Ingredients
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7 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (such as Hershey's(R))
1/4 cup baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
1 large orange, zested
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (such as Crisco(R))
1/2 cup margarine (such as Parkay(R))
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or to taste
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons whole milk, or more as needed
1 teaspoon orange juice, or as needed
3 cups confectioners' sugar, or more as needed
Preparation
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Whisk flour, white sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and salt in a large bowl. Stir orange zest into flour mixture. Mix vegetable shortening and margarine into dry ingredients, using your hands, until mixture is crumbly.
Beat eggs and vanilla extract in a bowl with an electric mixer until foamy; add egg mixture, 1/4 cup orange juice, and 1/4 cup milk to flour mixture and knead dough in the bowl until thoroughly combined and dough doesn't stick to your hands, about 8 minutes. Dough will be stiff. Knead cream cheese thoroughly into dough, followed by walnuts.
Form dough into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake cookies in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool cookies on racks.
Beat 3 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon orange juice, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar in a bowl until smooth; gradually beat in remaining confectioners' sugar until frosting is thick and drizzles slowly from a spoon.
Dip tops of cookies into frosting and place frosted cookies on racks with waxed paper underneath to catch drips. Let cookies dry overnight.
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