Ok, so I might have promised 12 days of cookies, but did I say they would be in a row????  Zing!

Life gets in the way of baking sometimes, but I’m still having fun with these, and now my friends and coworkers have these sad puppy dog eyes when I don’t carry cookies everywhere I go.  So for my last week of baking, I’m getting back into the swing of things and trying a few more cookie recipes.

These look a lot like the last ones…mostly because I don’t have fun cookie cutters.  But they couldn’t taste more different – light and airy, citrus and ginger, with just a touch of plain glaze to set them off.  Way too easily munch-able for my waistline’s sake.

Orange Ginger Cookies

based on a recipe from Bon Appetit

makes about 3 dozen

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar
5 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

equipment:
parchment, cookie sheets, cooling racks

to do:

Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg and salt to combine.  In a large bowl, beat the butter with a mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the sugar and beat until blended.  Stir in the molasses, egg, orange zest, and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture in 3 parts and beat until just blended.  Gather dough into a ball and divide into 4 pieces.  Flatten each piece into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill until cold and firm, at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.  Roll out one peice of dough at a time to 1/4 inch thickness, and cut using your favorite cookie cutter.  The cookies won’t spread much, so they can be placed close together.  Gather scraps and re-roll dough, rolling and cutting until finished.

Bake for 5 minutes, then rotate sheets and bake an additional 5 minutes (time will need to be adjusted based on the size of your cookie – these timings based on a 2-inch round.)  They will be done when cookies are puffed and look slightly darker around the edges.

Cool cookies on the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to the cooling rack with an additional sheet of parchment underneath.

Whisk together the powdered sugar, water, and extract, until you have a thick gluey paste (add more water or sugar as necessary).  Pour into a pastry bag or zip-top plastic bag, and snip off the bottom corner.  Drizzle the icing back and forth across the cookies.  Let set until hardened,  at least 3 hours.

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The 12 Days of Cookies Participants:

Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes
Courtney of Coco Cooks
Di of Di’s Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity
Michelle of Big Black Dogs
Renee of Flamingo Musings
Sandy of At the Baker’s Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project