ORANGE CREAMSICLE COOKIES

ORANGE CREAMSICLE COOKIES 2 medium seedless oranges 1/2 cup butter softened 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup milk 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 tablespoons melted butter 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon orange extract 1-3 tablespoons orange juice Optional: 3 yellow drops food coloring Optional: 1 red drop food coloring Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut oranges in quarters remove flesh; cutting away any of the white pith. Remove any pith from the peel. Place orange flesh and peels in food processor and process until smooth. In stand mixer cream 1/2 cup butter and 3-4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and 1/3 cup of the orange mixture. In small bowl combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Slowly add flour mixture to orange mixture and beat on very low just until combined; scraping sides of bowl. Stir in food coloring if desired. Drop by round tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 13-15 minutes. Transfer cookies to cooling racks. Allow cookies to cool completely before icing. In stand mixer combine 2 tablespoons melted butter, powdered sugar, orange extract, remaining orange mixture and enough orange juice for drizzling consistency. Add orange juice 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. Drizzle cooled cookies with frosting. NOTES I use approximately 3 tablespoons orange juice but different factors can effect how much you will need such as humidity and altitude.