Totally Baked

Orange Cookies

This recipe came from Tam's great-grandmother Mollie, of Cowdenbeath, Scotland, and we're proud to bring it back to the motherland. They have a delicate, crisp texture and a subtle tangy orange taste. Tam's mom recalls, "I remember eating them as a small child; they were around for as far back as I can remember. They were not necessarily a Christmas cookie. Grandma almost always had fresh cookies baked for daily tea time. " There's no doubt that these make for great tea biscuits, but they also recall the tradition of finding an orange in the toe of your Christmas stocking.

2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups orange juice
4 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 ¼ cups sifted flour
¼ cup grated orange rind

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Mix well.
Stir together dry ingredients.
Combine the two mixtures.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from oven when edges are lightly browned. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.

When slightly cool, glaze with:
2 tablespoons orange rind
6 tablespoons orange juice
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar

yield: 10-12 dozen

Sweet-Tart Fresh Cranberry Orange Walnut Drop Cookies

Laura devised this recipe to incorporate all things Christmas into one great cookie! The results have lovely burst of tartness from the fresh cranberries, nicely balancing the sugar and spice in the dough, and walnuts add a nutty depth and crunch. They look beautiful and make a nice gift.

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoon orange zest (packed)
3 tablespoons orange juice
3/4 cup sugar plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cream butter, orange zest, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar together in a large bowl. Mix in eggs and orange juice.

Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Rinse cranberries and, while they are still a little wet, toss them with remaining 1/4 cup of sugar to coat.

Mix dry ingredients into butter-sugar mixture (dough will be stiff). Fold in cranberries and walnuts.

Drop by teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets and sprinkle tops of cookies with a little sugar. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to cooling racks.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.