Almond Orange Celebration Cookies
The Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, is a time of importance for many countries around the world! Traditions like red and gold decorations, beautiful lanterns, red envelopes for luck, and family reunions will certainly prepare you for the amazing fireworks at night.
Our Almond Orange Celebration Cookies are inspired by the holiday. The cookies have an emphasis placed on customary flavors found in Asian cuisine, like almonds, oranges and nutmeg.
There are certain foods that symbolize the Lunar New Year and one of those is the orange! Eating and displaying oranges is believed to bring good luck and fortune. Oranges happen to be right in season during the Lunar New Year, too.
Rich and buttery, our Almond Orange Celebration Cookies are like biting into a hit of marzipan! Almonds are praised for their rich taste and versatility. The orange zest, juice and warm spicy nutmeg compliment the sweetness of the nuts.
The key to making a good cookie like this is high quality, fresh butter at room temperature. Since the cookies don't have a lot of ingredients, the almond, nutmeg and orange bring a welcoming flavor.
The Almond Orange Cookies begin by combining the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Next, mix the sugar and orange zest together in a stand mixer. Add the juice and butter, then cream together for two minutes. Mix in the egg and egg yolk, followed by the rich extract. Add the dry ingredients just until a crumbly, fragrant dough forms, scraping down the edges as necessary.
Form a dough ball with your hands. Place the dough in the center of a large piece of plastic wrap. Shape in a 1 1/2" log, wrapped tightly and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or overnight.
Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the chilled log into 1/4" slices, shaping and flattening as necessary while you place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.
For the decoration: combine the egg white with a teaspoon of water. Generously brush the egg wash on the cookies and decorate with almond slices. What we have found is that it’s best to leave the cookie dough in the refrigerator, for 15-30 minutes to reduce spreading so that the cookies retain their shape during the bake time.
Preheat the oven to 325F. Bake the chilled cookies for 13-15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until the cookies just start to brown on top. Do not overbake. Rest the Almond Orange Celebration Cookies on the baking sheet before moving to a cooling rack.
Almond Orange Celebration Cookies
ingredients:
- 3 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- Zest of a large orange
- 2 tablespoons of orange juice
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 egg, plus one yolk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon of almond extract
- 1 egg white
- Sliced almonds for decorating
instructions:
How to cook Almond Orange Celebration Cookies
- Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the sugar and orange zest together. Add the juice and butter, then cream together for two minutes. Next, mix in the egg and egg yolk, followed by the extract.
- Mix in the dry ingredients just until a crumbly dough forms, scraping down the edges as necessary. Form a dough ball with your hands. Place the dough in the center of a large piece of plastic wrap. Shape in a 1 1/2" log, wrapped tightly and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or overnight.
- Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the chilled log into 1/4" slices, shaping and flattening as necessary while you place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.
- For the decoration: mix the egg white with a teaspoon of water. Generously brush egg wash on the cookies and decorate with almond slices. Chill the cookies for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Bake the chilled cookies for 13-15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. Do not overbake. Rest the cookies on the baking sheet before moving to a cooling rack.
- Store in an airtight container with parchment paper in between the cookies for up to a week at room temperature.
NOTES:
Pro Cookie Tips • Use room temperature butter and eggs. • Measure with the spoon and sweep method- spoon flour into a measuring cup and level it with a knife. • Chill the dough for at least 30-60 minutes creating the dough. Chill again for 30 minutes after the cookies are formed, right before baking. • Use parchment paper to line baking sheets so cookies won’t stick and for easy clean up. • Rotate baking sheets halfway through the baking time. • Rest the cookies on the baking sheet before moving to a cooling rack. • Cool cookies completely before storing.
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