Cardamom and Orange Butter Cookies

CARDAMOM AND ORANGE BUTTER COOKIES
A.K.A. AUNT ROSE’S ORANGE BUTTER COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
Juice of 1 large orange (approx. 2 1/2 ounces)
3 cups of flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
A big 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom (optional)

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add orange juice and mix well.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom. Add  gradually to the butter mixture until everything is incorporated.

Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350° and set the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Just dust the baking sheet with flour. Spoon heaping teaspoons of cookie dough onto the baking sheet, making each as much the same size as possible. Or, if you have a handy mini-scoop for cookie dough, use that, which would make them all perfectly equal in size. Don’t crowd, 9 or 10 at a time. Bake on the middle shelf for fifteen minutes or just until golden brown on the bottoms. Remove to a rack to cool.

When cooled completely, make a mixture of a few spoonfuls of apricot preserves thinned with a few drops of orange juice. Brush this over the cookies as a glaze. You can mix in some finely chopped walnuts also. Or make a simple chocolate glaze with confectioners’ sugar, cocoa and milk until drizzling consistency. These cookies can be frozen and decorated at the time you are going to serve them. They are equally delicious plain.

Recipe Source: http://www.raisin-toast.com/home_and_garden/2009/09/cardamom-and-orange-butter-cookies.html

Dana’s Notes: I might turn this into a thumbprint cookie so you can add more filling and it doesn’t run off the cookie.