20 Best Orange Desserts to Brighten Your Day With Sweet, Citrusy Flavor
Enjoy zesty cakes, cookies, and more!
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While lemon desserts often steal the spotlight for their zingy freshness, there's another citrus that's just as bright and flavorful: orange! And much like their tart cousin, oranges can be found pretty much year round. They can add a refreshingly sweet twist like other fruit desserts to your spring or summertime spread. But even come wintertime, when there's not much else on the shelves, oranges will add a much needed fresh burst of flavor.
You'll find plenty of orange desserts on this list for every single season! Looking for an easy no-bake dessert when it's just too hot to cook? Try the classic creamsicle or a twist on the beloved dessert with the creamsicle combination of vanilla and orange in cheesecake bars, an ice cream pie, or a nostalgic Orange Julius. Maybe you want a sweet treat for your brunch or afternoon tea spread. In that case, go for the few scone recipes or make a fruit salad that will surely be a crowd pleaser. You'll also find cakes, cookies, and even creative crepes!
Just a refresher to squeeze in here before you get on with all the delectable orange dessert recipes: When using whole fruit, remember to zest it before juicing it. Like zesting a lemon, it is much easier when the orange is still in tact. You will also get more juice out of it if you roll it on the counter back and forth a few times with the palm of your hand. Now, orange you so excited to get started?
Homemade Creamsicle Pop
Yes, you can make this nostalgia fruit pop right at home—and it only takes two ingredients: vanilla ice cream and frozen orange juice concentrate! This recipe makes a dozen dreamy tie-dye treats so you can keep them in the freezer to enjoy whenever you'd like.
Get Ree's Homemade Creamsicle Pop recipe.
Orange-Vanilla Sheet Cake
How delightfully gorgeous is this dessert? The base is an orange-vanilla cake with swirls of sweet white chocolate glaze on top. And here's a fun surprise: Part of the bright, citrusy taste comes from fizzy orange soda in the batter!
Get Ree's Orange-Vanilla Sheet Cake recipe.
Crêpes Suzette
Featuring delicate, paper-thin crêpes drenched in a buttery, caramelized orange sauce with a hint of liqueur, this recipe will certainly stand out as an elegant dessert in your lineup of seasonal sweets. You'll even ignite it with a flame for a full flambé experience!
Get the Crêpes Suzette recipe.
Rhubarb Bread
Tart, citrusy rhubarb steals the spotlight in this bread, but it's complete with a crunchy crumb topping and a drizzling of zesty orange glaze! It strikes the perfect balance between fruity brightness and comforting warmth.
Get the Rhubarb Bread recipe.
Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies
Here's a zesty twist on a classic treat! These oatmeal cookies are bursting with the citrusy flavor of orange and the tart sweetness of cranberries. To make them even better, they're drizzled with sweet white chocolate!
Get Ree's Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies recipe.
Olive Oil Cake
A simple yet luxurious cake, this one-layer marvel is moist and perfumed with orange essence. It's not overly sweet or fruity, just a perfect treat to have with coffee or tea.
Get the Olive Oil Cake recipe.
No-Bake Orange-Vanilla Cheesecake Bars
Creamsicle lovers, this one is for you! Cream cheese meets three bursts of orange (extract, zest, and juice) for an unbeatable bite that doesn't even require an oven.
Petite Orange-Vanilla Scones
Are scones technically a dessert? Well, they go well with coffee or tea and have just enough sugar to satisfy your sweet tooth, so that's a yes! There is orange in the scone and the glaze for an extra orange burst.
Get Ree's Petite Orange-Vanilla Scones recipe.
Fruit Pizza
Have pizza for dessert! Here, you'll find a sugar cookie base topped with marshmallow frosting and then a rainbow of fresh fruit options. Skip the peeling and use canned mandarin oranges.
Get the Fruit Pizza recipe.
Orange Julius Milkshake
Time for a cool sip of nostalgia! A mix of frozen orange juice concentrate and vanilla ice cream creates a creamy, dreamy milkshake―no trip to the mall required.
Get the Orange Julius Milkshake recipe.
Sunrise Fruit Salad
If you're looking to highlight the natural sweetness of ripe fruit, make a fruit salad. Toast some coconut and sprinkle it on top of watermelon, cantelope, mango, pineapple, and of course, oranges.
Get Ree's Sunrise Fruit Salad recipe.
Orange-Vanilla Ice Cream Pie
Turn ordinary store-bought ingredients into an extraordinary homemade dessert. Vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet are swirled together in a vanilla wafer cookie crust and topped with white chocolate shavings.
Get Ree's Orange-Vanilla Ice Cream Pie recipe.
Candied Orange Peel
Fresh oranges and granulated sugar: That's all you need to make impressive and sophisticated candy. It's great to serve at parties or to gift during the holidays. You can also dip them in chocolate.
Get the Candied Orange Peel recipe.
Sourdough Cranberry Orange Rolls
If you're looking for seasonal sweet rolls to make during the colder months, look no further than these. Homemade dough is filled with cranberry-orange jam and topped with a decadent cream cheese drizzle.
Ambrosia Salad
Part picnic side dish and part sweet dessert makes for a fully nostalgic treat. Ambrosia is a creamy taste of the tropics featuring coconut, pineapple, and citrus segments. You'll definitely want a second scoop.
Get the Ambrosia Salad recipe.
Rainbow Fruit Skewers
Another great idea that you can have for dessert as well as breakfast or a snack are these fun rainbow skewers. Sweet fresh fruit, including small tangerine or orange slices, get capped on the ends by doughnut holes.
Cranberry Orange Scones with Orange Nutmeg Glaze
Equal parts tart and sweet with a dash of spice, you'll savor ever single bite of these treats. They use dried cranberries, too, so you don't have to wait for fresh bags to appear at the store.
Get the Cranberry Orange Scones with Orange Nutmeg Glaze recipe.
Chocolate Crepes with Orange Cream Cheese Filling
Like scones, crepes can be served for breakfast or dessert. These from-scratch chocolate crepes are filled with a fresh orange cream cheese whipped cream, which sounds good for any time of day.
Get the Chocolate Crepes with Orange Cream Cheese Filling recipe.
Orange Crush Cake
If you like orange soda, then you have to try this cake. And yes, it has orange soda in the batter, along with orange zest and juice for good measure.
Get Ree's Orange Crush Cake recipe.
Citrus Butter Cookies
Why stop at orange when you can add lemon and lime to cookies as well? This triple hit of citrus will burst with flavor in every bite. You can even add some zest on top.
Get Ree's Citrus Butter Cookies recipe.
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