Orange Cardamom Cookies
Makes 1 1/2 to 2 dozen cookies
active time: 1 1/2 hr
total time: 3 1/2 hr (includes chilling dough)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Equipment: a 3-inch round or 2 3/4-inch square cookie cutter
Garnish: citrus icing (optional); food coloring (optional); decorative sugar
(optional)
Make dough:
Whisk together flour, zest, cardamom, and salt. Beat butter and sugar with an
electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in yolk and cream. At low
speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches just until a dough forms. Quarter
dough and form each piece into a 6-inch disk, then chill, wrapped separately in
plastic wrap, until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
Cut and bake cookies: Preheat oven to
350°F with rack in middle. Roll out 1 piece of dough between sheets of
parchment paper into an 11-inch round (1/8 inch thick). Slide dough in
parchment onto a tray and chill until firm, about 15 minutes. Cut out as many
cookies as possible with cookie cutter (chill dough again if necessary),
reserving and chilling scraps. Transfer cookies to a parchment-lined large
baking sheet, arranging them 1 inch apart. Bake until edges are golden-brown, 9
to 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then slide cookies, still on
parchment, onto a rack to cool completely.
Make more cookies with remaining dough and scraps (reroll only once) on cooled
freshly lined baking sheets.
If icing cookies and coloring icing, transfer small batches to small bowls, 1
for each color, and tint with food coloring. Spoon each color of icing into
separate sealable bags, pressing out excess air, and snip an 1/8-inch opening
in 1 bottom corner of each bag. Pipe a line of icing onto a plate to check the
cobsistency. If too thick, thin a small batch with a few drops of orange juice.
Decoratively pipe icing onto cookies, then sprinkle with decorative sugar (if
using) and let dry completely, about 1 hour (depending on humidity).
Cook's notes: · To make three-dimensional cookies, start with cut (but not
baked) cookies on lined baking sheet. Make a 1 1/2-inch-long notch (1/3 inch
wide) in each cookie, cutting toward center. If you want to make the cookies
into ornaments, punch out a small hole (for string or ribbon to go through) on
each side of notch on half of cookies using a piping tip with a 1/4-inch round
opening. Bake and cool as directed. To make sure pairs of cookies fit,
interlock cookies (one cookie with holes and one without) at notches to form
sphere- or cube-like shapes. If necessary, carefully trim notches with a small
sharp knife. If desired, ice unassembled cookies, avoiding middle portion near
notch. Tie string or ribbon (if using) through holes of cookies and interlock. Using
a pastry bag fitted with a piping tip results in cleaner lines of icing. ·
Dough can be chilled up to 2 days. · Cookies (not interlocked) keep, layered
between sheets of parchment if iced, in an airtight container at room
temperature 1 week.yield:
Citrus Icing
Makes about 3 cups
Takes about 15 minutes to make
Ingredients
1/2 cup
fresh orange juice, strained
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, strained
1 (1-pound) box confectioners sugar
4 teaspoons powdered egg whites (not reconstituted) such as Just Whites
Preparation
Beat together all ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium
speed until just combined, about 1 minute. At high speed, continue to beat
until icing is thick and holds soft peaks, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer or
10 with a handheld. If not using immediately, cover surface with a dampened
paper towel, then cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap.
Cooks' note: Icing can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, its surface covered
with a dampened paper towel and bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap.
