Baking with Blobby

I know, a second baking post in a month! 

As you know, I attempt baking now and then, but I'm not a baker. I'm not about precision and that is kind of key to baking, where cooking is far far more forgivable in how you do things. Baking is more about a chemical.....a chemical reaction. 

It seems I like cooking with citrus. Mainly orange flavoured things. Though I have dabbled in lemon now and then. But today, we are back to orange. 

A year ago last xmas season, I was visiting Georty, and the Geo part of that couple was making cookies for a party to which they were invited. And he made orange cardamom cookies. I got to try one and they were smashing, as the Brits would say. 

After that, I planned to try them, but kept forgetting or putting it off. But lo and behold, I tried a recipe, though I don't think the same one Geo used. Oh hell, he probably made the recipe, not followed one. I, followed one. 

Turns out, it's not just getting the product right, but to look right / good. That, I do not have down. 

....you know the recipe is good because it is in metric !

Ingredients 

• 290 grams (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 227 grams (1 cup, 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 
• 150 grams (3/4 cup) granulated sugar 
• finely grated zest of one orange 
• 1 large egg yolk 
• 45 grams (3 tablespoons) heavy cream

Instructions

Whisk together the flour, cardamom, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Cream together the butter, sugar, and zest in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until the mixture is fluffy, about 2 minutes. 

Add the yolk and the cream and beat on medium speed until incorporated.

Turn the mixer to low, add the flour mixture

Mix just until the dough comes together. 

Here is where I deviated from the recipe. They wanted you to split the dough into four sections and refrigerate for two hours and then to roll it out to 1/8 of an inch and use cookie cutters. 

I wasn't in the mood. I shaped them into logs and chilled the dough. My log skills have a lot to be desired. 

Then I cut them into cookie-ish shape. Though these look like Idaho Russets. 

They are far from being uniform in thickness either. Again, my presentation skills. 

Cook them on 350 for 12-15 minutes. Mine took 14-15. 

They don't brown per se but they will firm up when you cool them: 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer to a cooling rack. 

One doesn't have to ice the cookies, but I did. They taste fine without glaze. 

Yes, I get it looks like jizz. It's not. 

Confectioner's sugar and orange juice. It took a LOT of sugar to get the glaze thick enough. 

Looks are not going win any awards, but they taste great. 710 thinks they're very rich. They kind of are. It's not quite a sugar cookie, not quite shortbread, but it works.