Frosted Orange Cookies

These easy-to-make cookies provide a cheerful ending to a simple supper. Be sure to frost them while they are still warm.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large oranges
1 lemon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting:
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons orange and lemon rind, finely chopped
2 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

Cut the colored rind off the orange and lemon, leaving as much of the white pith behind as you can. Finely chop the rind in a food processor or by hand. Put the chopped rind in a strainer and press to extract any juice. (Don't worry if you don't remove all of the moisture.)

Add 1/2 cup (firmly packed) of the rind to the butter mixture; mix well. Add the flour, baking soda and salt to the batter and beat until well blended.

Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto ungreased baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each mound. Flatten the dough with your fingertips. If the dough is sticky, dip your fingers into cold water before pressing down the dough.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are golden. Transfer the cookies to racks. Frost while still warm.

While the cookies are baking, make the icing. Put the butter into a mixing bowl; add the powdered sugar, ground orange and lemon rind and the orange juice. Beat until smooth.

Spread the frosting on the warm cookies. Let cool completely before storing in an air-tight cookie tin.

Note: Any leftover ground orange and lemon rind may be frozen for later use.

Makes about 3 dozen (2-inch-diameter) cookies
Source: Marion Cunningham, San Francisco Chronicle, 2002