Cookie of the Week: Orange Dreams

Hey, I’ve been busy party hopping with all you Ultimate Blog Partiers out there. I don’t know if I’ll make it to all the parties, there’s over a 1000, but I’m sure gonna try. I did take some time out from groovin’ on-line to bake cookies this morning.

The sun is out, the snow is melting, the birds are chirping and the thermometer is above the freezing mark. Whoo-hoo! Spring is finally on its way! I feel that euphoria starting to rise inside that makes me want to get in the car, roll down the windows and take a road trip down an unexplored, winding road.

Well, when I was flipping through cookbooks looking for a recipe for this week’s cookies, the photo of these Orange Dreams caught my eye. With their bright orange frosting and fluffy white filling, these sandwich cookies just looked like spring to me. Bite into one, and you’ll be transported back to childhood summers eating an Orange Push-up as it melts in the warm sun. The sweet citrus cookies, so light they almost melt in your mouth, are delicious even with out the glaze and frosting.

Before you set out to make these, be warned, this is an all day cookie.

Orange Dreams Recipe

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided

1 egg

4 tbs orange juice, divided

1 1/2 tbs plus 1 tsp finely grated orange peel, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 tsp lemon juice

1 teaspoon orange extract

red and yellow food coloring

vanilla frosting

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter and 1 cup of powdered sugar with electric mixer until creamy. Add egg, 2 tbs orange juice, 1 1/2 tbs orange peel, vanilla, lemon juice and orange extract; beat until well blended. Slowly stir in flour. Shape dough into two logs about 2 inches in diameter on a lightly floured surface. Wrap each log in waxed paper and refrigerate three hours or overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat over to 350. Grease cookie sheets. Cut logs into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place 1 inch apart on sheets. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly brown around edges. Let cookies cool on sheets 2 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Combine remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tbs orange juice and 1 tsp orange peel in medium bowl. Beat until well blended. Add additional orange juice as needed to get the desired consistency. Add a few drops of red and yellow food coloring to tint glaze an orange shade. Glaze tops of half the cookies when cookies are completely cooled. Let glaze dry for one hour. Frost bottoms of the other half of cookies with vanilla frosting (see recipe below) and place glazed cookies on top of the frosting to make sandwich cookies.

This recipe is from The Cookie Bible

The cookbook recommended using store bought vanilla frosting. I made my own from a recipe in the Fanny Farmer Cookbook. My son had it all over his face after licking the beater.

Confectioners’ Frosting II

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups confectioners sugar

2 tbs cream or milk

Cream together shortening and salt. Add the sugar and stir briskly. Stir in the cream or milk and beat well. Add more sugar or milk as necessary to get the desired consistency.

Join me in baking homemade cookies for your family. Blog about it, link back here, and sign the Mr. Linky. Share recipes and put all those fancy kitchen gadgets you keep collecting to good use!