Categories: Cookies
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup ultrafine bakers sugar
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons orange or lemon juice (or an orange or lemon fruit liqueur)
- Zest of one lemon or orange
- 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup salted butter, softened
- 4 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- In England this sugar is called icing sugar.
- 4 Tablespoons milk or light cream
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons orange or lemon juice (or fruit liqueur)
Directions
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Do not preheat the oven yet—this dough must chill for an hour or two.
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To make the cookies, beat the sugar and salted butter together until they’re soft and fluffy. You can do this with an electric mixer, or by hand.
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Beat in the egg yolk, fruit juice or liqueur, and fruit zest. Make sure it’s well mixed. You want that zest to be thoroughly incorporated.
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Measure the flour by scooping it up and then leveling off the measuring cup with a table knife. Don’t pack it down in the cup for this recipe.
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Stir or beat in the flour in half-cup increments stirring or beating after each addition.
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Round the dough up in the mixing bowl, and divide it into 2 parts. Pat the two parts into balls. Wrap the balls in plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for at least one hour. (Overnight is fine, too.)
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When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
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On a floured board, roll out the dough (just like piecrust) to a 1/8-inch thickness. Use a round cookie cutter, or the rim of a drinking glass to cut out dough circles.
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Bake the cookies at 375 degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes or until they’re very slightly golden.
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Take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
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To make the frosting, beat the softened butter until fluffy.
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Measure out the powdered sugar and put it in another bowl. Scoop it up and level off the cup as you measure, but don’t bother sifting unless it’s got lumps.
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Beat in approximately half of the powered sugar. Mix it up thoroughly.
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Slowly, beat in half of the milk. Mix thoroughly.
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Mix in the fruit juice or liqueur.
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Beat in the remaining powdered sugar, mixing it all up thoroughly.
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Slowly, mix in the rest of the milk. Careful! You may not use it all! Stop adding milk when your frosting reaches spreading consistency.
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f you goof, don’t despair. This sandwich cream frosting is very forgiving. If your frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar until it’s just right. If your frosting is too thick, add a little more milk until it’s just right.
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When your cookies are thoroughly cooled and you’re ready to assemble the Lemon or Orange Creams, spread a small amount of frosting on the ‘wrong’ side of a cookie, (that’s the bottom part). Put the ‘wrong’ side of another cookie on top of the frosting to make a cookie sandwich.