Citrus Sugar Cookie Dough Food

GINGERBREAD COOKIES AND CITRUS SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Make the gingerbread cookie dough:
• Sift flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat shortening and butter in large bowl into light. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in molasses, then egg. Add dry ingredients. Using spoon, stir until mixture forms dough (dough will be very soft). Divide dough into thirds. Gather each third into ball; flatten into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• Make the citrus sugar cookie dough:
• Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, lemon peel and tangerine peel in large bowl until light. Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in egg. Add dry ingredients. Using spoon, stir until mixture forms dough (dough will be soft). Divide dough into thirds. Gather each third into ball; flatten into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. Let soften slightly, if necessary, before rolling out.)
• Shaping and baking cookies:
• If you're making both kinds of cookies, work with one type of dough at a time.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously flour work surface and rolling pin. Place 1 dough disk on work surface (keep remaining 2 dough disks refrigerated). Press rolling pin into dough several times to flatten slightly for easier rolling. Roll out dough to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness, frequently lifting and turning dough to prevent sticking. Using assorted cookie cutters dipped into flour, cut out cookies. Transfer cookies to ungreased nonstick baking sheets, spacing 1/2 inch apart. Gather dough scraps together and reserve.
• Bake until cookies turn brown on edges, about 15 minutes. Let cookies stand on sheets 1 minute. Using metal spatula, transfer cookies to racks and cool completely.
• Repeat rolling, cutting and baking with remaining 2 dough disks as described above, being sure to cool cookie sheets before making each batch. Combine all reserved dough scraps and shape into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap disk in plastic and freeze until firm enough to roll, about 30 minutes. Repeat rolling, cutting and baking as described above. Store cooled cookies in airtight container at room temperature until ready to decorate.
• Powdered sugar icing:
• This recipe makes about three cups of icing, enough to decorate all the gingerbread and sugar cookies in the preceding recipes.
• 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup milk
• 6 to 8 cups powdered sugar
• Assorted food colorings (such as blue, red, yellow and green)
• Combine lemon juice and milk in large bowl. Whisk in 5 cups powdered sugar. Gradually whisk in enough remaining sugar by 1/2 cupfuls to form icing stiff enough to pipe (mixture will resemble stirred sour cream). Transfer 2/3 cup icing to small bowl to use as white icing; set aside. Divide remaining icing equally among 2 or more small bowls; mix food coloring by drops into each bowl, tinting icing to desired shade. If necessary, stir more sugar into icing to thicken.
• Decorating Cookies:
• The techniques listed below are all easy and give beautiful results. You can even combine techniques: for example, cookies can be glazed first and then piped or drizzled with icing or sprinkled with colored sugar or coconut #&151; or all of the above.
• Milk
• Pastry Brushes
• Assorted decorations (such as colored sugar, sweetened shredded coconut, toasted sliced almonds, chocolate and rainbow sprinkles, multicolored nonpareils, button candies, mini semisweet baking bits and dried currants)
• Standard pastry bags and 1/16-inch plain tips or disposable plastic pastry bags
• To glaze:
• Spoon a small amount of white or colored icing into a small bowl. Mix in enough milk by 1/4 teaspoons to thin icing to spreading consistency
• Using pastry brush, brush glaze over cooled baked cookies. Continue decorating glazed cookies, if desired, using the following techniques.
• To sprinkle with decorations:
• Before glaze dries, sprinkle cookie with assorted decorations.
• To pipe using standard pastry bags: Fit each pastry bag with 1/16-inch plain tip. Stand each bag in short cup. Fold back top of bag to expose interior. Spoon 1 color of icing into each bag. Lift bag from cup; twist top of bag at level of icing to close securely.
• To pipe using disposable plastic pastry bags:
• Stand each plastic bag in a short cup. Spoon 1 color of icing into each bag. Lift bag from cup; twist top of bag at level of icing to close securely. Cut off very bottom of tip to allow small ribbon of icing to come out.
• Pipe icing decoratively onto plain or glazed cookies. Before piped icing sets, sprinkle with colored sugar, coconut or other decorations, if desired.
• To drizzle:
• Line baking sheet with foil. Place plain or glazed cookies on foil, spacing apart. Mix milk into white or colored icing by 1/2 teaspoonfuls until icing is thin enough to drizzle. Dip spoon into icing and drizzle over cookies in zigzag or slanted lines. Before icing lines set, sprinkle with colored sugar, sweetened shredded coconut or other decorations, if desired.
• To apply decorations:
• Use wet icing as glue to stick on nuts, dried currants or other decorations 1 at a time. For example, dip tip of toasted sliced almonds into icing. Attach iced section of almond to plain or glazed cookie. Repeat to form 1 row of nuts or to cover cookie completely.
• Let decorated cookies stand until icing sets, about 2 hours. (Can be prepared up to 2 weeks ahead. Store cookies in single layers between sheets of waxed paper in airtight containers.)

CITRUS COOKIE DOUGH

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and citrus zest and juice. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until combined. Proceed with variations:Thumbprints and Ball CookiesShaped Icebox CookiesLayered Icebox CookiesGlazed Spritz CookiesCutout Cookies

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 COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg, zest, and flour mixture. Divide dough in half; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Unwrap 1 half on a lightly floured surface. Let stand 10 minutes. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out circles with a 2-inch round cookie cutter. Transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets. Roll out scraps; cut out circles. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Lightly press 1 end of a clean 1 1/2-inch spool onto surface of each cookie. Refrigerate dough on sheets 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle sanding sugar into imprint on cookies; brush off excess. Bake until golden, about 14 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks.

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.