Citrus Ornament Cookies Recipes

CITRUS SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add sugar, eggs, and lemon zest and process until mixture resembles wet sand.
• Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured surface; knead several times until dough comes together. Divide into 3 portions; flatten each into a disk. Roll each disk to an 1/8-inch thickness between sheets of parchment. Stack dough (still in parchment) on a baking sheet; refrigerate 20 minutes. (To store, wrap in plastic and freeze on sheet, up to 2 weeks. Thaw until pliable before using.)
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with racks in middle and lower thirds. Working with 1 dough sheet at a time, peel off parchment (save for baking). With lightly floured cutters, cut dough into desired shapes and arrange, 1 inch apart, on 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets (reroll scraps, if desired). Sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Bake until cookies are set but still pale, 7 to 9 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool completely. Using a spoon, frost cookies with icing; decorate with sugar, if desired.

CITRUS ORNAMENT COOKIES

Steps:

• Candied Citrus Zest: Remove zest from lemons and oranges with a vegetable peeler in long strips. With a paring knife, remove white pith from zest strips. With a very sharp knife, cut strips into a long, fine julienne. Place julienned zest in a small bowl; cover with boiling water. Let stand 30 minutes; drain.
• Bring sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high. When sugar is completely dissolved, add julienned zest, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand overnight. Candied zest in syrup can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks. (Makes 3/4 cup.)
• Glaze: Whisk together confectioners' sugar and citrus juice until smooth. Whisk in zest. Glaze can be stored at room temperature, with plastic wrap pressed directly on surface, up to 3 days; whisk before using. (Makes 2 cups.)
• Cookies: Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Beat butter with sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add citrus zest; beat to combine. Add eggs and citrus juice; beat to combine. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, beating until just combined.
• Transfer dough to a work surface. Shape into 3 disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 2 days (or freeze up to 1 month).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough about 1/8 inch thick. Use a 3-inch ornament cutter to cut out shapes; transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets. Reroll and cut remaining dough. Freeze 15 minutes. Bake until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.
• Remove candied citrus zest from syrup; let drain on paper towels. Stir in a tiny amount of food coloring into glaze to achieve a very pale tint. Brush tops of cookies with glaze, then turn glaze-sides up on racks set over rimmed baking sheets to catch drips. Let stand 5 minutes before pressing zest strips into glaze. Let stand until completely set, about 1 hour. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container between sheets of parchment at room temperature up to 4 days.

CITRUS SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside. Beat the butter and confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts and orange zest. Mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the cranberries; mixing just enough to evenly combine.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, then roll into logs about 7 inches long. Wrap each log in wax paper or plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove wax paper, and cut the cookie dough into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
• Bake in the preheated oven until firm but not browned, about 10 minutes.

CITRUS COOKIES

Steps:

• Divide cookie dough in half. Place one half in a small bowl. Add the orange zest, orange extract and orange food coloring and mix well. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon extract and yellow food coloring to the remaining dough and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm., Roll dough into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Coat the bottom of a glass with cooking spray, then dip in granulated sugar. , Flatten dough balls, redipping glass in sugar as needed. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., Cut a small hole in the corner of a small plastic bag; add frosting. Pipe circle of frosting on cookie tops; dip in colored sugar. Pipe lines of frosting for citrus sections.

GLAZED ORNAMENT COOKIES

Steps:

• Let cookie dough stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften. In a large bowl, beat the cookie dough, flour and extract until combined., On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-in. ornament-shaped cookie cutters. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., Combine the confectioners' sugar, milk and extract. Spread over cookies. Immediately place a drop of food coloring on top of each cookie and swirl with a toothpick. Let stand until set.

CITRUS BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• Beat butter and confectioners' sugar together in a bowl until creamy and smooth; mix in orange juice concentrate. Fold in vanilla wafers. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
• Roll dough into ping pong ball-sized balls; roll balls in coconut to coat.

