Dainty Orange Drop Cookies

I'll admit it freely - I'm a cookie connoisseur and a snob. I really don't care for any of the newfangled recipes coming out these days, especially when it comes to holiday cookies. I prefer to use the old, tried and true recipes from the 1930s and 1940s, and lo and behold, they always turn out beautifully and everyone loves them. 

This particular recipe is for a small, but very flavorful cookie. It's soft and chewy, redolent of fresh orange, and has some interesting textural ingredients - corn flakes, dates, and chopped nuts. It might not sound all that appealing, but they're super delicious. I'm a huge fan of citrus in baking; it creates such a wonderful flavor profile, and usually you can taste it most in the aftertaste. These are an easy cookie to make, but do beware. They have a tendency to stick to the cookie sheets even if you grease them. They also tend to brown very quickly, so make sure to rotate your cookie sheets halfway through baking so everything is baked evenly.

Dainty Orange Drop Cookies

½ cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1½ cups corn flakes, crushed

½ cup dates, pitted and chopped

½ cup walnuts, chopped

Grated rind of ½ an orange

Juice of ½ an orange

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well incorporated.

Add the eggs and the orange zest. Beat well.

Sift the flour and baking powder together. Add to the creamed mixture along with the orange juice. Add the corn flakes, dates and nuts. Mix well until everything is incorporated. Chill the dough for an about an hour; the cookie dough tends to be a bit loose right after it's made.

Using a small cookie scoop, drop onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. Remove the cookies to cooling racks and let cool completely. Place in a tin lined with waxed or parchment papers, and top with an additional piece of waxed or parchment papers. Slip in a piece of sandwich bread to help the cookies to stay soft and make sure the lid fits tightly.

Makes about 4 dozen