easy vanilla orange snowman cookies____________________________Cutout cookies are the best because if you suck at decorating, the result is near always charming. Enjoy time with family by baking up these fragrant, soft sugar cookies and having a blast drawing hats and faces.
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp orange liqueur
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
vanilla glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- milk to thin, as needed
- orange food dye
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Sift the orange zest into the sugar until evenly distributed. In a large bowl, cream the orange sugar with the butter for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Whip in the egg, then beat in the orange liqueur and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking soda, and salt. In two turns, beat into the wet ingredients. If the dough seems too sticky and unable to be rolled out, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until a cohesive ball forms.
- Generously flour a flat work surface and a rolling pin. Divide the dough in half and roll one half into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Using a 4 inch snowman cutter, cut out snowman shapes and set onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with all remaining dough.
- Set the baking sheets in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden. Remove and bake 8-10 minutes until lightly golden on the edges. Cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon at a time of milk until spreadable. Remove 1/4 cup of the icing and, using orange food dye or a combination of yellow and red, color the icing orange. My choice dye needed 8 drops of yellow and 1 drop of red to create the color I wanted.
- In a microwave safe dish, melt the chocolate chips until smooth.
- Spoon the white icing onto the cooled cookies. Let harden. Scoop the chocolate into a piping bag with a thin attachment, or snip the corner off a quart sized freezer bag, and draw on the hats, eyes, mouth, and buttons. Use a toothpick to draw the noses. Let harden. Eat right away, or store in a single layer in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
*Orange liqueur is optional. You may need less flour as a result.