Citrus Cookies
Homestyle Cookies, Muffins + Cakes Copyright 2009
9 tablespoons unsalted butter (125 grams)
¾ cup powdered sugar (90 g)
1½ cups all-purpose flour (185 g)
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest I used the zest of one lime
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest I used the zest of one lemon
1/3 cup sour cream (80 g)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Orange Icing
1 ¼ cups powdered sugar (150 g)
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest I used the zest of one orange
2 tablespoons orange juice
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Light grease two baking trays. I used parchment paper. Place the butter, powdered sugar, flour and lime and lemon zest in a food processor. Process for 10 seconds or until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sour cream and lemon juice and process for 10 seconds or until the mixture is finely combined.
2. Drop level tablespoons of mixture onto prepared trays, allowing room for spreading. Mine didn't spread that much. I used a cookie scoop and flattened the dough slightly. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden. I had to bake mine about another 5 minutes longer. Cool completely on wire rack.
3. To make orange icing, combine the icing sugar, zest and juice in a bowl. Stand the bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring until the icing is smooth and glossy. I nuked it. Spread the icing over the cookies with a flat-bladed knife. I just dipped the tops of the cookies in the icing.
Makes about 30. I only got about 20.
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This recipe is so positively citrusy. Great for anyone who loves citrus, but not-so-great for Mandi, who I know is allergic to citrus. Hopefully there aren't too many others ought there saddled with a citrus allergy. I think that allergy would be a tough one to deal with.
Zest is really the best way to get citrus flavor in a baked good and Microplanes make it so easy to get fine bits of zest. The Microplane is definitely one of my most recommended must-have kitchen tools. I have the classic version but they make several different products for the kitchen. I have no affiliation with Microplane - they just make a great product. I can't even remember how I zested citrus before I bought this tool. I remember that zesting wasn't all that easy or efficient but now it's both. With the zesting out of the way, this recipe comes together very quickly. It doesn't make a lot of cookies but sometimes you just don't need dozens of cookies.
As I've mentioned before, I am glazed-challenged. Anything glazed usually comes out too sticky but this is the first time I cooked a glaze and the results were awesome. The surface was completely dry yet the glaze did not get tooth-chipping hard. They did have somewhat of a matte finish which isn't as appealing as a bit of shine. A sprinkle of sanding sugar would have provided some sparkle. I really couldn't decide if these cookies were visually appealing or not. I was really on the fence. I liked the color (that's all natural).
This cookbook is from the bargain book table of one of the large bookstore chains (which has since gone out of business). I was meeting someone for lunch nearby and decided to 'browse' for a while (this was months ago). It's a big book with lots of color pictures. It has U.S. measurements but it must have it's roots in Europe somewhere since you can tell by the measurements and the ingredient names (dessicated coconut, sultanas, for instance) that it didn't originate here. I have plenty of these books in my collection. It's hard to resist the big color pictures - it's food porn at it's best. I did start to shy away from them since I find they mostly come from the same publishers, they contain a lof of the same recipes, and I do try to mix things up in my collection. However, this book was definitely a fresh addition to my collection.
Question of the Day: What do you use to zest citrus?
4 comments:
I bought a zester a few months ago. It's the kind that has small holes with sharp edges and peels the zest off on in little strips. I've only had the opportunity to use it once.
Before that, I always (and very unsatisfactorily) just used a knive to skim the zest off the fruit and then then mince it.
Sounds like a very tasty cookie.
I have a lemon tree and my next door neighbor has an orange tree....and the 99 Cent Store has a bag of limes for 99 cents. I will try the recipe soon. Thanks.
Glad to see you posting again!
LOL, thanks for the commiserations ;0 I can still appreciate the idea of a good citus-y something, just can't actually eat it. But I remember the taste and boy, oh boy, do I miss it!
I have an old grater that I've had forever. It's a flat one that has several different (grates?) on it. The smallest works for zesting. It doesn't come out in strips, but tiny pieces.
Jan
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