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5 from 1 vote

Old Fashioned Sand Tart Cookies Recipe

Adapted from the 1940’s Woman’s Home Companion Cook Book, this cookie is our favorite family baking tradition at Christmas. It’s thin, crisp and scented with lots of fresh orange zest. Make the dough a day or two ahead. The yield of cookies depends on the size of the cookie cutter used. Cookies keep on the counter in an airtight container for a week (but they won't last that long, trust me). Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Chill time for dough2 hours
Total Time3 hours
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Servings: 18 Yield approximately 3 dozen
Calories: 133kcal
Author: Sally Cameron

Equipment

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

  • 1 ¾ cup all purpose unbleached white flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum free
  • ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature 1 stick
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2-3 teaspoons fresh orange zest 1 large orange
  • 1 large egg well beaten
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Cookie Topping

  • 1 large egg for egg wash
  • 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
  • colored sugar sprinkles to decorate

Instructions

  • Place a sheet of wax paper or parchment on a flat surface. Place a sifter or fine sieve in the center. Measure the flour and baking powder into the sifter and sift through.
  • In a medium bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until sandy and fluffy in texture. Slowly add the egg and orange zest and blend in. Add in the flour and blend on lowest speed (or mix by hand) until dough is smooth. The dough will be stiff at first, then soften.
    Split the dough into two portions. Form each piece into a flattened disk shape. Wrap dough disks well and refrigerate about 2 hours or overnight. 
    When ready to bake, remove dough from the refrigerator and allow to stand about 30-60 minutes at room temperature. You want the dough to be soft enough to roll but still chilled.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 325°F. To roll out your cookies, place each dough disk between two sheets of wax paper or parchment, then roll with a rolling pin until about ⅛″ thick. Start in the center and roll out to the edges in all directions. Place the rolled dough in the paper back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment. You can bake cookies directly on a sprayed and wiped cookie sheet. They may spread a bit more.
  • Whisk together the extra egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. This makes your decorations stick. Using a pastry brush, brush the cookies lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with sugars. Bake at 325 degrees approximately 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown at the edges. Timing will depend on your ovens. Allow cookies to cool for a minute then remove with a metal spatula to a cooling rack. Cool completely and place in an airtight container.

Notes

Adapted from the 1940's Women's Home Companion Cookbook, of which I still have my mom's tattered copy. It's a treasure!
For naturally color sugar sprinkles, check out this Amazon link for lots of nice colors. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2cookies | Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 189IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg