HOLIDAY COOKIE COUNTDOWN IS HERE

Oranges and Lemons say the cookies of St. Clement's

“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is my least-favorite Christmas song, mostly because it sounds like too much damn pressure on what really can be a nice time of year. Also: I usually hear it while I’m waiting in a 10-person long checkout line at the grocery and at that point I’m having none of it.

You can buy a DVD of Andy Williams singing Christmas songs, if you want.

And yet…and yet!…it IS the most wonderful time of the year if your world is cookies, because it’s Holiday Cookie Countdown time! Plus, it’s the only time of year the editor inside of me allows me to freely use exclamation points!

Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing holiday cookie recipes old and new. It’s a great time to subscribe to the newsletter, so you don’t miss any. Also: for paid subscribers, I’ll happily help update, find or reinvent one of your holiday family favorites. So if you have an old recipe of your great, great auntie’s that never seems to taste quite like hers did, become a subscriber and I’ll help!

Enough! Time for cookies!

ST. CLEMENT’S COOKIES

These cookies are exceptional. Confirmed chocoholics may question their allegiance after tasting one.

I want to carry these cookies with me when I go out and stuff them in people's mouths to see their reaction. I understand some people may react by calling the police, so I will just stick to people who know me. It is a plain-looking cookie that packs layers of flavor from vanilla to subtle lemon to a zingy-near-puckery lemon frosting. Soft and cake-like they are comforting and thrilling all at the same time.

A Note on Extracts v Oils:

Extracts tend to be milder in flavor and typically less expensive.

Oils tend to have stronger flavors.

I try to buy Boyajian oils because they are supremely good quality.

I use Penzey’s extracts because I trust their quality.

But since I first published this a few years ago I have realized that McCormick’s extracts and oils—the ones you can find easily and reasonably priced at the grocer—are just delicious too.

St Clement's Cookies Printable Recipe!

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St. Clement’s Cookies

What You’ll Need:

• 1 cup , plus 1 tbsp (127.5 grams) all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp almond flour (60 grams)

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 8 tablespoons (113 grams) butter, room temperature

• 1 cup minus 2 tbsp (113 grams) granulated sugar

• 1 generous tablespoon orange zest (zest from 2 medium oranges, adjust to your taste—and oranges)

• 1/2 teaspoon orange extract or oil(not the same things, but both work)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp (155 grams) sour cream

…For the icing:

• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

• 2 cups (228 grams) confectioners’ sugar

• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon oil

• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line your baking sheets with parchment.

2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, orange zest, orange oil and vanilla until light and fluffy, about one minute. Scrape the bowl. Add the egg and mix on medium until blended, about 10 seconds. Scrape that bowl. Add the sour cream and mix on medium-low until just blended.

4. Add the flour mixture on low speed until just incorporated. Raise speed to medium and beat for 5 seconds until smooth. Don’t overmix. The batter will be runnier, like cake batter.

5. Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Bake until the cookies have expanded and are just turning golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. Cool on rack, then frost all swirly with icing (method follows).

Make the icing:

Pour the melted butter into a medium-size bowl, add the confectioners’ sugar and the lemon oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. Whisk vigorously until smooth  and creamy. Taste and adjust lemon flavoring accordingly. Let sit for 5 minutes before icing the cookies.

Adapted from Rosie’s Chocolate-Packed, Jam-Filled, Butter-Rich, No-Holds-Barred Cookie Book, by Judy Rosenberg (Workman, 1996).

Please consider supporting my recipe development with a paid subscription. Or support my emotional side by just subscribing!

Bosco Asks: What holiday cookies would you like to see recipes for? Leave your answer in the comments (and your crumbs on the floor).