Fresh Orange Cookies

I made these the other day for a housewarming party I'm no longer having.  They are soooooo good.  I didn't have any walnuts, but I had a ton of coconut, so I substituted that.  Pure win!  The recipe came from The Cookie Bible.

Fresh Orange Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 unpeeled orange (seedless, of course), finely chopped, either in a blender or food processor
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or shredded coconut

Orange Glaze

1 cup icing sugar
1 - 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
1 tbsp butter, softened
zest of one orange
- mix all this together in a bowl until smooth

1. Beat butter & sugars until light & fluffy.  Add egg and orange and beat well.  Gradually blend in dry ingredients, then stir in nuts or coconut.  Cover and chill the dough in the fridge for at least an hour.  Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake at 375F for 10 - 12 minutes, or until lightly golden.  Spread with glaze.

Awesome!  And a great way to use up oranges you have kicking around that might be past it slightly.

Magazine Monday #61: Chocolate-Orange Brownines

For once, a non-Canadian Living recipe!

We have having some serious renovations done around here and I have baked a few things for the contractors, who appear to all have sweet tooths. This works for me! I get to bake and not have to have any sweet stuff hanging around my place tempting me, and they get to have nice treats after a day's hard work.

This recipe for Chocolate-Orange Brownies comes from the March 2010 issue of Bon Appetit. Apparently, the recipe originated at Homepage Cafe in Bozeman, Montana, and it was included in the RSVP section of the magazine, where readers write in asking for recipes from restaurants and other eateries - hence it's not included in the recipe database on Epicurious.com. Gr!!!

Anyway, here it is.

Chocolate-Orange Brownies

non-stick vegetable spray
1/2 cup boiling water
6 tbsp natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup pecans, chopped
2 large eggs
10 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks...God I hate how US recipes do this! This is 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp for you Canadians out there!) butter, melted & cooled
1 tbsp grated orange zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 9x9x2" metal baking pan with spray. Whisk 1/2 cup boiling water with cocoa powder in a small bowl to blend. Whisk sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in pecans. Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add butter, vanilla, and orange zest. Whisk cocoa mixture into egg mixture. Add flour mixture, stir just to blend. Transfer to prepared pan.

2. Bake until tester inserted into the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on rack. Cut & serve.

These were a huge hit with both the contractors (we took them out on a big platter & my SIL provided them with cold beer!) and with my family. They were perfectly-textured and delicious! Definitely a keeper recipe!

Weird Orange & Sunshine Cafe Lunch

Last week, as I was preparing to make Morning Glory Muffins at work, I came across a really strange-looking orange:
No, your eyes are not deceiving you: that is a pale, bulging section of orange peel, the same size & shape of a regular orange section. I have never ever seen anything like it before. Have any of you? The inside of the orange looked quite normal - no weird section underneath that peel. It's kind of cool, though, isn't it?

I went for lunch to the Sunshine Cafe with my brother the other day. The special was a tuna melt, and that's what I had, with fries. My brother had a veggie burger with Swiss cheese and grilled onions, with a Caesar salad. As usual, lunch at the Sunshine was great. I don't think I've ever had a bad meal there. Go Randi!

Cranberry Orange Muffins for a Crowd

The muffin of the month for April at work is Cranberry Orange. These turn out great and are probably my favourite muffin so far. Be aware that they have a different method than the usual muffin directions, and when I make these I get about 2 1/2 dozen commercial-sized muffins.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

10 cups flour
5 cups sugar
7 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
5 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups shortening
3 3/4 cups orange juice
7 tbsp orange extract
5 cups cranberries (fresh, not dried)
5 eggs

1. Combine dry ingredients well in a large bowl.

2. Cut in the shortening, like you would do if making pastry, until the mixture is mealy.

3. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, orange juice, and orange extract. Add to the flour mixture with the cranberries until well combined.

4. Scoop and bake @ 350F until done.

Whole Orange and Almond Cake

Whole Orange and Almond Cake
Originally uploaded by wanderingcoyote.

I think it's a good idea to have at least one wheat/gluten free dessert in your repertoire. There are, after all, a lot of people out there who cannot have wheat but who still have sweet tooths worthy of satisfaction. This is a really cool recipe I made a couple of weeks ago, also from The Essentail Baking Cookbook, hence the weights as opposed to volume as it's an Australian publication (so you'll need a scale). It's a very different recipe, but it makes a wonderful, almost pudding-like cake that you can dress up in any number of ways.

Whole Orange and Almond Cake

2 large oranges
5 eggs
220g/7oz white sugar
250g/8oz ground almonds (almond meal)
1 tsp baking powder
icing sugar, to dust

1. Lightly grease a 9" springform pan with butter and line the bottom with either wax paper or parchment.

2. Scrub the oranges under warm water to remove any waxy coating or stamps. Place in a saucepan and cover them with water. Boil for an hour. Remove and set aside to cool.

3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Using a plate to catch any juice, quarter the oranges and discard only the seeds. In a food processor or blender, puree the oranges to a pulp

4. Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the orange pulp and juices, ground almonds, sugar, and baking powder and mix thoroughly. Pour into the springform pan and bake for about an hour, or until the cake is firm to the touch and lightly golden. Bake it longer if it's wet. Cool in the pan for a few minutes before tipping out onto a cooling rack.

Dust with icing sugar. Serve with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cardamom.

Pumpkin, Orange & Raisin Muffins

I'm a huge fan of all things pumpkin (well, except soup). I am very grateful for good quality tinned pumpkin that is available year round. This is a great recipe I originally got from Canadian Living Magazine. These are fantastic with cheddar cheese, or all by themselves. The batter is thick, but don't worry; they bake up really nicely.

Pumpkin, Orange & Raisin Muffins

2 cups flour
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg
1 egg
1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree (not pie filling!) - this equals 1 can (398mL) pumpkin
2 tbsp orange zest
1/2 cup orange juice (I zested two large naval oranges and juiced them both, and this worked fine)
1/3 cup vegetable oil

1. Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl, and add to the dry. Add raisins. Mix until it just comes together. Don't overmix.
3. Bake at 375F for 20 - 25 minutes, or until done.

This should yeild 12 muffins.

Enjoy!

Orange Oat Cookies

I am obsessed with citrus flavours. I love lemon, grapefruit, and things that are flavoured with orange. I don't actually eat whole fresh oranges except at Christmas when we get the Mandarin oranges in. But I do love the flavour of orange. This is a cookie recipe that's come to be very popular amongst the staff where I'm working.

Orange Oat Cookies

1 cup oats
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F. In a shallow baking pan, spread out the oats and toast them for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool completely. Cream together the butter and the sugars with a mixer, adding the egg, zest and vanilla. Craem until light and fluffy. Combine flour, salt, soda, powder and add to the creamed mixture, beating at low speed until well blended. Add oats and nuts. Mix well. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 9 - 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

As usual, enjoy. And, as usual, let me know how you like them!

Orange Cake

I have been neglecting this blog far too long! Finally, I have some uniterrupted time on the computer, so I can tantalize you all with a new recipe. This is something I've made at work a few times and have had rave reviews over it. It's so simple, so moist, so delicious...

Orange Cake

1 large orange
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts
2 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup softened butter, margarine, or Crisco shortening
2 eggs

1. Juice the orange and reserve the juice until later. In a food processor or blender, grind the rest of the orange (it helps to quarter it first), the raisins and the nuts together until you get a consistent yet rough paste. Do not puree! Set this aside.
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large mixer bowl. Beat at low speed just until blended, then on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Add the orange juice and the orange/raisin/nut mixture. Stir until just combined.
3. Spread evenly in a 9"x13" oblong cake pan. Bake at 350F.

I usually top this with a cream cheese icing containing orange zest and a little OJ.

This is a truly amazing cake. The paste made from the orange, raisins, and nuts makes it flavourful and moist. There are no other seasonings in it, and they are not necessary. The use of the whole orange is absolutely brilliant - no waste at all and pure orange flavour. Just remember: if there are seeds in your orange, pick 'em out first!

Enjoy! As usual, if you make this, let me know how it turns out.