Orange Creamsicle Cookies

I adapted this recipe from this blog post. I usually zest my own oranges but in mass production for PAX West I bought commercial orange zest and so I changed the combination of orange zest and orange extract (see alternative). The dehydrated orange zest measures 1 for 1 with fresh but I found that I didn’t love the texture as much so it was nice to not put 2 whole tablespoons. I also tried adding craisins and that was amazing!

[ul][li] 2½ cups all purpose flour[/li]
[li]¾ teaspoon baking soda[/li]
[li]½ teaspoon salt[/li]
[li]1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened[/li]
[li]½ cup sugar[/li]
[li]½ cup firmly packed brown sugar[/li]
[li]1 large egg[/li]
[li]1 teaspoon vanilla extract[/li]
[li]1 teaspoon orange extract (Alternative: 1 tbsp)[/li]
[li]2 tablespoons orange zest (approx. 2 oranges) (Alternative 1 Tbsp)[/li]
[li]2 cups white chocolate chips[/li]
[li]1 cup Craisins (Optional)[/li]
[li]Preheat oven to 375 degrees.[/li]
[li]In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.[/li]
[li]In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and creamy. Beat in egg, vanilla and orange extract until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture until combined. Stir in orange zest( I add with flour) (+craisins) and white chocolate chips.[/li]
[li]Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Do not flatten cookies; it will make them dry. Bake 8 - 10 (I did large cookies for PAX -14 min) minutes or until golden brown around edges. Do not overcook! Cookies will be plump. Cool for several minutes on cookie sheets before transferring to rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container.[/li][/ul]

A lot of compliments and request for this cookie at PAX! Great job!