CORNMEAL CITRUS COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat butter, sugar and salt and citrus zest on med speed until very fluffy and well blended.
• Add egg yolk and mix until well blended.
• add egg and vanilla.
• Beat well.
• Reduce speed to low and beat in cornmeal and flour until just combined.
• Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic; refrigerate until firm, at least one hour (Dough can be refrigerated for two days or frozen for a month).
• To bake, position rack in upper third of oven and another rack in lower third.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Remove one disk of dough from fridge and cut in half.
• Return unused portion to fridge.
• EITHER-- scoop cookie dough into 1-tbsp balls with small ice cream scoop and roll each ball between palms till smooth.
• Place dough balls on parchment lined cookie sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
• Using the bottom of a smooth glass dipped in flour (I used turbinado sugar!) gently flatten each dough ball to about 1.
• 8 inch thickness.
• OR-- Lightly flour work surface.
• Roll dough to 1/3 inch thick, using offset spatula to loosen dough.
• sprinkle surface lightly with flour as needed.
• Cut dough into desired shapes.
• Plase shapes on parchment lined cookie sheets, spacing about 1/2 inch apart.
• Get as many dough shapes out of each sheet because dough should*only be rolled twice.
• *Discard any leftover dough after second folling, or form leftover dough into balls and flatten to 1/8 inch thick.
• Bake 2 sheets at a time, until cookies are evenly golden brown.
• ,6 to 8 minutes.
• Rotate sheets halfway through baking for even browning.
• Using thin-bladed spatula, immediately transfer to cooling racks.
• Decorate if desired.

CITRUS SLICE COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs with electric stand mixer on medium-low speed or with electric hand mixer on lowest speed until well combined. Add flour and salt; beat until soft, nonsticky dough forms. (You should be able to handle the dough without it sticking to your fingers. If dough is sticky, beat in additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes to the correct consistency.)
• On work surface, shape dough into a ball. Divide into 3 equal portions. Return one-third of dough to bowl; beat in orange peel, orange extract and drops of yellow and red food color until orange color is consistent. Remove dough from bowl; cover with plastic wrap.
• Clean bowl; add another one-third portion of dough. Beat in lemon peel, lemon extract and drops of yellow food color until yellow color is consistent. Remove dough from bowl; cover with plastic wrap.
• Leave remaining one-third of dough plain; cover with plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate all dough portions 1 hour.
• Shape each portion of tinted dough into a roll about 5 inches long and 2 1/2 inches in diameter; set aside. On lightly floured work surface, roll plain dough into a rectangle. Place roll of orange dough on plain dough. Roll plain dough in a single layer around orange dough. Cut away excess dough; reserve for yellow dough.
• Place orange sanding sugar on plate; roll dough log in sugar until completely coated. Wrap sugar-coated dough log in plastic wrap; refrigerate. Repeat process with lemon dough, remaining plain dough and yellow sanding sugar. Refrigerate dough logs at least 4 hours.
• Heat oven to 400°F. Line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper.
• Cut chilled logs into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick rounds. With back edge of knife, score "segment" lines into each round, making only indentations (do not go all the way through). Cut rounds in half; place on cookie sheets.
• Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until set. Remove cookies from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely.

CITRUS SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
• For the citrus cookies: Combine the sugar and lemon and orange zests in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the zests are rubbed into the sugar and the mixture is fragrant, light yellow and looks like wet sand. Add the butter, oil, baking powder, salt and vanilla and mix on low to combine. Raise the speed to medium and cream until lightened and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on medium speed for a few seconds. Add the flour all at once and blend on low speed until no streaks of flour remains. The mixture will look dry but will come together. Use your spatula to give the dough a few turns in the bowl to incorporate any remaining flour.
• Take about half of the dough and place it between 2 sheets of parchment paper lightly dusted with flour. Roll the dough out until it is just under 1/4-inch thick. Use a 1 1/2-inch round cutter to cut out as many circles as possible, placing 6 rows of 4 cookies per row on a prepared sheet pan (24 per sheet). Bake the first sheet on the middle rack of the oven until evenly golden on the edges and top, 12 to 14 minutes.
• While the first tray bakes, reroll any scraps and roll out the second half of the dough to fill the second prepared pan with 24 cookies. Bake the second sheet of cookies after you take the first sheet out. Allow the cookies to cool on the trays 1 hour before filling; they will crisp as they cool.
• For the orange cream filling: Combine the white chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring well after each interval, until melted, about 45 seconds. (It's okay if the mixture separates; it will come together after it's melted and stirred.)
• Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and the orange zest in a separate medium bowl and use a rubber spatula to mix and spread the butter until it is smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth. Add the melted white chocolate and mix until smooth.
• Place the filling in a disposable pastry bag or sandwich bag and snip off a 1/4-inch opening. Pipe about 1 teaspoon of the filling onto the bottoms of 24 cookies. Top with the remaining cookies to make sandwiches. Serve immediately or allow to rest for a few hours so that the filling can set up. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.