A woman returns to her roots after years of living in one of the
It happened to Ree Drummond, too.
I discovered The Pioneer Woman about the time I made my move
from almost two decades in New England back to the Midwest .
I identified with her transition from a metropolitan life in Los
Angeles to her family home in Oklahoma. Her love
story of how she met her husband, a rancher she calls The Marlboro Man, and her
new life among the cattle gave me hope that my new life would bring happiness,
adventure, and, perhaps, love.
It did. (Does that make me The Prairie Woman?)
So I was excited when Ree’s turn came on Gourmet Live list
of 50 Women Game-Changers in the food
world that I and a number of fellow food bloggers are paying tribute to by
posting a recipe from each on Fridays. My sweetheart, Michael, and I enjoy a
number of her recipes. Like her Marlboro Man, my love likes simple,
straight-forward food that isn’t fussy or exotic. We are fans of her chicken
fried steak, and her pot roast recipe is a Sunday staple.
For this week’s post, I decided to try one of her sweet
recipes—Citrus Butter Cookies. I changed it a little. First, I was short on the
zest—I ran out of fruit! My grater didn’t seem to get as much zest from each
lemon, lime and orange as I expected. (A microplane is on my Christmas list.)
That meant I didn’t sprinkle any zest on the top. And I didn’t use the egg
white in the glaze frosting. I forgot. It happens. I was having one of
“those days.”
The cookies taste wonderful—dense, moist, and buttery, with
just a hint of citrus flavor. I think these will be this year’s Christmas
cookie-of-choice, perhaps topped with red and green sugar crystals.
Another Pioneer Woman recipe to add to my list of favorites!
Citrus Butter Cookies
From Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman
2 cups (4 sticks) salted butter,
softened
1-1/2 cup sugar 2 whole large eggs, separated
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons orange, lemon, and lime zest (approx 1 tablespoon each)
2 tablespoons orange, lemon, and/or lime juice (2 tablespoons total)
Icing
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons orange, lemon, and lime zest
Juice of 1/2 lime
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Dash of salt
Extra zest, for decorating
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar until combined. Add egg yolks and mix until combined (set whites aside for the icing.) Add the zest and the flour and mix until just combined, then add juice and mix until combined.
Scoop out heaping teaspoons of dough, then roll them into
balls between your hands. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 13 minutes.
Remove from the oven and keep on the cookie sheet for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove
from the pan with a spatula and allow to cool completely before icing.
To make the icing, combine 1 egg white with the rest of the
icing ingredients. Whisk thoroughly until combined, adding either more powdered
sugar or more juice until it reaches a pourable but still thick consistency.
Drizzle the icing across the cookies in several lines, then
do it again in the other direction. Sprinkle with extra zest before the icing
sets.
Here are my fellow food bloggers. Be sure to check them out!
Val - More Than Burnt Toast
Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia - A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets
Katie - Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Kathleen -Bake Away with Me
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue - The View from Great Island
Barbara - Movable Feasts
Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Amy - Beloved Green
Jeanette - Healthy Living
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda
Nancy - PicadilloJoanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Claudia - A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets
Katie - Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Kathleen -Bake Away with Me
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue - The View from Great Island
Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Amy - Beloved Green
Jeanette - Healthy Living
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda
Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen
Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits
I can really see these in the Christmas cookie lineup, they'd be so refreshing. I think you should consider using your new moniker 'The Prairie Woman', hey, it worked for Ree!
ReplyDeleteLOL Sue, I actually considered using The Prairie Woman when I started this blog, but then decided it was too close to her Pioneer Woman to work.
ReplyDeleteI was looking forward to seeing this recipe, I think they sound absolutely wonderful. Love the citrus blast.
ReplyDeleteThese sound delicious and I love how your life parallels that of Ree Drummond. Your recipe choice is wonderful. The cookies look really, really good. I'm so glad you joined our group. You bring much to the table I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteThese cookies are wonderful with a lovely balance between the richness of the butter and the citrus tang.
ReplyDeleteMary, thank you! I'm glad I joined the group, too. It's fun!
Your cookies look fabulous and I love that they have a touch of citrus in them. I have to bookmark them so that I can give them a try...great choice!
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a straightforward and unfussy cookie, just like Ree Drummond. Nice choice for this week's event.
ReplyDeleteHow sweet that you have your own Marlboro Man, and are livng in the good life on the prairies. As you mentioned these would be perfect for the holidays!
ReplyDeleteLove your similarities with Ree Drummond - thanks for sharing the cookies.
ReplyDelete