This January was full of many things — including but not limited to brutally cold weather, a new semester and a presidential inauguration. On the bright side, citrus season is thriving. Did I miss any other important events?
As the kids today say, “We are so back.” To kick off my new semester of Sweet Talk, I obviously had to conjure up something citrus-related.
I love oranges, seriously. They’re versatile in so many ways — drinks, desserts, savory appetizers or perfect on their own. But, I think I can speak for many people with this — I despise peeling them. The labor of peeling an orange is the most dreaded part of my day. It is by far the most time-consuming fruit to eat, so much so that it occasionally hinders me from eating an orange.
Though, if it’s peeled for me, I would never say no. What is that saying? Those who love you will peel oranges for you?
Fortunately, this lovely Orange Cookie recipe from Preppy Kitchen requires no peeling! A literal miracle. Surprisingly, the recipe turned out to be very simple and quick. I for one have never thought to put oranges in cookies, but it turned out to be very nostalgic.
Remember those grocery store frosted sugar cookies reminiscent of Play-Doh you had as a child? Think those, but elevated — you are no longer a child anyway and no one is counting how many cookies you eat.
Here is the process:
Preheat your oven to 375℉ and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
Grab a small bowl, combine the following dry ingredients then set aside:
- 2 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
Now comes the most labor-intensive part. In separate bowls, you will have to zest and squeeze the juice from oranges, then set aside. I used about five oranges for this step, but it will depend on what oranges you use. Let us take a moment to appreciate the gorgeous selection of oranges I used for this recipe!
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- ½ cup orange juice
Pause here to marvel at the stunning color!
Before the next step, it is crucial to incorporate the orange zest and ¾ cup granulated sugar together. Working the sugar and zest together with your fingers allows for a stronger orange flavor to develop. It will make your kitchen smell amazing too.
Then, you’ll want to combine the following ingredients with the zest and sugar mixture:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg (do not add in until the butter + sugar mixture is thoroughly combined!)
Your mixture should look like this:
Finally, working in small increments, alternate adding flour and orange juice to the butter + sugar mixture. For myself, I worked in four increments and my batter looked like this by the end:
Then, scoop about one tablespoon of batter in a semi-round shape onto your baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
While these cookies are baking, we can get a start on the orange glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Zest of half an orange
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tbsp melted butter
Once the cookies are baked and cooled, generously glaze each one. The result? A batch of surprisingly photogenic cookies with a gorgeous light-orange glaze. I think you will be reaching for your camera, just as I did.
