This Is On My Mind

Today I am joining in with Rhonda at Down To Earth for her Friday photo ritual. It is still Thursday here, but Rhonda is in Australia, so I will be making this my Thursday ritual. I truly admire Rhonda's blog and use it as a regular reference for green cleaning, home cooking, and just great advice and encouragement as I attempt to get into a routine and "green" way of life. She is also such a wonderful voice for homemakers, which I really think is wonderful, and I am so happy that such an intelligent and well spoken woman has decided to speak out and in favor of those women who are lucky and smart enough to be able to stay at home.

Well enough gushing, lets get to the photo!

Orange Cardamom Cookies

These cookies are absolutely to die for. I baked them to be used as a "decoy cookie" to hopefully distract certain members of the household from the Christmas baking (not naming any names). Ok, I admit that I require some distraction now and then.... :).  Well they are divine, and oh so light and refreshing, with a hint of spiciness that is pure heaven. I adapted the recipe from Martha Stewart's Cookies book. Originally the recipe is meant to make madeleines. Well I do not own a madeleine tin, and pretty much 100% of them are coated in Teflon, which I avoid like the plague, so I improvised and free formed them. They turned out fantastic! 

Orange Cardamom Cookies

For the batter:

4 tbsp butter

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup white sugar

2 large free range eggs

Melt butter over low heat. Remove from element, and add vanilla extract and honey. Let cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Stir together sugar and eggs in a separate bowl, and fold in flour mixture until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 325 F. Spoon heaping teaspoons of batter onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving about 1 inch of space between cookies for spreading. Bake for 10-11 mins, until set and slightly golden. Let cool on wire rack.

For the Glaze:

3/4 cup icing sugar

1 tsp orange zest

2 tbsp fresh orange juice

Mix together all ingredients and dollop on cookies when cool. 

Enjoy!

Brenna