Looking for a nice dash of nostalgia in a baked good? Creamsicle is a flavor that takes me right back to childhood and hot summer days and orange sherbet push pops. Add that this cookie recipe is made with Tang, and you’ve got a double layer of space-age, retro flavor, right in your oven! (Recipe adapted from a post on Food.com)

all of the ingredients for the creamsicle cookies sitting on a kitchen counter along with a red and white mixing bowl

Orange Creamsicle Cookies Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup Tang orange drink mix (or any other drink mix)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup vanilla baking chips (or other baking chips to complement drink mix of choice)

Orange Creamsicle Cookies Instructions:

Cream butter until it’s smooth. (Note: I am old school and use a fork for all of my baking and mixing, but feel free to use any mixing device you prefer!) Add sugar, egg, drink mix, and vanilla, then keep beating until it’s incorporated. The drink mix may make this look a little more granular than standard cookie recipes. Also note that the Tang makes this dough *vivid* orange!

a close up of the dough with all ingredients added; it is crumbly and orange with bright white baking chips throughout

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and baking chips, then stir until fully mixed. Again, the granular texture of the drink mix may prevent this dough from becoming as sticky as a standard recipe.

Form the dough into medium size balls. The crumbly nature meant I couldn’t use a dough scoop, but they formed well when I rolled them by hand. (I found that this recipe produced about 24 cookies.)

a dozen dough balls evenly spaced on a baking sheet being slid into the oven using a light yellow oven mitt

Space evenly on a lightly greased (or parchment paper covered) baking sheet and bake at 350 F (175 C) for about 15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

a baking sheet covered in chocolate cookie dough balls being slid into the oven; the dough has spots of bright white from the baking chips and marshmallows

Because it was asked prior to camp, I also tested this recipe with a non-orange flavored drink mix! I had a container of Galaxy Vegan Hot Chocolate mix, so I made a second batch, this time swapping the Galaxy for Tang. I also used half the amount of vanilla baking chips and instead added miniature marshmallows (since it’s hot chocolate).

a plate of four cookies, two orange and two chocolate, sit on a wooden table with a cup of tea brewing and a little plush JimBob Snail

The recipe came out perfectly, though the marshmallows did change the texture of the cookie slightly to be thinner and chewier. The Galaxy tasted excellent in cookie form, though, so have fun with this recipe!

Contributed by Joanna AKA Camp Director Jo
Joanna is a semi-professional storyteller with a permanent case of wanderlust and a perpetual art dabbler. She loves national parks, wildlife conservation, geeky conventions, and weird roadside attractions. Come hang on Instagram or at JoannaVolavka.com