Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

Monday, November 16, 2009

Almond Orange Bites

IMG_6520

These Almond Orange Bites are one of my moms absolute favorites. I love almond. I love almond in just about anything. The addition of the orange zest really brightens up this butter cookie.

IMG_6475

Today's ingredients: 1 cup softened butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg separated, 3 tablespoons almond liquer (or 1 tablespoon almond extract), 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, orange, 1/4 teaspoon salt and sliced almonds.

IMG_6476

I'll be honest, I totally forgot to take my butter out to soften so I'm going to pretend that I just like to prep out my ingredients ahead of time.

Separate an egg. The snot, er, white stays in a bowl to be beaten with a teaspoon of water later.

IMG_6478

Now all this can be added to the dough at the right time but in today's demonstration we are doing this separately.

Throw the yolk in a bowl with 3 tablespoons of almond liquer (or 1 tablespoon of almond extract) and 2 teaspoons of grated orange peel.

IMG_6480

Now you have a poor nekkid orange. You can eat it, or slice it up and put it in a pot with some cloves and a cinnamon stick then simmer in a couple inches of water until everyone in the neighborhood can smell Christmas. This is a good trick for before you have people over.

IMG_6481

In another bowl mix 2 cups of flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/8 teaspoon of salt.

IMG_6484

When your butter is finally ready (unlike what is shown in the picture) cream your 1 cup of butter with 1 cup of sugar.

Add your egg yolk mixture and mix well. OR add in the yolk, amaretto and zest here.

IMG_6485

Add your flour mixture and beat until it just starts to come together. When it looks like the above picture you can just mix it a bit more with a spatula.

IMG_6488

Roll out some saran wrap and then make a patty out of half of the dough.

IMG_6489

Flatten those patties and wrap them tight. Freeze them for about 25 minutes or until they are firm enough to roll out without sticking.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

IMG_6513

When the dough is firm roll it out on a floured surface. You'll want it about 1/4 inch. Pick out some small cookie cutters (these are 1 1/2 inches) and place them on a buttered cookie sheet a few inches apart. Um, what I meant to say is that you put the cut out dough on the cookie sheet. I don't think putting the cutters on the sheet will do you much good.

Don't put too much butter on those sheets or the cookies will spread too much. Just a nice thin coat. I use a cold stick of butter and just run it along the sheet.

IMG_6514

Coat the cut out dough with egg white (1 egg white whisked with one teaspoon of water).

Then place some almond slivers on top. If you use larger cookie cutters you can make fun little designs with the almonds.

OCD Alert: The almonds do not need to be perfect. You can use broken ones, you can jumble them up, you can fan them out.... but do not spend all day placing almonds on cookies.
I just cover up the odd looking ones with the prettier ones.

IMG_6518

Bake at 325 for 10 minutes or until a nice golden. If you put in 2 trays at a time, switch them half-way thru.

IMG_6524

Proceed to eat 20 of them. I love this with a nice cup of tea. Perfect.

21 comments:

  1. You have the best cookie recipes!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ooh, I love the idea of the Christmas smell with the orange, cinnamon and clove. I might just try that!

    BTW, I made the macaroons yesterday --yummy! I wanted to double-check with you that it's 14oz of coconut...? I put in 7oz (200 grams) and it was so much that I had to add in one more egg white. Anyway, J loved them; Z, not so much. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I guess all of this lovely baking is keeping your mind off the fact that it's only 19 days till you enter that rarefied state of marriage?

    ReplyDelete
  4. You're killing me with all these cookie recipes. I still have at least 5 pounds of CSA vegetables in my fridge that we have to eat. Cookies are not vegetables.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh man, now I know what my recipe will be for the Cookie Exchanges that I get asked to. Of course I will have to make a "test" batch first. Today perhaps.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yum! You best be careful, Missy or a whole lot of the blog world is headed to a Christmas Open House--with or without invites!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Not only do those cookies sound yummy with the orange and all ... but they are adorable in the star shape with the almonds just so!

    You know ... I'm crashing your wedding anyway, so I might as well just come to the Christmas party the next day! ;->

    Pictures, Pictures! Do they have the internet in NZ?

    ReplyDelete
  8. now i'm drooling again...
    thanks!
    looks fab.
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  9. Looks so Yummy! I may have to make these for our big Thanksgiving Day gathering. Why wait till Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Everbody can come over!

    I definitely used the whole 14 oz bag but I do have a recipe that calls for 2 cans of cocnut which works out to much less....

    I'll look into it!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Holy cow those look good. You have officially taken over Martha Stewart's spot in my book:)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Another winner, I was planning to make a recipe to post this week but it's on hold the kids have a stomach bug and hubby is out of town til wednesday....lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  13. those WOULD be good with a cup of tea... Love it!

    I still haven't decided if I'm doing any holiday baking yet, but these are tempting... really, anything with almond. My man will pretty much bend over backwards for an almondy treat. (I just made up the word "almondy")

    Have a great day and hopefully I wont' be quite as MIA this week and an actually catch up with all I missed last week!!

    Sash

    ReplyDelete
  14. almond + orange? i've never heard of or tried that combo before but it sounds heavenly!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Now those look fun, I do believe I might make them today!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love almond and citrus together. These look delightful.
    ~ingrid

    ReplyDelete
  17. Even though you don't have the camera you desire, you're doing just great with your photography - look at that first photo will ya!

    Yummy looking cookies too. Wish you were my neighbor!

    ReplyDelete
  18. This seriously looks so easy and so good! Keep these recipes coming, please please please. I'm writing them down each time. You are my whole Christmas time dessert menu. So if you stop, Christmas will be ruined. Don't be a grinch.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Just looked at your ticker....18 DAYS!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. They're so pretty. I never make cookies...I'm too lazy!
    I laughed out loud at the cookie cutter on the cookie sheet part. That was pretty good. :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Yum - these cookies sound so good, I can't wait to try them. And the orange in a pot with spices...great trick - I also use it when something got burned - not that that ever happens, but I'm just saying...... :D

    ReplyDelete

Your comments make my day- thanks for visiting!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Blogging tips