Twenty Five Days of Treats for the Holidays - Day 15

So yesterday, I posted about those delicious peppermint snowflake cookies.  Today, it's a similar theme.


I told you how I realized that I hadn't gotten to my Christmas baking yet, and here it was, THE NIGHT that I always send a platter of treats.  After a frantic dash to the store (I will NEVER admit how fast I was driving!), I came home with my most trusty of trusteds, which we talked about before.  If you play your cards right, you can actually bake 14 dozen cookies in 2 1/2 hours.  Sounds like a lot, right!  Well, each tube of dough yields about 3 dozen (and usually then some) cookies, and each package of break and bakes makes 2 dozen.  All I can say at the end of all that, I was thankful I had my coffee!

Oh, and by the way, all the dough and bnb's were on sale and I used a coupon.  Hubs would be so proud!

I was really in a pinch because I had already made Cinnamon Mocha Cookies from Day One, and didn't want just plain spice. What to do, what to do!  Anyway, in my rushing around, I made a combination that I didn't use on Day One, that I thought I'd share with you.  Princess said they taste like Dreamsicles with a pumpkin pie finish.

SPH Orange Spice Cookies
1 tube sugar cookie dough
1 T. orange extract (I make my own)
1 t. pumpkin pie spice (I'd use more next time - adjust to your taste)
2 t. dried orange peel
orange food color (or red and yellow, that's what I did)
1/2 can white frosting
more food coloring
another tablespoon orange extract

So this is a double whammy of a recipe because you are taking two very basic items, and making them completely your own.  Basically, all you have to do is mix the dough with the extract, spice, peel and food color.  Scoop with spoons or cookie scooper onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, and bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes.  While they are baking, combine frosting, food color and extract.  Allow cookies to cool and flatten out (you'll see what I mean when you bake these), then spoon little bits of frosting on top.  Swirl with spoon or offset spatula.

The brightness of the orange really offset the other flavors of the cookies on the tray.  I heard they were all delicious, and was asked for the recipes.  How's that!  I also included the Apricot Coconut Balls, the last few pieces of butterscotch, and tomorrow's treat.