Orange Marmalade Cookies with Orange Zest Icing

 

Last month I made my Wish List of recipes to bake in the near future and I have been slowly, but surely, making my way through the list. This week I attempted a batch of Orange Marmalade Cookies with Orange Zest Icing. Mmm...heaven melting in your mouth. Best visual I can give you here.

The recipe came from White On Rice Couple (cute blog) and honestly, couldn't have been easier. While there are a few steps to making these little sweet babies, none of them are hurdles. The basic cookie plus the icing are both amazingly easy recipes. And from the response of my taste testers (bowling team, friends at work, folks I am pawning these cookies off on), everyone votes to add them to the Xmas Cookie Tray this year! Yippee!

I didn't modify this recipe too much as I wanted to maintain the basic integrity of the recipe. Only changes included adding a little fresh orange and lemon zest to the batter and using whatever orange marmalade (Dundee) I had in the fridge plus another brand I happened to pick up at the store. I also only chilled the dough an hour, then let each sheet of cookies ready to be baked sit in the fridge for a few minutes before popping them in the oven.

Bake on, lovely folks. Roll up your sleeves, try to keep your fingers out of the icing (I sure as hell couldn't), and enjoy!

Orange Marmalade Cookies with fresh Orange Icing
Makes about 36 cookies.

Cookie Dough

• 1/2 c unsalted Butter
• 1 c White Sugar 
• 2 lrg Eggs (as always I use farm fresh from my ladies) 
• 1 c Seville Orange Marmalade (regular Orange Marmalade will work too-Seville Oranges will give a slight bitterness to cookie to offset icing sweetness)  
• 3 c all-purpose Flour
• 1/2 t Baking Soda
• 1/2 t Sea Salt

Orange Icing

• finely grated zest from 1 Orange
• finely grated zest from 1/2 a Lemon
• 1/4 c fresh squeezed Orange Juice
• 1 t fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
• 3 T unsalted Butter, melted
• 1/8 t Sea Salt
• 3 c Confectioners’ Sugar

Combine butter and sugar in a mixer bowl and beat with paddle attachment until light and fluffy.  Break eggs in a small bowl, whisk to break up, then incorporate into the butter/sugar mix. Mix in orange marmalade.

Sift together flour, baking soda, and sea salt.  Gently incorporate into wet mix until just combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled (@ 1-2 hrs.)

While dough chills, make orange icing. Combine citrus zests, juices, melted butter and sea salt in a bowl. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar until well combined and smooth.  Cover and set aside. Preheat oven to 300° F. Line sheet pans with baking paper or silpats.

Using 2 teaspoons, drop walnut sized cookie dough balls onto prepared sheet pans, spaced about 3″ apart.  Bake for about 20 min. or until cookies are light brown.  Remove from oven, transfer to wire rack and allow to cool completely.

After cookies are completely cool, ice them with a small spatula or butter knife. Refrigerate to set the frosting.

Fall in the French Quarter

The next few weeks have me on the road a bit, so likely less baking and more sampling of the local fare. Once again I found myself in the Big Easy. Just thinking of my trip has me swooning in love for New Orleans. This time was a solo venture, which meant I could eat any place I liked. Yippee!

One of the places I have been meaning to sample is El Gato Negro near the French Market Place. And after a super filling meal, I suggest the place to any upcoming visitor. Nom nom nom, yum yum yum.

While their vegetarian selection is pretty limited, I was definitely happy with my food. I ended up with the vegetarian fajitas, which came with lots of beans and rice, plus a little side dish of goodies to pile onto my fajitas. The house margarita made with orange juice was a tad sweet, but very tasty (and on the rocks as good margs should be).

With the location easy to find, seating available inside and outside including a sweet little hidden patio out back, and decent prices for the over-priced Quarter ya'll should try it if you find yourself in the Big Easy anytime soon.