This is my own recipe that I came up with in trying to recreate one I remembered my mother making when I was a child. These cookies keep in the fridge or freezer (unbaked) and are delicious shared with a friend over a cup of orange spiced tea!
You will need:
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups lightly packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange extract
1 tsp. freshly grated orange zest
3 cups self-rising flour
1 cup finely broken pecans
Allow butter to soften until malleable but still cool. (Warm butter will cause cookies to spread.) Beat first the butter, and then add in the brown and white sugar, mixing well.
Once the butter and sugars are well creamed, add in the eggs, one at the time, and then the extracts, orange zest, flour and last of all, pecans. If dough is soft, chill in fridge for about an hour until firm enough to roll out into logs.
Roll the dough into logs that are approximately two inches in diameter. Cover them in waxed paper and place in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to bake.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly grease a baking sheet and then unroll the dough and slice into thin discs, between 1/8" and 1/4" thick. Bake for approximately 8 minutes, or until lightly browned on the outer edges. Remove from the oven and allow to sit on the pan for one minute, then remove with a spatula to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 5-6 dozen.
Note ... lemon zest and lemon extract may be substituted for orange zest and extract if desired. Make certain the pecans are finely broken, because they need to be small enough that they do not interfere with the slicing of the dough for the cookies!
Thanks for the info on making orange nut refrigerator cookies. H5
select one here...