One of my favorite recipes

Have I mentioned that I LOVE to bake. Some of my baking skills I learned at a young age from my mom, she had great recipes and I still have some of them, sometimes I open my cook book (I will show you that later, it is a mess but I store all the great recipes that come my way in there, it is like a scrapbook of recipes) and just peruse and look at her recipes and think of her. I miss her. Sorry off in thought there. Along with my mom there were other women like my Aunt Ann and my step-mom Billie J. who have great recipes and baked and cooked amazing dishes. I am so grateful for these roll models and their skills in the kitchen they have helped shape who I am now. Anyway for me it is baking time. The Christmas season brings out the baker in me in full force. I don’t just bake a cookie or two, it starts out quite innocently at a list of 5 then it goes to 9 or 10 and by the time I am done I have a list of about 17+ cookies, when all is said and done I have usually accomplished about 15 off the list and with that I feel this great sense of joy.

Today I want to share a family favorite, these cookies are one of my favorites and my friends will attest to that, pretty much I make them for every event throughout the year, they are versatile and so yummy. Samantha and I even baked these for Entrepreneur night and they were a hit. Thank you Auntie Ann for the recipe so many years ago and all the tips over the years that have helped me to bake them better each time.

So without further adeu here is the family recipe (ssshhh it is still a secret though):

Angenettes (Italian Citrus Cookie)

1 Cup Oil (I use canola, I love coconut but have not tried because I am afraid it might change the taste)
1 Cup Orange Juice (you can find organic OJ at Wegman’s)
1 Cup Sugar (I use organic cane sugar, but you could also try palm sugar or maple sugar)
4 Eggs
6 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Lemon Extract
1 tsp. Orange Extract
6-7 cups of Flour (here is where it can get tricky, I add one cup at a time and look for it to get to the point that it is still sticky but when you pull it up with your fingers it does not slide quickly back into the bowl.

Now these can be rolled into pretty much any size ball (I have made larger more pastry size ones and smaller more petite ones and they all look great).
Tip for rolling these and not having them stick to your hands is to rub your hands lightly with some oil (not flour, flour will dry them out). I add a bit more as the dough begins to stick to my hands.

Bake at 375 for 10-14 minutes (varies on the size of the cookie, look for the tops to crack open and the bottoms to be a nice light brown).

Frosting

4 Cups Powder Sugar
1 tsp. Lemon Extract
1 tsp. Orange Extract
Milk (enough to make a soupy consistency)
Food coloring (this varies with the holiday and my mood =)
Nonpareil Sprinkles

Once the cookies are cool dip into your frosting and if adding sprinkles quickly sprinkle, let dry and they are ready to serve, package or put in a container.

Here is a batch I did for Aaron’s Graduation Party – this is only one of the trays (this recipe can make quite a lot)

Okay here is my recipe book that my daughter and I made, I have a load of recipes still waiting to be put in but it is nice to have all my favorite recipes in one place instead of in a box and stuck in the cupboard and getting lost.