In the final days lying (heavily, uncomfortably, and whiningly) in wait for Miss Frankie June, I busied myself making and freezing food until my sadly diminutive freezer drawers creaked under the burden of my neuroses, which manifested themselves in the form of lasagne Caprese, herbed mac & cheese, vegetarian pot pies, blueberry muffins, espresso chocolate muffins, and a double batch of blood orange tea cookies. The last item on the list is what I point to now and shout "THIS WAY, THIS WAY!"
Living in a place where coffee and tea is never served without an accompanying koekje, and said treats are moderately tasty but all sort of stick to the same flavor profile (sweet, crunchy, slightly spiced), I wanted a different breed of frozen cookie dough balls to bake on-demand and eat next to my tea.
Ideally, I had these pillowy, delicate little things in mind for the mouths of baby-adoring visitors, but our reserves are nearly depleted and visiting season hasn't yet opened. Lesson learned; I imagine I'll be making a triple batch next time...
xxx,
j
blood orange tea cookies
adapted from SP Cookie Queen
Yield: approximately 4 dozen cookies
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 8 teaspoons grated blood orange zest
- 4 tablespoons blood orange juice
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1 egg, plus 1 yolk
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
- Zest the oranges into the sugar, and work the mixture between your fingers until it is fragrant and begins to clump together. Add melted coconut oil, orange juice, egg, and yolk and mix until pale and thickened, about 30 seconds by mixer or 2-3 minutes by hand, with whisk. Transfer to bowl with flour mixture and stir until incorporated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill until dough is firm, about 1 hour. Although I've found with this type of dough overnight chilling works best and then it is much easier and cleaner on the hands to roll.
- Roll 1½ teaspoon dough into balls, toss in powdered sugar, and space them 2 inches apart on your prepared sheet, or freeze in a single layer before sealing and freezing in an airtight container, to bake at a later date.
- Bake the cookies one inch apart until the cookies are cracked and set on top but still look moist within the cracks, about 9-12 minutes, depending on oven. Do not let the cookie edges get darker than a very light golden color, and for more even results, rotate sheet halfway through baking.
- Slide parchment onto a wire rack to cool completely.
