>I tried it, and it worked. I took the original Zesty Lime cookie recipe and tried it with orange zest and orange juice, and the cookies are delicious. I kept the lemon extract in for the tartness. The orange peel was freshly zested, and the juice freshly squeezed. Oh, the kitchen smelled good! Here it is: yet another way to use the case of oranges from the choir fund-raiser!

Zesty Orange Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon grated orange peel
powdered sugar for dusting (I only needed a few tablespoons)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter; beat in sugar and extracts. Add eggs; mix well. Gradually add flour; mix well. Blend in orange juice and peel. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of batter onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool on pan for 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks and dust lightly with powdered sugar. Mmmm. Makes about 6 dozen.

This recipe is based on Zesty Lime cookies in the 2009 WE Energies Cookie Book. I can’t wait to try a few more.