Orange Crystallized Ginger Cookies

This cookie combines my one of my favorite colors and two of my favorite flavors. For me they are fall in a cookie.  After traveling to roughly 60 countries and although I live in a picture perfect German countryside, I can still say my favorite fall memories have to be on the USA’s East Coast.

Alternate gorgeous weekends with trees exploding in color at our family home in the Berkshires with crisp autumn New York City days and I have the recipe for my perfect fall.

These are chewy and flavorful with a plenty of ginger to warm your tummy. A lovely companion to tea for an sweet and spicy autumn afternoon snack.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon grated orange rind
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup (depending how gingery you want your cookies) crystalized ginger chopped into small pieces

Directions:

• Sift together flours baking powder and salt and set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar together until creamy
• Beat in egg yolk
• Add orange juice, zest, and extracts. Mix thoroughly.
• Add the flour mixture to and with a wooden spoon, mix in.
• Mix in the chopped crystalized ginger pieces
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• After dough is chilled, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment or a silpat.
• Form dough into balls, and place at least 1 inch apart on the cookies sheets.
• Press down on each ball of dough with a fork.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes about 30 cookies.