Fresh Orange Cookies

These cakey, fruity cookies are very similar to the Lemon Sour Cream Cookies I posted a few weeks ago. But I like them even more. I think the flavor is stronger, and I even added in a little orange extract to the frosting to put it over the top. I took these to a preschool function and the platter came home clean.

I got about 1 Tablespoon of zest off of one large navel orange. Between the cookies and the frosting, that's the zest of four oranges, and the juice of about 2 or 2 1/2. A zested orange turns hard quickly, so eat or use the unjuiced oranges soon. We sliced them and ate them for dinner that night.

Cookies:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup orange juice
3 T grated orange peel

Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups powdered sugar
1 T grated orange peel
2 to 3 T orange juice
1/2 tsp orange extract, optional

1. Preheat oven to 375. In large bowl, combine sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and eggs; blend well. Add all remaining cookie ingredients; mix well. Drop dough by rounded spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheets.

2. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Immediately remove cookies from sheets.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine all frosting ingredients, adding enough orange juice for desired spreading consistency. Frost warm cookies for a shiny glaze; wait to frost cooled cookies for a more distinctive icing. Makes about 5 dozen using a 1 1/2 inch cookie scoop.

Per cookie: Cal 90, Fat 4g, Chol 5mg, Sod 80mg, Fiber 0g
Recipe from Pillsbury Best Cookies Cookbook