Orange Cookies

What sets these orange cookies apart from other citrus recipes is the technique: you grind an entire orange, rind and all, and work it right into the cookie dough. That means you get the full punch of orange oil from the zest plus the juice and pulp in one step. No zesting, no juicing, just one whole fruit blitzed and mixed in.

The same trick goes for the frosting. A second whole ground orange gets folded into powdered sugar and butter for an icing that’s intensely citrusy without tasting artificial. The frosting sets up slightly glossy on the cooled cookies, giving them that old-fashioned bakery look.

This is a big-batch recipe. Six cups of sifted flour yields four to five dozen cookies, so plan on having plenty to share or freeze. The dough drops easily from a spoon and bakes fast at high heat, puffing up into soft, cakey rounds with golden edges.

Kitchen Tips

• Use a food processor or meat grinder to grind the whole orange. You want it broken down into a thick paste, not chunky pieces that will make the dough uneven.
• Remove any seeds before grinding. Even one seed will add a bitter note to the whole batch.
• The recipe works with sweet or sour milk. If using sour milk, the baking soda reacts with the acid for extra lift. With sweet milk, the baking powder handles the rise.
• Let cookies cool completely before frosting. The icing slides right off warm cookies and pools on the rack.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the dough for a warm, spiced orange cookie.
• Use a blood orange for the frosting when in season for a pink-tinted icing with berry undertones.
• Fold in dried cranberries or white chocolate chips for added texture.