Orange Shortbread Cookies

I was skeptical, but these get a 10/10 YES from me and everyone who tried them (which included 6 others). "It's like something you'd eat at Magnolia Table." "It's so gourmet." "The orange makes it SO much better." "I want to eat them all" These were all the first comments of my family members as they tried these babies, and I'd honestly have to agree. Not only do they LOOK beautiful, but they really are delicious too. 

I found a video of someone making these on TikTok, and I was intrigued. Once again, I had to try this recipe. It looked simple, yet elegant, and I had everything I needed on hand already. How can you see these and NOT try them? I'm begging you to try these too... Here's what you need:

-3-4 cuties (or mandarin oranges if you're trying to be fancy because apparently they're the same thing?)

-1/2 cup butter

-2 eggs

-1 3/4 cups flour

-1 tablespoon almond extract

-1/2 cup sugar

-powdered sugar

Step 1: Cut cuties into thin slices. This recipe makes a dozen cookies, so you want to try to get 3-4 really nice, thin slices from each orange. The thinner, the better! Pat them dry carefully and set aside.

Step 2: Start making the dough by mixing butter and one egg together until light and fluffy. Then add flour, almond extract, sugar, and any leftover orange juice you may still have, and mix until combined. Then, put the dough in the freezer for a few minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the oven is preheated, roll the dough into a log with a diameter of about 2-2.5 inches. Cut 12 cookies from this cylinder, and place them on a lightly floured baking sheet. 

Step 3: Lightly press each orange slice onto the dough and brush the yoke of your other egg over the top of each cookie. Coat generously in sugar. This provides a sweetness to the orange and its peel so that the peel is caramelized with the sugar and easily edible. Then, bake for 15 minutes. Because these cookies are shortbread, they will still be relatively light by the end of baking, so don't expect them to be golden brown. Finally, coat generously in powdered sugar and enjoy! I ate mine straight out of the oven and it was to DIE for. 

I hope you've all been doing well. The days have been GORGEOUS recently. The sun brings me so much joy, even though I know it's supposed to rain all day tomorrow. Don't take another sunny day for granted. At least enjoy it for a little while and take a long walk. 

Trust me on these cookies... they're good even though they look intimidating. If you're trying to impress someone with your fancy baking skills but you don't actually bake, try these out. They're top-notch.

Thanks for tuning in, to those of you who do! Love you all (hi, mom). 

As always, much love and hand sanitizer, 

-The Three Quarantined Gals (Avery)