On the tenth day of Christmas, ¯¯ my true love gave to me ¯¯… Lemon Orange Pecan Thumbprint Cookies.

Oh no, only two cookies left to post and I am done with holiday cookie baking for this year. I hope you are having fun with your own baking and maybe even trying a few of these treasured recipes.

I love the way these cookies look on the holiday cookie platter–festive, colorful and oh so appealing. They have flavor and texture dimensions too with a tender, citrus-flavored cookie, toasted pecans, and chewy, bright-flavored maraschino cherry.

Lemon Orange Pecan Thumbprint Cookies

There are many versions of this particular cookie, but none quite so tender and rich as this one. The addition of orange and lemon juice ensures a tender dough and adds a flavor nuance that is very appealing.

4 cups cake flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1½ cups unsalted butter, cool room temperature

1 cup extra-fine sugar

3 egg yolks

freshly grated zest of 1 large orange

freshly grated zest of 1 large lemon

3 tablespoons orange juice

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Finishing

4 egg whites, slightly beaten, in a small mixing bowl

12 ounces (3 cups) pecans, minced, in a small mixing bowl

16-ounce jar maraschino cherries in syrup, well drained and halved

1.In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour and salt.

2.In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together thoroughly.

3.Add the egg yolks and beat until fluffy.

4.Add the vanilla extract, orange juice, and lemon juice and combine.

5.Refrigerate the dough for at least two hours.

6.With your hands, roll rounded two teaspoons (#70 commercial scoop) of dough into balls. Roll each ball in the egg white, then in chopped pecans.

7.Arrange, 1-inch apart on a lightly greased, parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

8.Press a cherry half into the center of each cookie, flattening slightly.

9.Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes, until the cookies are set and only slightly browning on the bottom.Cool on wire racks.

Makes about six dozen cookies.

Come Back for More

Here is the LunaCafe Christmas 2008 Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies initial post and game plan with links to the following twelve cookies. Links can also be found in the right sidebar.

On the 1^st day of Christmas: Lily’s Swedish Vanilla Spritz

On the 2^nd day of Christmas: Orange Vanilla Sugar Cookies

On the 3^rd day of Christmas: Decidedly Lemon Teacakes

On the 4^th day of Christmas: Once in a Chocolate-Spice Moon Cookies

On the 5^th day of Christmas: Peppermint Stick Shortbread

On the 6^th day of Christmas: Lemon-Lime Clove Sugar Cookies

On the 7^th day of Christmas: Toasted Almond Black Cherry Shortbread

On the 8^th day of Christmas: Green Tea and Rose Spritz

On the 9^th day of Christmas: Almond Butter Poinsettia Cookies

On the 10^th day of Christmas: Lemon OrangePecan Thumbprint Cookies

On the 11^th day of Christmas: Candy Cane Butter Cookies

On the 12^th day of Christmas: Ellen’s Swedish Pepparkakor

…