middle and crisp on the outside. The butter gives the cookies a delicious flavor, and using browned butter can add even more flavor.
- Oil keeps the cookies crisp outside and soft inside – Using oil as well as butter gives the cookies perfectly crisp edges while maintaining a moist, fudgy center. This is the hallmark of your master cookie dough.
- Measured by weight in grams for accuracy – Most of the ingredients are weighed and the scale is zeroed between additions. This eliminates guesswork and ensures the cookies turn out the same—every single time. Even the cookies are weighed as they are formed. Consistency is the secret to professional baking. I tested this cookie recipe multiple times using grams-based measurements — a habit I learned to appreciate judging baked goods for the county fair where consistency really matters.
- High Quality, Sustainable ingredients that make a difference – Blood oranges have a short season, often producing more fruit than growers can sell fresh. Turning them into confiture, or marmalade gives them a second revenue stream and keeps the fruit from going to waste. Using sustainably grown citrus and other ingredients makes this cookie an environmentally thoughtful choice.
- Vibrant flavor and beautiful color – The natural ruby color of blood oranges gives the marmalade a deep, glowing hue. When spooned into the center of each cookie, it bakes into a lovely color.
- Chilling the cookie dough helps the cookies hold their shape while baking
- Bake until just golden at the edges – The cookies should stay pale in the center with lightly golden edges—this keeps them soft inside.
- Use a cookie cutter after baking to create perfectly round cookies – For perfectly round cookies, shape them while they are cooling on the cookie sheet using a round cookie cutter that is a little bigger than the cookies using a swirling motion to push the edges into a round shape.
Gifting
Blood orange marmalade cookies feel special and handcrafted. Their bright centers look beautiful in gift boxes, and the citrus flavor keeps them from being overly sweet. They stay soft for several days thanks to the oil in the dough, making them ideal for mailing or bringing to celebrations. And the citrus flavor makes them perfect for the Christmas Holiday season.
Variations
- Swap the filling — Try lime marmalade or orange marmalade with ginger for different types of citrus brightness.
- Add zest to the dough — A little blood orange zest intensifies the flavor.
- Use for ice cream sandwiches — Pair with a vanilla or blood orange confiture ice cream made with our Master Ice Cream Recipe to make ice cream sandwiches.
- Gluten-Free Version – I’ve tested a gluten-free version of this recipe using King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour, and the method stays almost exactly the same. The finished cookies have the same appearance, flavor, and structure as the original, with only a slightly more tender crumb. Use certified gluten-free preserves. Preserves are usually naturally gluten-free but may be processed where other products contain gluten. Bake as directed; gluten-free cookies may benefit from an extra 1–2 minutes for structure
RECIPE
Equipment
- Vollrath cookie sheet 17” x 14” cookie sheet
- Silpat silicone baking mat 11⅝” x 16½”; Fits a 17” x 14” cookie sheet
- cooling rack 11¾” x 17”; Fits a 17” x 14” cookie sheet
- round cookie cutter cookie cutter
CHOOSING BRANDS:
For certain products, the choice of brand will make a big difference in the outcome of the recipe and in your carbon footprint. So, for those products, we have listed the brand. We are not paid to mention a brand and have no affiliates.
Ingredients
- 300 grams King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 300 grams Wholesome regenerative organic sugar
- 85 grams Horizon butter melted or browned
- 85 grams La Tourangelle regenerative sunflower oil
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons Baker’s imitation vanilla flavoring
- 10 teaspoons Blood Orange Marmalade
- 130 grams sugar sparkling sugar, Demerara sugar or turbinado sugar, or a mixture.
Instructions
MEASURE THE INGREDIENTS BY WEIGHT – place a mixing bowl on the scale and zero the scale before adding each ingredient. Measuring by weight is the secret to perfect cookies every time.
- Gather all the ingredients and equipment together to make sure you have everything you need. No need to let the ingredients come to room temperature or measure ahead of time, since each ingredient is measured directly into the bowls.
- Place a medium sized bowl on the kitchen scale. Zero the scale and measure in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, Set the bowl aside.
- Place a large mixing bowl on the kitchen scale. Zero the scale and measure in the sugar, melted butter and the oil. Remove the bowl from the scale. Stir with a large spoon until completely mixed.
- Add the egg and vanilla. Stir until completely mixed.
- Add the flour mixture. Stir just until the flour is incorporated. Do not overwork the batter.
- Using a kitchen scale, measure out 80 grams of cookie dough for each cookie and roll into a ball. The cookies can be baked immediately, but they will have better flavor and texture and will spread less if they are refrigerated for at least four hours or overnight.
BAKE THE COOKIES
- Preheat the oven to 350° F for at least 20 minutes. Use an oven thermometer to check the temperature. Put the baking mat on the cookie sheet.
- Flatten the ball a little and place one teaspoon of preserves in the center. Fold the surrounding cookie dough into the center to partially cover the preserves.
- Sprinkle the sparkling sugar over each cookie. Place the cookies on the mat, leaving a two inch space between each ball.
- Bake one sheet of cookies at a time, in the center of the oven. If your oven bakes unevenly, rotate the cookie sheet halfway through baking. Bake until cookies are just starting to brown, but still puffy, and the centers are still soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Test for doneness by lifting a cookie with the thin metal spatula half way under the cookie to see if it is browned on the bottom and stays flat instead of bending or liquid in the middle. When they are done, remove the cookie sheet from the oven.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 1 minute on the baking sheet. Shape the cookies while they are cooling on the cookie sheet by using a round cookie cutter that is a little bigger than the cookies to make them perfectly round. Place the cookie cutter over each cookie and use a slow, careful swirling motion to push the edges into a round shape. Be careful not to cause the cookies to crack.
- Use the thin metal spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Allow the cookie sheet to cool before putting another batch of cookies on it.
Notes
Nutrition
WHY THIS RECIPE IS A GAME CHANGER:
This recipe is a total game-changer — crafted with the finest [brand name] ingredients, simplified using a master recipe with pro-tested techniques from top chefs and bakers, and designed for deliciously sustainable cooking made easy.”
More Cookies made using our Master Cookie Recipe
These recipes use our Master Cookie Recipe. An easy, foolproof, and updated way of making cookies.
True to The Master Pantry philosophy, this recipe combines the best seasonal ingredients and quality brands with homemade methods to maximize both flavor and sustainability. It was inspired by our travels and works well as a holiday recipe.
Photos by Tony Fitzgerald Photography
Recipes created by Lisa LeCoump — Food Photographer, Agricultural Expert, and Home Baker. Sharing master recipes, chef secrets, and sustainable baking for every kitchen.