Bake, Run, Live

Blood oranges are in season! Of course, not in my neck of the woods, but they are in season in Texas and California (per wiki).

I have never had a blood orange before. Can’t say that I have ever even noticed them at the grocery store. But I’m not a big orange lover, so even if I had noticed them, I wouldn’t have bought them.

Well, all that has changed since I started this blog! Now, I notice things…even when it isn’t chocolate And I buy things, even if I don’t know if I am going to like it!

Big sigh of relief…I like blood oranges! (I know, you were really concerned- weren’t you?!!!)

So after buying a bag of oranges (go big or go home?), I knew I needed to bake with them. I wanted to do something that would really bring out the color and sweetness, so I made a blood orange curd. It’s very easy to do and you can use it as a pie or tart filling, spoon it over slices of angel food cake, or top cookies with it (which is what I’m doing today!).

I decided a simple coconut thumbprint would work nicely with the blood orange curd. The cookies are not very sweet, so the filling keeps the whole cookie from tasting a little dull. The coconut on the outside of the cookie toasts up while baking and adds a nice bit of texture. If you don’t like coconut, you can easily roll the cookies in chopped toasted pecans.

The curd needs to be made ahead of time so that it can set up before you can use it with the cookies, so make sure you read the directions all the way through and plan accordingly!

Blood Orange Curd
Makes 1 cup
Prep time: 2 hrs + 40 minutes (40 minutes active, 2 hrs. resting)

2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup blood orange juice (I needed 5 oranges)
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 2 blood oranges
pinch salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened

In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, and sugar. Whisk in the blood orange juice, lemon juice, zest, and salt. Place this over medium heat and continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken (about 10 minutes). At that point, change to a wooden spoon and continue stirring until the mixture reaches 170 degrees, or you run your finger down the center of the back of the spoon and the line stays clean. Remove from the heat and add in the butter, stirring until it is melted and well incorporated. Strain through a wire mesh sieve (this will catch any small pieces of egg or lumps)  into a bowl or container. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Coconut Thumbprints with Blood Orange Curd

Adapted from Joy of Baking
Makes 20 cookies
Prep time: 10 minutes    Bake time: 12-13 minutes

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour, sifted
1 cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg white then set aside. Place the coconut in another bowl and set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the egg yolk, vanilla bean paste, and salt. Stir in the flour until it is well combined.

Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough, roll it into a ball and place it into the egg whites. Roll it around to coat, then place the dough ball into the coconut, lightly pressing to get the coconut to adhere. Place the ball onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Flatten slightly. Using your thumb or the back of a 1/2 teaspoon (dipped in sugar), make an indentation in the center of the cookie. Fill that with 1/2 teaspoon of the blood orange curd.

Bake for 12-13 minutes or until the cookies are set and the coconut is toasted. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, move the cookies onto cooling racks and let cool completely. Note: the filling stays warm longer than the cookies, so be careful if you eat them before they are completely cooled! Enjoy!

Blood orange curd, with plastic wrap on the surface, going into the fridge to chill.

Made with love, not calories!