Today we have Orange Sugar Cookies from Chelsea Brown, ASU student and lover of fashion and all things Phoenix (check out her blog Tea Talk, or follow her on twitter).
What are you baking?
I am baking orange sugar cookies aka the best cookies ever according to my family.
What are you baking for the holidays this year?
This year I plan on baking lots of orange sugar cookies ( rolled and cut out into shapes of stars, trees, and reindeers of course), as well as fudge and also sweet potato cupcakes.
Favorite holiday treats?
I would have to say that my number one holiday treat is fudge. Every year my grandmother makes batches, and batches of fudge, and every year I always seem to eat way more than I should. It's just so good though!
Least favorite holiday foods?
Ham, giblet and oyster stuffing, and beets.
Find out more about Chelsea, including the recipe for her Orange Sugar Cookies, after the jump.
Any food items on your holiday wish list this year?
I would love some sweet potatoes with marshmallows (my family has been opting out of having them for the last few years), sweet potato cupcakes that I've been hearing so much about around the blogosphere, and yummy caramels from Smeeks.
Any food-related New Year's resolutions?
Yes! I would love to bake at least once a week, this way I will learn to be a better baker and also make some delicious treats along the way.
Orange Sugar Cookies
(adapted from a Food Network recipe)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
Instructions:
1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Beat the butter and both sugars in another medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the egg yolks, vanilla and orange zest mixing until fully incorporated.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture, and continue beating until the dough comes together, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Roll about a tablespoon of dough by hand into a ball. Dip 1 side of the balls into some coarse sugar and place them sugar-side-up on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving about 1-inch between cookies.
6. Refrigerate cookies while preheating your oven to 375 degrees F, for at least 30 minutes.
7. Bake the cookies until the bottoms are golden, about 10 to 15 minutes (may take a little longer depending on your oven).
8. Cool on sheets until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
