A Tinge of Tangerine

Thank God for citrus flavors to punctuate a long, bland, starchy winter diet. A welcome break from root veggies are bright tasting tangerines, limes, lemons and Valencia oranges. We’ve been enjoying the delicate less acidic sweetness of blood oranges from Italy as well. Yum.

Citrus are the fruit of choice to perk up our salads, or use in sections or dressings for fresh lettuces or greens, as well as in our beverages (citrus peels in coffee gives, for instance, a lovely aroma) and now, we’re using the rest of our tangerines — the zest — in a quick dessert.

Quick Tangerine Sugar Cookies

• zest of two tangerines, finely chopped
• 2 c. All-purpose flour
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 tbsp. water or orange juice as needed

Combine your ingredients to create a dough that is pliable; stiff enough to roll but not stiff enough to stand on its own, more a thick paste the consistency of gnocchi. On a cutting board, roll the dough into long tubes, using icing sugar to prevent too much sticking. Cut into lines into segments and roll the segments into balls.

Bake for 20 minutes on a sheet of parchment or silicone mat at about 350°F (175°C). Remove immediately from the parchment and place on a baking rack to cool and firm. Some people might choose to finish these with a citrus juice and powdered sugar icing, but it’s certainly not necessary – they pack a citrus-y punch all on their own. It’s the perfect quick cookie to make when friends drop in for tea and you have no flax seeds or eggs or milk on hand!

This quick and easy sugar cookie recipe will work beautifully with lemons as well, so if our Californian friends are being overburdened by their lemon trees, now is the perfect time to take advantage of this!

Speaking of ‘taking advantage,’ this was a fully experimental recipe we just cooked up because we were out of just about everything and the stores were closed. It turned out well, but we’re not done trying things. Next time we bake them, we’ll add almond flour, to give another layer of flavor and aroma to contrast with the slightly bitter peel, and maybe use a bit more juice to brighten it the citrus twist overall. Imagine these fragrant cookies cut out into shapes, studded with candied peel, or half-dipped in bittersweet orange chocolate…! Mmm.We can’t get enough of the tangerine flavor, but what do you do with your sugar cookies? Scent them with rose water? Garnish them with candied violets? Sugar cookies are a blank canvas and too many times, people make the mistake of leaving them plain, but they don’t have to be only blandly sweet. Use them as a palette to enjoy the scents and flavors of the coming spring. Cheers!

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