Recipe: "Blood Orange Shortbread Cookies"
Jan. 22nd, 2022 11:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithWell, that was a rollicking success! :D My whole house smells like buttered oranges now. There are 14 cookies left. I don't think they're going to last very long. We scarfed down the first two right out of the oven. Like, I put the pan down and scraped them onto napkins and had to juggle them because they were still hot. Sooo good.
"Blood Orange Shortbread Cookies"
Ingredients:
zest and juice of one mandarin orange
1/4 teaspoon Liber & Co. Blood Orange Cordial
2 sticks butter (1/2 pound), melted
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
Zest one mandarin orange into a small bowl. Cut the orange in half and juice it into the same bowl. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon Liber & Co. Blood Orange Cordial.
Cut two sticks of butter into chunks, put them in a microwave-safe container, and microwave until melted. It takes about 1 1/2 minutes in mine. It's important to use liquid butter to wet the flour, or the dough won't hold together -- and if it doesn't form a good ball in the bowl, it won't hold together on the cookie sheet either.
In a bowl, combine the melted butter, the orange mixture, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Stir with a spoon or cream with a mixer until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing carefully to avoid spilling it. The dough will be very wet and sticky, but at the end it should stick together well.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If the paper won't stay put, put a little baking spray or butter on the tray to glue it down some.
Turn out the dough out onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Use your hands or a rolling pin to press it into a square about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough into small squares. I typically use a 4x4 grid to create 16 cookies, but if it spreads better then I may go 5x5. Carefully move the cookies a little bit apart so that air can circulate between them. The dough will not spread, so it doesn't need much space.
Put the baking sheet in the oven. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. When done, cookies should be firm to the touch and just beginning to turn golden at the corners. Do not overcook! If they're hard or brown, they will be overdone.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheet or a rack. Store in a sealed container. These freeze really well, like most shortbread.
Notes:
Use a blood orange if you can find one. I used a mandarin because that's what I had. Any small orange, or half a large one, should work fine.
Liber & Co. Blood Orange Cordial has a vivid orange flavor, bright and sweet-tart on top with a musky middle and bitter finish that really captures the essence of blood oranges. It will make ordinary orange juice and zest taste like blood orange, and it adds great complexity to flavors.
I use Irish butter. Any grass-fed butter will have more flavor than commercial butter. Use what you like or can get.
Ginger is a warming spice with a sweet-hot flavor. In powder form it enhances the orange flavors without overwhelming them.
Sea salt has a more complex flavor and much better trace minerals compared to table salt. You can also use any light mineral salt such as Himalayan pink.
If you like shortbread and/or orange flavors, definitely give this recipe a try.
This is a fantastic shortbread recipe in general. It produces the best-behaved shortbread dough I have handled, and it comes out delicately crisp and delicious. You can omit the orange and ginger elements to replace them with any other flavorings you like to use in shortbread.
"Blood Orange Shortbread Cookies"
Ingredients:
zest and juice of one mandarin orange
1/4 teaspoon Liber & Co. Blood Orange Cordial
2 sticks butter (1/2 pound), melted
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
Zest one mandarin orange into a small bowl. Cut the orange in half and juice it into the same bowl. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon Liber & Co. Blood Orange Cordial.
Cut two sticks of butter into chunks, put them in a microwave-safe container, and microwave until melted. It takes about 1 1/2 minutes in mine. It's important to use liquid butter to wet the flour, or the dough won't hold together -- and if it doesn't form a good ball in the bowl, it won't hold together on the cookie sheet either.
In a bowl, combine the melted butter, the orange mixture, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Stir with a spoon or cream with a mixer until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing carefully to avoid spilling it. The dough will be very wet and sticky, but at the end it should stick together well.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If the paper won't stay put, put a little baking spray or butter on the tray to glue it down some.
Turn out the dough out onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Use your hands or a rolling pin to press it into a square about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough into small squares. I typically use a 4x4 grid to create 16 cookies, but if it spreads better then I may go 5x5. Carefully move the cookies a little bit apart so that air can circulate between them. The dough will not spread, so it doesn't need much space.
Put the baking sheet in the oven. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. When done, cookies should be firm to the touch and just beginning to turn golden at the corners. Do not overcook! If they're hard or brown, they will be overdone.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheet or a rack. Store in a sealed container. These freeze really well, like most shortbread.
Notes:
Use a blood orange if you can find one. I used a mandarin because that's what I had. Any small orange, or half a large one, should work fine.
Liber & Co. Blood Orange Cordial has a vivid orange flavor, bright and sweet-tart on top with a musky middle and bitter finish that really captures the essence of blood oranges. It will make ordinary orange juice and zest taste like blood orange, and it adds great complexity to flavors.
I use Irish butter. Any grass-fed butter will have more flavor than commercial butter. Use what you like or can get.
Ginger is a warming spice with a sweet-hot flavor. In powder form it enhances the orange flavors without overwhelming them.
Sea salt has a more complex flavor and much better trace minerals compared to table salt. You can also use any light mineral salt such as Himalayan pink.
If you like shortbread and/or orange flavors, definitely give this recipe a try.
This is a fantastic shortbread recipe in general. It produces the best-behaved shortbread dough I have handled, and it comes out delicately crisp and delicious. You can omit the orange and ginger elements to replace them with any other flavorings you like to use in shortbread.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-23 08:51 am (UTC)Yes ...
Date: 2022-01-23 09:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-23 10:12 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-23 05:47 pm (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2022-01-24 04:10 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-23 06:26 pm (UTC)Go for it!
Date: 2022-01-23 06:44 pm (UTC)Thanks.
>> I've never made shortbread before, I think this will be my intro. <<
It's an excellent choice. This is the best-behaved shortbread base recipe I've found. It makes tender, delicious cookies that melt in your mouth and you can modify flavors or mix-ins freely.
>> But I do need to recalibrate my oven first since I replaced my baking element before I do any serious baking. <<
Good idea. In that case I'll add: be careful not to overbake shortbread. Its appearance changes very little while cooking. When done, it should be firm to the touch and just barely starting to turn golden at the corners. If it's still soft, it's not done yet. If it's hard or browning, it's overdone. So if you're not confident of your baking element, consider setting the timer shorter and checking at 5-minute intervals.
Some people like to chill the dough before rolling it out, but I find that leads to cracks. If it's too gooshy for a rolling pin, I just pat it with my hands. Easier to make square corners by hand than with a pin anyhow.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-02-12 02:58 pm (UTC)Yes ...
Date: 2023-02-12 05:37 pm (UTC)Re: Yes ...
Date: 2023-02-12 08:11 pm (UTC)Re: Yes ...
Date: 2023-02-12 08:34 pm (UTC)Re: Yes ...
Date: 2023-02-12 09:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-02-13 06:14 am (UTC)Well ...
Date: 2023-02-13 06:30 am (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2023-02-14 02:37 am (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2023-02-14 02:54 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-02-14 10:21 am (UTC)Well ...
Date: 2023-02-14 06:15 pm (UTC)https://confessionsofadietitian.com/2010/09/butter-versus-margarine-shortbread-cookies/
If you're substituting margarine for butter, then try to get blood oranges or at least very strong-flavored other oranges, and the Liber & Co. blood orange cordial, to create the taste. My cookies have a pretty bold flavor for shortbread with fruity, sweet, floral, and bitter notes. The butter is just kind of a background.
Re: Well ...
Date: 2023-02-15 10:10 am (UTC)My adult son the foodie gave me some blood orange sorbet once, and I liked it - the red parts almost tasted like raspberry.