Baking Live

I used to love "Cooking Live with Sara Moulton," so here goes my attempt.

I'm making Orange Butter Cookies, from The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread by Amy Scherber and Toy Kim Dupree, which was featured in an article on butter in the NYTimes last year. It was actually the cookie I had hoped to make for our failed cookie swap last year, which I'd forgotten about until linking to that blog a few days ago (which is why I switched cookies at the last minute! I like the circle making this cookie created).

I forgot that the butter was supposed to be cold, not room temp, so it's gone back in the fridge. But my eggs are now room temp, so that's good. I have dried orange peel from Penzey's, not fresh zest, and the container said to use 1/3 of what it calls for--is that 1/3 of any fresh measurements? What's 1/3 of 2 teaspoons? And it doesn't taste so orangey.

Oops, the other host is calling. Gotta go.

-=-=-=-=-

Orange Butter Cookies

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 2/3 cups cake flour or more all-purpose flour (cake flour gives a finer texture)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
2 packed teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
FOR THE ICING (SEE NOTE):
1 orange
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons whole milk
2 drops almond or vanilla extract
Pinch fine salt

Position two oven racks in top and bottom third of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, whisk flours, baking soda and salt together. In a mixer, cream together the sugar, butter and orange zest at medium speed until light and smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of bowl frequently. Add egg and mix. Add one egg yolk and mix. Add remaining egg yolk and mix. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined.

Scoop tablespoons of dough onto parchment, leaving more than 1 inch between cookies. Press each one down lightly with 2 fingers to flatten to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Leave any ridges and valleys on top of cookie intact, but smooth the edges.

Bake about 15 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through. Cookies should be pale but baked all the way through. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool before storing in airtight containers up to 1 week.

When ready to serve, make icing: Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Peel orange, being careful to remove only outer orange zest, and cut into thin strips. Blanch in boiling water 1 minute; drain. Sift confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Whisk in 2 tablespoons milk. Whisk in more milk if needed to make mixture thin enough to spread. Add extract, salt and zest, and whisk to combine.

Place cookies on a rack and drizzle icing over each one (make sure there is some orange zest in each spoonful). Icing will settle into cookie crevices; let harden.

Yield: About 4 dozen cookies.
Note: Instead of icing, cookies can be sprinkled with coarse crystal sugar before baking.