Best Orange Sugar Cookies ever!

Man I really shouldn't be writing this post right now.  Those beautiful cookies are making me hungry... and not for salad.  I made these last week before my resolution to avoid sugar began.  But, for all you smart girls out there who don't make silly resolutions to deny yourselves of life's simple pleasures, this is one recipe you really should have in your back pocket.  These cookies are super scrumptious.  They actually inspired my baby to learn a new word.  "Cookie"  Yup, he spoke it often while these were sitting on the counter.  Believe me, they weren't there for long.  Enough already!  Here's the good stuff:


Orange - iced sugar cookies


2 cups flour
1 teas baking powder
1/2 teas salt
1/4 teas baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 teas vanilla
1/4 cup sour cream


Whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla, beating well to combine.  With mixer on low, add half flour mixture followed by sour cream, then remaining flour mixture.  Mix just until combined.  Scoop onto greased cookie sheet and bake until cookies are set but not browned.  about 12 minutes.  Cool and frost.


Icing:
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons Orange juice
1/2 teas lemmon zest
1/2 teas vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
2 drops yellow food coloring & 2 drops red food coloring

1/2 cup Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips
Melt chocolate in microwave at half-power stirring often.  Transfer melted chocolate to small Ziploc bag.  Snip on small corner off of bag and pipe a thin ribbon of chocolate back and forth across the cookies.  Let chocolate set before serving or packaging.

Try these!  You'll be so glad you did.
p.s. they freeze well too!