Orange Poppy Seed Cookies

Ingredients:
280 grams all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
140g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
finely grated zest of 2 large oranges



First, mix the sifted flour, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds into a bowl. In a separate bowl combine sugar and orange zest and rub them together with your finger tips.

With a fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed for a minute or until smooth. Add the sugar and zest and continue to beat for about 2 minutes until mixture is light and pale. Add the egg and yolk and beat for another minute or two. Beat in the vanilla.

Reduce speed and steadily add the flour mixture, mixing only until it has been incorporated. Because the dough is best when it is worked the least, you might want to stop the mixer before the flour is thoroughly blended into the dough, and finish the job with a rubber spatula. When mixed, the dough will be soft and creamy.

Turn the dough out onto the counter and divide in half. Shape each half into a chubby sausage - about 5cm (2in) in diameter* - and wrap in plastic wrap. The dough must be chilled or at least two hours. The rolls can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 2 months.

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. With a sharp knife slice into 6mm (¼-in) thick rounds, and place the rounds on prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes, rotating the sheet at the midpoint. The cookies should feel firm, but they should not color much, if at all. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies rest 1 minute before carefully lifting them onto a rack to cool to room temperature.

Makes about 45 cookies

This recipe is an adaption of the blog "Technicolor Kitchen". It's a wonderful blog with many great recipes, such as this one. I had some difficulties cutting the dough because it was so soft, but I just popped the rolls into the freezer before I cut it. These cookies are dangerously tasty!

There is nothing better than a cup of coffee to go with a cookie.

The other day I bought a french coffee press and a foamer. There is really no better way to drink coffee than like this and its very affordable.

Microwave the milk until it starts bubbling (Keep an eye on it, milk has the tendency to run over whenever you are not looking). Then use the froathier. Enjoy.