orange cardamom meltaways.

It's interesting, how close my birthday coincides with the New Year. Two reasons to start afresh and finally implement those lifestyle changes.

Sleeping this late wasn't the plan .. I'm in bed with the glare of my laptop screen burning into my retinas, prolonging my descent into sleep even further. I took a Neuroendocrinology class where someone presented on the topic of how artificial light (from laptops, cell phones) is effective at preventing sleep, contributing to long-term problems, especially for my generation.

So much of our lives are affected by electronics. On the recent roadtrip I was in the passenger seat, and had so many electronics to handle - my phone, the driver's phone for Google Maps, Spotify, Snapchat, and my iPod for music. Oh, and my DSLR nestled carefully in my lap, being high maintenance as usual.

I felt ridiculous most of the time, primarily the many times the GPS would chastise us for getting lost so often.

One of my goals is to shift importance away from social media. In older days, if someone wanted to see someone, that required going to their house or calling their house phone. They would only do so for people that mattered.

I look forward to 2014 being a year in which I can stop dwelling on the superficial worries associated with the rise of social media and constant communication, and divert my attention to the causes I have committed myself to (can I hear an FTK please? and let's not forget Beards Fork), my education, my close friends, and my individual growth. You know, the things that kinda matter and have some influence on my future.

Writing it on here - again, whether anyone reads it or not - reinforces it for me. So I apologize for the journal-esque theme today. If you are internally berating me for not getting to the cookies, your wait ends now!

These cookies seem so sophisticated to me. They would go perfectly on a vintage tray with other delicate cookies, alongside some skinny-handled cups filled with steaming Indian chai - the cardamom in the cookies complementing the earthiness of the tea.

Or they could be brought alongside heartier chocolate chip cookies on a roadtrip. They be so versatile.

They are heavy on flavor, both of which come through naturally - via orange zest and ground cardamom, an excellent combination. The cookies are easy to prep, but quite fragile after baking. Just be careful transferring to the cooling rack and storing! I chose to forgo coating them in powdered sugar, as they really don't need it. It does make them look nicer, but makes for a bit more of a mess.

Orange Cardamom Meltaways
from here.

• 1 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (or 1.5 sticks)
• 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
• zest of one orange
• 2 Tablespoons orange juice
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Mix flour, cornstarch, cardamom, and salt.
2. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Beat in juice, zest, and vanilla.
3. Add dry to wet mixture gently, until combined. 
4. Divide dough into two parts. Roll into (approx. 2") logs, and wrap in parchment paper. Chill at least one hour, although overnight is also fine.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Unwrap and slice logs into desired thickness - 1/4" is a good width.
6. Place rounds on baking sheet. They will not spread, but leave about an inch all around each cookie. Bake 12-15 minutes. Let cool on rack a few minutes, then transfer carefully to cooling rack.
7. ** [[ If coating in powdered sugar, use 2/3 cup confectioner's sugar in a plastic baggie. Add warm (not hot) cookies into baggie a few at a time, shake gently, then allow to cool completely. ]]
8. Store in fridge if they last more than a few days.