In the end, I managed to bake a batch of Christmas cookies (with orange glaze) even this year!
I stole an hour from that ultra-super-busy day that was the day before yesterday… oops, no it was the day before that, which was also my soulmate’s birthday (celebrated as best as we could, but sometimes you do what you can!), and in an hour I baked a couple of trays of Christmas cookies of various flavors and various aromas and various shapes and decorated with a simple-yet-effective orange glaze.

I made two different doughs, one with coconut and one with whole spelt flour, the first traditional with butter, the second with oil, both successful and approved with satisfaction by all of us. 😊
And the glaze… uuuu it came out just like that, a spur of the moment decision… but what can I say, the saying “nothing ventured, nothing gained” sometimes works wonders!

They are simple doughs with simple decorations, nothing exotic nor high pastry. But for Christmas, simple things feel like home, and for me, simplicity creates the right Christmas atmosphere, especially in this Christmas of this year. A Christmas so strange, so… that I find it hard to express just how… but I know we will not easily forget.

With these Christmas cookies with orange glaze I wish you a peaceful Christmas. 🙂
It’s the best I feel I can wish you, serenity.

🎅

Difficulty: Very Easy
Cost: Very Economical
Rest time: 30 Minutes
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Winter

Ingredients

1 classic shortcrust pastry (my classic shortcrust)
1/2 cup coconut flour (or shredded coconut)
2 tablespoons milk kefir (or yogurt (plain or coconut))
to taste lemon and orange zest (grated)
1 1/4 cups whole spelt flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup corn oil
1 egg (medium)
1/2 cup brown sugar (muscovado)
to taste orange zest (grated)
to taste ground cinnamon (as desired)
to taste ground ginger
to taste water or milk (if necessary)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons orange (juiced)

Tools

Cookie Cutters Christmas

Preparation

Prepare the classic pastry by following my recipe which you already know well. 🙂
Add to the ingredients 1/2 cup of shredded coconut and enough yogurt (or milk kefir) to get a well-mixed dough (I used a couple of tablespoons of kefir, but milk works too).
Divide the dough into two parts: flavor one half with grated orange zest, and the other half with lemon zest.
Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes, during which time you can prepare the spelt flour dough.
Prepare the shortcrust by mixing the ingredients in a bowl. For more details, refer to the procedure I described in the shortcrust pastry without butter recipe, the flours vary but the procedure is the same. 🙂
Divide the dough into two parts: flavor one half with grated orange zest, and the other half with cinnamon and ginger powder, in desired quantities, I went by feel, a sprinkle and go.
Refrigerate for about 30 minutes, during which time you can already take out a portion of the coconut dough from the fridge and start making the first cookies.
Roll out the dough to the desired thickness; I usually make them about 1/4 inch thick.
Cut out with Christmas cutters and decorate some cookies with grated lemon zest, others with orange zest, and some with brown sugar. The sugar crystallizes during baking and makes the cookies nice and crunchy, I really recommend it.
Bake on a tray lined with parchment paper at 330-355 Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes.
To make the glaze nothing could be easier: take the water glaze recipe (the easiest glaze there is) and replace the water with orange juice squeezed directly from half a freshly cut orange. In the end, it’s just a tablespoon of juice.
Of course, if you want to decorate the cookies by covering them completely with abundant glaze, then rather than doing as I did – opting for Christmas bauble dots, lines-garlands on little trees, button-dots on gingerbread men, in short, all minimal decors – you will need to double, or more, the quantities.
On some cookies, I also added colored sprinkles, I like them because they make everything cheerful. But please, remember to add them immediately while the glaze is still wet otherwise they won’t stick!
If you too have a daughter who has much more patience than you when it comes to decorating… 😀 well, let her have free rein!, and three vials of food coloring. 😉
Just a few drops of coloring and the orange glaze (or water glaze) can transform your minimal cookies into something much more spectacular, like these made by Flavia:
Or these, not exactly Christmassy but definitely… current! 🤭😷
With this artwork by my daughter, I hope I have made you smile 😊 and I renew my wishes for a Merry Christmas.
I hope these festive days are peaceful for everyone, and also for me who would like to manage to write a couple of new recipes. Will I manage it? Who knows!
I remind you that you can visit me on my Facebook page and in my group (join! Don’t be shy! 😀) –> Catia’s group, in the kitchen and beyond
Enjoy!