Orange Cookies

Halloween is just over and already the stores are rockin with Christmas shoppers.  I feel so behind already.  I tend to be one of those who gets all my shopping done in one day the week before Christmas.  I'm prepared like that. Oh, and also mostly online.  I dislike Christmas shopping in stores immensely.

My neighbors and I have a holiday baking day right before Christmas and that's the day that I look forward to every year.  In preparation for that, I have begun to make recipes I want to make.  This one is out of my newest cookbook "South Carolina Hometown Cookbook" that I absolutely LOVE.  From my research online it appears they will have one for each state, so far they only have six I think.

This recipe makes quite a lot of cookies so be prepared.  However, they are delicious so that wasn't a problem in my house.  I also brought them to a Halloween party we attended and they were loved there as well.  

Great orange flavor, moist, caky texture.  The glaze on top really drives home that orange flavor.  We added some sprinkles because cookies just taste better with sprinkles, and because they look pretty with sprinkles, and also I have a little girl who adores them.

It's nice to have this fresh orange flavor in the midst of all this chocolate and mint (which I also love) flavors.  Makes me feel like I'm eating healthy, when I'm actually not at all. 
Orange Cookies

Recipe from South Carolina Hometown Cookbook page 195

Originally named Great Grandma Marden's Orange Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 cup buttermilk mixed with 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 whole orange, juiced and zested
• 3 leveled tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Icing

• 1 whole orange, juiced and zested
• powdered sugar

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer add the butter and sugar and beat well.
3. Add the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and orange juice and zest and mix on low speed.
4. Add the sifted flour, baking powder and salt and mix until blended.
5. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto a cookie sheet. (I used a cookie scoop)
6. Bake for about 10 minutes. The tops will remain pale but the bottoms will be golden. 

Makes about 50 - 2 inch cookies.