Chocolate Dipped Orange Shortbread Cookies

Chocolate Dipped Orange Shortbread Cookies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melted semisweet chocolate, for dipping (I used chocolate chips + a teaspoon of coconut oil)

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch and salt.  In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until creamy.  Beat in sugar, orange marmalade and vanilla until well combined.  Stir in dry ingredients  until just combined.  Form dough into about a 12-inch log, and wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill in the refrigerator or freezer until completely cold, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Heat oven to 300 degrees F. 

Slice the log into 1/8-inch thick slices; place on cookie sheets, spacing about an inch apart.  Bake 10 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown.  Turn oven off.  Flip cookies, return to oven and allow to sit for an additional 10 minutes.  Transfer shortbread to a wire rack to cool.

Dip cookies in as much melted chocolate as you desire.

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

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Milk Chocolate Chip Orange Shortbread Cookies

Milk Chocolate Chip Orange Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:
 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (195 grams)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted after measuring
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted after measuring

Directions:In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.  In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together butter, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, cream and orange zest until creamy.  Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips until combined.  Chill dough in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes, or until cold and firm.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll teaspoons of dough into balls; place on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake 11-13 minutes, or until light golden.  Cool 1 minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.  When cookies are cool, dip them into remaining 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar.

Almond Chocolate Orange Cookies

Almond Chocolate Orange Cookies

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 large egg
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup finely chopped toasted almonds
3/4 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate
Confectioners' sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat cookie sheets with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together butter, sugar and honey until creamy.  Beat in egg, orange zest, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined.  Mix in almond flour, cocoa powder, almonds and chocolate until well combined.

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheets.  Bake 12 minutes or until set.  Cool 2 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.  Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Makes about 18 cookies

Spumoni Cookies

Greetings! I hope everyone had a good weekend. Sorry I disappeared for a couple of days. I haven't blogged, been on Facebook, or on Twitter for the past few days. Eek. I plan to make it up this week, though. Lots of blogging heading your way. And some fun news soon!

I can't believe everyone is going back to school! It's still summertime! It doesn't seem right. I remember when I was a youngin', we started school in the beginning of September. Why is it so early now?

I've been hittin' the books lately, myself. Cookbooks, of course. Sandwich cookbooks, burger cookbooks, Giada de Laurentiis cookbooks, Rick Bayless cookbooks, and cookie cookbooks.

I love the signed Mrs. Fields cookie cookbook that was sent to me. I was a runner up in a Mrs. Fields cookie contest, and they sent me the cookbook, a sweet cookie sheet, spatula, measuring spoons and potholders.

Thanks, Mrs. Fields! I want to be the next Mrs. Fields. I admire her. I want to have my own cookie business someday. I really do!

So my Spumoni Cookie recipe is up on the Mrs. Field Blog. You should check it out! They're very delicious. They're made with butter, sugar, orange zest, ricotta, pistachios, dried cherries and chocolate, Yummm.

The other cookie recipes look great, too!

Date-Walnut Bread with Chocolate and Orange

Date-Walnut Bread with Chocolate and Orange

1 cup boiling water
1 cup chopped pitted dates
2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3 tablespoons oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate (about 2 ounces)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray.

Pour boiling water over dates in a medium bowl and allow to sit.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg, oil, sugar, orange zest and vanilla until well combined; whisk in date mixture until combined. Fold in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in walnuts and chocolate until just combined.

Place batter into prepared pan. Bake 50-55 minutes or until golden brown, well risen, and a toothpick inserted into bread comes out with moist crumbs attached.

Cool for about 20 minutes before removing bread to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 1 loaf

Orange Babycakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Orange Babycakes with Vanilla Buttercream

1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened, divided use
1/3 cup + 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided use
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
2 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a (24 cup) mini muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together 1/4 cup butter, 1/3 cup sugar and orange zest until creamy - about 1 minute. Crack open the eggs and place whites in a large heat-proof mixing bowl. Add yolks to mixing bowl with batter in it, along with milk and orange juice; beat 1 minute or until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just combined.

