CITRUS SLICE COOKIES

Citrus Slice Cookies image

Like beams of sunshine on your dessert plate, these citrus cookies combine cheery good looks and slice-and-bake simplicity. Try them in orange, lime, grapefruit or lemon variations.

Provided by By Heather Baird

Categories Dessert

Time 6h25m

Yield 48

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
Dash salt
Grated peel from 1 orange (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon orange extract
Yellow and red liquid food color
Grated peel from 2 lemons (2 to 3 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon lemon extract
Orange and yellow sanding sugar

Steps:

In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs with electric stand mixer on medium-low speed or with electric hand mixer on lowest speed until well combined. Add flour and salt; beat until soft, nonsticky dough forms. (You should be able to handle the dough without it sticking to your fingers. If dough is sticky, beat in additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes to the correct consistency.)
On work surface, shape dough into a ball. Divide into 3 equal portions. Return one-third of dough to bowl; beat in orange peel, orange extract and drops of yellow and red food color until orange color is consistent. Remove dough from bowl; cover with plastic wrap.
Clean bowl; add another one-third portion of dough. Beat in lemon peel, lemon extract and drops of yellow food color until yellow color is consistent. Remove dough from bowl; cover with plastic wrap.
Leave remaining one-third of dough plain; cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate all dough portions 1 hour.
Shape each portion of tinted dough into a roll about 5 inches long and 2 1/2 inches in diameter; set aside. On lightly floured work surface, roll plain dough into a rectangle. Place roll of orange dough on plain dough. Roll plain dough in a single layer around orange dough. Cut away excess dough; reserve for yellow dough.
Place orange sanding sugar on plate; roll dough log in sugar until completely coated. Wrap sugar-coated dough log in plastic wrap; refrigerate. Repeat process with lemon dough, remaining plain dough and yellow sanding sugar. Refrigerate dough logs at least 4 hours.
Heat oven to 400°F. Line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper.
Cut chilled logs into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick rounds. With back edge of knife, score "segment" lines into each round, making only indentations (do not go all the way through). Cut rounds in half; place on cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until set. Remove cookies from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely.