Polvorones de Naranja - Triple Orange Mexican Cookies

These polvorones de naranja are Mexican cookies flavored with orange three ways. They're super fluffy and cakelike, and not overly sweet. 

Polvorones are a Mexican sugar or shortbread cookie. According to the collective brains of Wikipedia, they are derived from a Spanish cookie. In the United States, they are often referred to as Mexican wedding cookies. 

Buttery Ginger Shortbread Cookies

These buttery ginger shortbread cookies are crispy and crumbly, and are flavored with both candied ginger and vanilla. 

A wonderful thing about these cookies is that you can make them on impulse! No chilling of the dough is required. Okay, you do have to let the butter reach room temperature, but if you cut it into pieces, it reaches room temperature pretty quickly.

Witch Finger Cookies

These witch finger cookies are one of my most favorite Halloween recipes ever! They are both gruesome and delicious at the same time. 

 

I made these witch finger cookies as a treat for my grandsons. Halloween was on their minds, and they were coming over for dinner. Yay!!

Butter Cookies with Mocha Frosting

These butter cookies with mocha frosting are made from a universal slice-and-bake dough.

The dough for these butter cookies can be made up to two days in advance, or frozen for even longer. When you are ready to make the cookies, just slice the dough, bake the cookies, and spread them with the frosting.

Fork Cookies (or Fork Biscuits)

Fork biscuits are, according to the interwebs, a traditional English tea time treat. They are a butter cookie made with just three ingredients: butter, sugar, and self rising flour. They are crumbly and "sandy" in all of the right ways. They are also incredibly easy to make.

The dough is rolled into balls and then pressed down with a fork, the same way we make peanut butter cookies.

"Where is the salt?" you ask. So did I. You see, I do not live in one of the lands of self rising flour. Evidently self rising flour contains pastry flour, baking powder, and salt. Fortunately, you can make your own!

I also added the zest of a tangelo to give these cookies/biscuits a faint citrusy flavor. You can also make a chocolate version.

I found these cookies on Ros's blog, The More Than Occasional Baker. It's Secret Recipe Club reveal day, and I was assigned her blog, a chronicle of her passion for baking. It is filled with an amazing number of baked treats. If you love baking, you definitely need to spend some time on her site exploring all of the goodies.

Self Rising Flour

This makes enough for this recipe, plus a little left over. 

1 1/2 C (6 ounces) pastry flour (you can mix cake flour and all purpose flour if you can't find pastry flour)

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/8 tsp salt

Fork Biscuits

Makes 16 cookies. Ros adapted this recipe from Mary Berry.

Ingredients

4 ounces (one stick) unsalted butter, softened

50 grams sugar

The zest of one orange, tangelo, lemon, or tangerine

150 g self rising flour

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F and line one cookie/baking sheet with parchment.
2. Beat the butter until creamy and light. 
3. Slowly beat in the sugar and zest. 
4. Mix in the flour on low until just incorporated. Stir with a rubber spatula to finish blending. 
5. Scrape the dough onto a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap and form it into a rectangle or log. Cut into 16 equal pieces and roll them into balls. 
6. Press each ball down with a floured fork to flatten.
7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. 
8. Cool on a wire rack. 

Sprinkle Cookies

These sprinkle cookies are flavored with vanilla and lemon zest, and they are just small enough that you might talk yourself into having "just one more."

Butter cookies are just so much more fun with sprinkles aren't they? This is the perfect cookie to make with kids. Just make the disks ahead of time, set out some pastry brushes, whipped egg white, and bowls of sprinkles. The kids can paint the chilled dough disks with the egg white and press them into the sprinkles. My youngest grandson and I made this batch together and it was pretty foolproof (and fun).

One of the fun things about having grandkids is that you have the perfect reason (excuse) to collect jars of sprinkles. You never know when you might need them, right? I like to have individual colors and mixed colors. Then there's themed sprinkles, jimmies, nonpareils, and sanding sugar. I've got this really cool restaurant supply place nearby that sells a wonderful array of sprinkles at really great prices. My grandsons know that I will always have the right color for "sprinkle emergencies."

Sprinkle Cookies

Makes about 36 cookies, slightly adapted from Saveur

Ingredients

1 1/2 C (6.75 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

12 T butter, softened

3/4 C sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

zest of half of a lemon

1/2 C sprinkles

1 egg white, whisked

Instructions

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar for about 2 minutes, until fluffy and pale. 
3. Add the vanilla, egg, and lemon zest and beat until smooth. 
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium low until just incorporated.
5. Scoop out 1 inch balls and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Press them down with your fingers to create disks. Cover and chill for about an hour. 
6. When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Brush each disk lightly with egg white and then press them into the sprinkles to fully coat them on one side (the cookies will expand in the oven). 
8. Place them sprinkle side up about one inch apart on parchment lined baking sheets. 
9. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 10 minutes. 
10. Cool on the pan for a few minutes, and then cool on a wire rack. 

The Creative Cookie Exchange theme this month is Red, White, and Blue. Independence Day is coming soon and we have to celebrate! If you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

• Patriotic Pinwheel Cookies by Becca at It's Yummi!
• Raspberry Lemon Blueberry Bars by Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Red, White, & Blue Oatmeal Cookies by Felice at All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Spicy Blue Cheese Shortbread Cookies by Renee at Magnolia Days
• Vanilla Pudding Cookies by Jill at Made with Love

Hamantaschen with Prune Lekvar | Butter Cookies with Prune Filling

I discovered Hamantaschen while looking looking for a recipe for Lekvar to make for this pumpernickel bread recipe. After making the bread, I had about a cup of Lekvar left, which meant I had to make these cookies, right?

What is Lekvar, you ask? It's a Hungarian fruit spread made from dried fruit, typically prunes or apricots, and it is usually used in pastries and cookies.

How about Hamantaschen? They are traditional Jewish cookies served to celebrate Purim.

The dough for these cookies is really buttery and a little sticky, and I had to use both a dough scraper and many sprinklings of flour while working with it. I also used a thin cookie spatula to lift the cut cookie dough circles off of the counter top to get them to the baking sheets. I toyed with rolling the dough out between sheets of wax paper, but even though this dough was melty, it was still pretty manageable in a weird way.

The trick is to roll the dough out as thinly as possible but not so thin that the filling leaks out while they bake. Your filling also needs to be thick enough so that it stays put while the cookies are in the oven.

I took some of these cookies to work and placed a sign next to them saying "butter cookies with plum jam" (I knew better than to use the word "prune"), and they were a huge hit. I kept hearing "wow, these are really good."

I'm not sure I would have tried these if I did not have the leftover Lekvar, but I am really glad I did. I can't wait to experiment with different fillings and work on my folding and shaping skills. To see instructions on how to fold Hamantaschen (and some photos of perfectly shaped cookies), visit this post from Shiksa in the Kitchen.

Hamantaschen with Prune Lekvar

Lekvar Prune Filling

Ingredients

1 1/2 C pitted prunes

2/3 C water

1 tsp lemon zest

3 T orange juice

1/3 C brown sugar

Instructions

1. Place the prunes, water, lemon zest, and the orange juice in a small saucepan and simmer for about 30 minutes, covered, until most of the water has been absorbed.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the brown sugar. Mash the ingredients while stirring to create a puree. 
3. Refrigerate. The Lekvar will keep for several weeks.

Hamantaschen

Slightly adapted from The Shiksa in the Kitchen

Ingredients

3/4 C unsalted room temperature butter, sliced

2/3 C sugar

1 room temperature egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp orange zest or 1/4 tsp orange oil

10.2 (2 1/4 C) unbleached all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

a few drops of water if needed

Instructions

1. Place the butter and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and cream for several minutes until light and fluffy. 
2. Add the egg, vanilla, and orange and beat until fully blended.
3. Sift the flour into the bowl, sprinkle with the salt, and mix on low until a dough is just formed.
4. Briefly knead the dough by hand to form a ball. If it's too dry, add a bit of water, but be careful not to add too much. I did not add any. 
5. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and place the dough on top. Form it into a disk and wrap it with the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 3 to 24 hours. 
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
7. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. 
8. Lift up the dough, re-flour the work surface, and roll the dough to 1/8 inch thick.
9. Cut the dough with a 3 inch round cookie cutter and place the rounds on the baking sheets. Re-roll the dough scraps and cut into more 3 inch rounds. 
10. Place a teaspoon of filling in each round, and fold the dough into triangles, folding three "sides" over each other (see these instructions). 
11. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 20 minutes. Cover the waiting baking sheet with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. 
12. Cool the cookies on a rack. 
13. These cookies will stay fresh for a few days if kept in a sealed container. 

Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

These cookies are super easy. They are normally made with pistachios on top, but because I brought them to a Saint Patrick's day potluck at work, I decorated them with these tiny little shamrocks instead. The pistachios are tastier, but these are definitely cuter. Sometimes style over substance will have to do. Plus, kids won't turn their noses up to sprinkles the way they might with nuts.

Éirinn go Brách says I.

Pistachio Shortbread Cookies 

Ingredients

8 ounces of room temperature unsalted butter

1 3.4 ounce box of instant pistachio pudding mix

1/4 C sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pistachio flavor or vanilla extract, both optional. I used vanilla.

8 1/4 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour

Shamrock sprinkles, or 3 ounces shelled and chopped pistachios

Instructions

• Preheat the oven and line two 8 inch square cake pans with parchment. Spray the parchment with spray oil.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, pudding mix, sugar, salt, and extract. 
• Add the flour and continue to beat until combined. It will be dry at first but should come together. I've not had to add any water, but if you need to, add up to 1 T to get the dough to come together. It should be quite stiff. 
• Divide the dough in two and press it into the two prepared pans. Prick the dough all over with a fork and lightly press the sprinkles or nuts into the dough. 
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The edges should be golden brown.
• When done, place a plate over the pan and flip out the short bread from the pan. Turn the squares back over onto a cutting board, and cut with a pizza cutter while they are still warm. 
• Cool the cut cookies on a wire rack. 
• Yield depends on how large you make your cookies. 

This recipe is adapted from King Arthur Flour's website. 

Linked to Katherine Martinelli

Homemade Gingersnaps

This cookie is made with three kinds of ginger along with molasses, cloves, white pepper, nutmeg, and cardamom. They are spicy (and a little hot actually)!

The first time I made these cookies, I bought candied ginger from the spice section of the grocery store. This made them just about the most expensive homemade cookie on the planet. Since then, I have purchased candied ginger in bigger bags online from Oh! Nuts, King Arthur Flour, and Amazon and have been pretty happy with the savings.

You will need a scalloped 3 1/4 inch round cookie cutter, although a biscuit cutter or a plain round cookie cutter would work in a pinch.

Yes, I know. Sixteen ingredients. Make them. You won't regret it. They are that good.

Homemade Gingersnaps

Makes about 20 to 24 cookies

Ingredients

10 ounces (2 cups) all purpose flour

2 1/2 ounces (1/2 C) whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

2 T plus 1 tsp ground ginger

Generous 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Scant 1/8 tsp ground cardamom

8 ounces of unsalted butter, at room temperature

5 ounces light brown sugar (about 3/4 C lightly packed)

2 T honey

4 T unsulphured (not blackstrap) molasses

2 ounces finely minced candied ginger

2 tsp fresh ginger puree. Can be made with a Microplane or purchased

Sparkling or granulated sugar for sprinkling on the cookies

Instructions

1. Whisk the flours, salt, and spices in a bowl.
2. Mix the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low for about 5 minutes, until fluffy. Mix in the honey and molasses until fully incorporated.
3. Mix in the dry ingredients in thirds, beating each time until just combined.
4. Add the candied and pureed ginger and mix until just combined.
5. Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to two days.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
7. Roll out the dough between two pieces of waxed paper to 1/4 inch thick.
8. Cut the dough into 3 1/4 inch rounds with a scalloped or ruffled edge cookie cutter.
9. Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.
10. Gather up and roll out the scraps and cut more cookies.
11. Score the cookies at about half inch intervals (no need to be exact) with a toothpick or cake tester and very lightly sprinkle them with sparkling sugar or granulated sugar. 
12. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes, until brown. Make sure they are fully baked so that the cookies will be crisp. 
13. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.
14. The cookies can be stored up to two weeks in an airtight container. These cookies freeze quite well. 

Sometimes it can be difficult to remove the cookies from the was paper without messing up the edges. What works for me is cutting the cookies on top of the wax paper, placing another piece of wax paper on top of them, flipping the whole thing over, and peeling off the top piece of was paper. Because they are not attached to the (now) bottom piece of wax paper, they are easy to move.

Adapted with permission from Miette by Meg Ray. The book is exquisite.