Place batter into each muffin cup. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool babycakes 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the buttercream, Place bowl with egg whites over a pot of simmering water; whisk in remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved. It will look thick and marshmallow-y.

Beat mixture using a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.

Reduce speed to medium and add remaining 1/2 cup butter, a tablespoons at a time, until well incorporated and fluffy. If the frosting looks curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more. Beat in vanilla until combined.

Pipe buttercream on top of cupcakes and eat!

Chocolate-Orange Ricotta Torte

Chocolate-Orange Ricotta Torte

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup very finely chopped almonds, toasted
1 cup ricotta cheese (I used part-skim)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
2 large eggs
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk in almonds until combined. In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together ricotta cheese, sugar, and orange zest until well combined - about 1-2 minutes. Beat in eggs, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla until well combined, about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in dry ingredients until just combined. Beat in melted chocolate until combined.

Scrape batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing.

Makes 8 servings

Sweet Potato-Orange Blossom Mini Muffins

Sweet Potato-Orange Blossom Mini Muffins

Cooking spray
1/3 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar, plus 1/2 cup
3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus 1 1/2 cups
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed cooked North Carolina sweet potato
1/2 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line mini muffin pans with mini muffin liners; spray with cooking spray.

In a small mixing bowl, stir together oats, walnuts, 1/4 cup brown sugar, crystallized ginger, and 2 tablespoon flour until combined; knead in butter using fingertips until well combined and mixture starts to clump together.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together additional 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together additional 1/2 cup brown sugar, eggs, sweet potato, orange juice and orange zest until well combined; stir flour mixture into sweet potato mixture until just combined. Divide batter into 3 dozen mini muffin cups. Sprinkle oat-walnut mixture evenly over tops. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until risen and golden brown.

Makes 3 dozen mini muffins

Cannoli Cookies

Cannoli Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup very finely chopped salted pistachios, toasted*
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (Ghiradelli)
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together pistachios, butter and granulated sugar, until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in ricotta, egg, vanilla and orange zest until well combined, about 30 seconds. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined; chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Form dough into 1-inch balls, place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart, and flatten to a 1/4-inch thickness using palms of hands. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown around edges; cool for 2 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

When cool, heat chocolate in the microwave, in a small bowl, with about a tablespoon of shortening (if desired - it helps thin the chocolate) for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 20-30 seconds, until melted.

Dip halves of cookies into chocolate and allow to dry on wire racks. When dry, sift confectioners' sugar over the tops of both sides.

*To toast pistachios, place in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and microwave an additional 30 seconds or until golden and fragrant.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Blood Orange & Blackberry Gelées

Blackberry chewy jelly candies coated in sugar.

Blood Orange &Blackberry Gelées

Ingredients:
4 (1/4-ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 cup water
2 cups granulated sugar plus additional for tossing
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup combination of blood orange and blackberry purée (strain blackberry seeds)

Equipment: an 8-inch square nonstick baking pan

Lightly oil baking pan.

Directions:
Sprinkle gelatin over water in a 2-quart heavy saucepan and let stand 4 minutes to soften. Heat gelatin over medium-low heat, stirring, until dissolved. Stir in 2 cups sugar until dissolved, then stir in lemon juice.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, washing any sugar crystals down side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil, uncovered, without stirring, 13 minutes (watch carefully so that mixture does not boil over). Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes for bubbles to dissipate. (Skim any foam that remains after 5 minutes.) Stir in fruit purée (do not scrape bottom of pan; leave any dark bits that stick). Pour into baking pan and let stand at room temperature until set, at least 12 hours.

Run a sharp knife around edge of gelatin and invert onto a cutting board. Cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips, then cut strips into 1-inch pieces. Just before serving, gently toss gelées in a bowl of sugar to coat, brushing off excess.

Servings: Makes about 4 dozen candies