Did you know the word "Dreamsicle" is not copyrighted? I know! I was pretty surprised, too. Apparently, Popsicle® (which ironically enough IS a copyrighted word) calls those orange-and-vanilla "iced lolly" things Creamsicles®. Huh. Has it always been that way, or am I mis-remembering?
ANYcrap, this makes it so wonderfully easy for me (and lots of other folks) to use this name for various and sundry concoctions and confections: everything from cocktails to cakes to, well... Christmas cookies!
These started out as a nice but ultimately uninteresting cut-out cookie to make as an alternative to my standard Christmas Cut-Outs, which puff a lot when baking, obscuring many intricate edges and shapes on some more elaborate cookie cutters. Essentially I was tired of my delicious cookies looking so rustic and I wanted to try something prettier. Maybe with piped royal icing or something.
This recipe, from a book of Marthastewartania called Good Things. It features Martha's signature fine-if-you've-got-hours-of-unoccupied-time-or-a-staff-of-ten ideas for making life better, but is a truly strange mish-mosh and bizarrely edited and organized. I did manage to find a couple of good tidbits, among them this recipe for a simple all-butter sugar cookie.
I have made these for the last few years, and they are just alright. They taste fine and they are nicely stiff so they can stand up to decorating. They don't puff much while baking either, so the branches on my lovely and somewhat intricate Christmas Tree cutters can still be easily discerned. In another part of the book, they mention the idea of brushing the baked cookie with a little beaten egg white, and then sanding the cookie with colored sugar. I had some lovely iridescent sugars I'd picked up somewhere along the way, and when decorated this way (with a few accents in Royal Icing), the effect was very charming and oh so easy. Kind of like me.
Not content to let well enough alone, when I trotted out that same recipe again this year, my eye started roving through the kitchen for something to spike the dough with. The recipe calls for vanilla OR lemon juice and zest. I actually used the lemony combo one year and the effect was nice. BUT... I really like vanilla, especially the good stuff, so I thought I'd use a combination of both. That's when my pitiless gaze fell upon the bowl of sweet tangerines on the counter top.
Of course! Orange and vanilla was one of my favorite flavor profiles from a childhood full of Push-Ups, Orange Crush, Cott Cream Soda... and of course Dreamsicles (Creamsicles®?). I zested two of the tiny guys fully, and juiced just one, giving me a total of about a teaspoon of zest and a Tablespoon of juice, of which I only used a teaspoon. I was leery of adding too much liquid to the dough, and I was a little afraid the orange flavor might overpower things, so I played it conservatively: the original recipe called for 2 teaspoons of vanilla, so I thought 1 and 1 plus all the zest would be OK.
The dough had a lovely scent and a really sublime taste that can only be described at perfectly Dreamsicley. Before C'pher could eat it all up, I quickly wrapped up the dough for it's chill. When I baked them off the next day, the scent and taste had really permeated throughout, and I was anticipating a very nice cookie.
After baking, you could still taste and smell a nice twinge of orange, but the heat of the oven had definitely diminished things a bit, as I thought it might. I haven't had a chance to re-make these again, but the taste was so great, I'm sure I will, and I intend to use the proportions of flavorings you will read in the recipe below.
Improvisation while cooking is one of the joys of that art, but improvisation in baking is seldom done. After all, an errant teaspoon of something unexpected can wreak havoc on delicate chemical processes turning a treat into a tragedy. Knowing, as they say, is half the battle though, so try to keep up on your baking science. Armed with that knowledge, go ahead and experiment once in a while. You might find, like I did, that a so-so recipe can be transformed into a new perennial favorite.
