Orange-Cardamom Sugar Cookies for my Valentines

My Valentine today is my running group. At least that's the lucky group of people that I'm sharing my evening and my baked goods with. Since it's Valentine's Day, that makes my running group my Valentine, right?

 

Either way, they are a deserving group of kind, goofy, supportive, and fun people. And they won't mind wolfing down these lovely, aromatic cookies after burning off 600+ calories. Man, they make good Valentines!

 

Who is your Valentine this year?



Orange-Cardamom Sugar Cookies (adapted from One Perfect Bite)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 yolk of large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of one medium orange

Directions:
1) Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom and set aside.
2) In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix butter and sugar together till just combined. Add egg and egg yolk; mix lightly to combine. Mix in vanilla extract and orange zest.
3) Add dry ingredients a little at a time, mixing just until combined, about 30-45 seconds. Chill dough until it can be shaped, about 30 minutes.
4) Scoop dough with a tablespoon and roll into balls. Place evenly on cookie sheets (with or without parchment paper) and flatten slightly with back of a spatula. (If dough is still very soft, it may be easier to do this after dough is chilled.)
5) Place cookie sheets in refrigerator and chill dough for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. If you're baking one sheet at a time, place oven rack in center of oven. If you want to bake two sheets at one time, place racks so that oven is divided into thirds. Bake for 5 minutes. Reverse cookie sheets front to back (and switch shelves if you're using 2 shelves). Bake for 5-7 more minutes until cookies are brown on edges and still soft in the center. Place cookie sheet(s) on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove cookies with spatula and place them on wire racks to cool completely. Yield: 30 cookies.

Erika's Extras: The photo from One Perfect Bite showed thin cookies. Mine never thinned out. The cake like cookie was delicious and maybe a result of leaving the dough in the fridge over night...

Bake well and prosper!