ORANGE DREAMSICLE CUT-OUT COOKIES WITH SPARKLING SUGAR
Made with 2 teaspoons vanilla, these basic sugar cookies are a wonderful and simple way to make nice cookies for decorating. Replace the vanilla with lemon juice and zest and you have a tart confection that seems very springlike and fresh. Use a combination of vanilla, and orange juice and zest... and you've got something magically adult and child-like all at the same time. The smooth creaminess of vanilla marries so well with the bright sweetness of good juice you'll wonder why you never thought of it before.Even now I'm thinking of further variations: I think taking whatever juice you have and boiling it down into something more concentrated form might be just great. Just be sure to cool the liquid completely before adding it to the batter if you try this. And speaking of further variations, I think this recipe would also be phenomenal with the juice and zest of my beloved Meyer Lemons....Feel free to add extra zest, as it is only going to add more essential oil, and therefore flavor, to the final product, and the flecks of color in any exposed dough after decorating will be very pretty. If the dough tastes just a little too strongly of vanilla and orange to you, after a chill, a roll, and a bake, they should turn out juuuust right. Remember also that the sugar topping you'll put on will also obscure the citrus somewhat. Oh, and be sure you do yourself the favor of zesting your citrus BEFORE you juice them. The other way around is pretty tough.Good Things mentions that this dough is excellent for very large cookies, so don't be afraid to use your big cutters if you like. If you have concerns about using raw egg white in the decorating process, you can substitute powdered egg white (meringue powder) lightly whipped with some water, according to package directions or until a slightly viscous consistency.For the cookies:
- 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp. freshly grated zest of sweet oranges, tangerines or mandarins (about 2 large or 4-5 small)
- 1 tsp. fresh squeezed juice from sweet oranges, tangerines or mandarins
For decorating after baking:
- Sparkling or sanding sugar in various colors
- 1 egg white
- Royal Icing (recipe follows)
Special equipment:
- a zester
- a small pastry brush
MAKE THE DOUGH:In a large bowl, sift together the 4 cups flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until just incorporated. Stir in vanilla, orange juice, and zest.Add dry ingredients gradually, and mix until thoroughly combined. Wrap dough well in plastic; chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight.BAKE THE COOKIES:Preheat oven to 325°F, and prepare your refrigerator to hold sheets of unbaked cookies.On a lightly floured surface, roll a good handful of the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes with cutters dipped in flour.Transfer to ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheets; refrigerate until firm (about 15 minutes) and keep chilled while you roll out the more of the dough.Remove filled sheet from refrigerator, and bake cookies just until edges just start to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.The baked cookies may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.Makes about 4 dozen small cookies, or about 16 large ones.DECORATE THE COOKIES:With a fork or a small whisk, whip the egg white in a small bowl to break up the lumps and proteins. It should feel liquid, but not too frothy or lumpy. Have your sugars ready over a dish that can catch the excess.Brush a thin coat of beaten egg white onto all or part of a cookie. From the sugar container or with a spoon, sprinkle the sugar onto the egg white, and shake off any excess. Set aside to try and move on to the next cookie. Work with one color at a time if you wish to collect and re-use the excess sugar.Allow cookies to dry, about an hour, or overnight lightly covered with a tea towel, wax paper, or paper towels.If you wish, you can then pipe on highlights or accents in Royal Icing (below).
ROYAL ICING
I have tried many variations on Royal Icing, but the one from the side of the Ateco container of Meringue Powder is my favorite. It makes a very easy to pipe accent icing, great for adding a little "star" to hold a dragee or decor at the top of a Christmas tree shape. I confess I have never tried a thinned out version for flooding techniques, but I'm sure it'd be fantastic for that... and much easier to use than fresh raw egg whites.
- 1/4 cup meringue powder
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 to 4 1/2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar (use the extra half cup if you want a stiffer icing)
In a large bowl, whip together the meringue powder and water until you get soft peaks.Gently sift in the confectioner's sugar, starting with just four cups. Beat to desired consistency, and sift in extra 1/2 cup of sugar if necessary.Transfer to a piping bag fitted with your choice of tip or a gallon-size plastic baggie with a small bit of one corner snipped off.Decorate cookies as desired; place decorative sugars or other decors right away wile icing is still wet.Allow icing to dry, at least 2 hours at room temperature or overnight. Transfer to an airtight container and store for up to two weeks.
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Wintertime means citrus time in California, so today let's listen to an adorable holiday selection by one of the many artists that played the Outside Lands festival out in Golden Gate Park this past fall, Zee Avi.
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