Orange Macaroons
There has been a tragedy in my kitchen.
Has this ever happened to anybody?! The metal whisk part totally separated from the metal rod!!! Maybe this is the Kitchen God’s way of telling me to invest in a stand mixer?
Luckily, I was far enough along in the recipe to continue through to the sweet and almond-y end! These almond-flavored macaroons- think nutty sister to coconut macaroons (not to be confused with the ethereally light meringue-based macarons)- are concentrated vehicles of sweet almond paste and orange zest.
The soft and slightly sticky dough is rolled out into long strands in powdered sugar to give each cookie a nice sweet coating. The cookies are then rolled into little balls and allowed to rest on the cookie sheet for 30 minutes. This allows the dough to form a “skin” on the exterior surface, which will translate into a thin crispy shell surrounding once baked.
When bitten into, the crisp exterior gives way to a dense, soft and chewy cookie that is crazy intense in almond and citrus flavor, but still manages to not be too sweet. This keeps you coming back for more… and more… AND MORE!!!! Of all the cookies I have ever baked, these cookies are the easiest to eat a dozen without even realizing it! Thank goodness this recipe makes like 50 cookies!
Orange Macaroons
adapted from Martha Stewart, via Patrick Lemble, and a great lemon version at 101cookbooks
makes 4-5 dozen
2 large egg whites (I found I only needed one)
1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus more for rolling and coating
1 pound almond paste
Zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1 egg white and almond extract. Add confectioners’ sugar and almond paste; beat until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add orange zest and orange liqueur; beat to combine, about 1 minute.
- Lightly dust work surface with confectioners’ sugar. Turn dough out onto work surface; roll into two 3/4-inch-thick logs, about 18 inches long. Cut each log crosswise into 30 1/2-inch pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
- Lightly beat remaining egg white. (I found that the dough was really really moist and did not need the extra egg white.) Coat each ball with egg white and roll in sugar, tapping to remove excess; transfer to prepared baking sheets. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Pinch each piece of dough with three fingers to form an irregular pyramid shape. Bake until lightly golden, about 15-18 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week (but they won’t last that long!).
Braised Short Rib Dumplings with Spiced Orange Dipping Sauce
Of course, as soon as I wax poetic about gorgeous spring-y weather, warm sunshine, bright flowers, and flip flops, cruel fate punishes me with dropping temperatures and downpour. On top of that, I have caught the quarterly seasonal-change-induced cold. At least our ceiling is no longer leaking.
I saw this article in the NY Times a month ago and could NOT get short rib dumplings from Café Boulud, in New York City, out of my head.. for three very simple reasons. First, succulent braised beef? Second, dumplings with crispy browned bottoms?! Third, sweet and spicy and citrus-y dipping sauce?!?! Do you see why I could think of nothing else?!
Well, to be honest, I DID think of quite a number of other things (birthday dinners, Brazilian fish stew, sugar-crusted popovers, just to name a few), but even a month later, I was dying to try them and so here they are!!
With the California-like weather we were getting this past Saturday, I feared that the days of braising (and soups and stews) were over until next fall. I should have had more faith in crappy New England weather, as the temperature dropped enough on Sunday to make it almost necessary to braise something in my kitchen so that I wouldn’t have to turn on the heat.
After almost three hours of braising (and a full bottle of red wine… IN the braising liquid I mean, NOT directly into my liver!), I was left with beautifully tender beef that almost fell apart as I transferred the meat to a plate. Once mixed with the Quintessential Asian Flavorings (a.k.a. garlic, ginger, green onions, soy sauce), a healthy dose of fragrant sesame oil, fresh citrus juice, and leeks (substituted for daikon radish), the filling was ready to be wrapped up in home-made wrappers of just flour and water.
The sauce was a sticky sweet syrup that begins by dumping sugar directly into a pot and heating it until it becomes a brown liquid. I was skeptical about this, as I have never heated sugar solo before, usually there is some sort of liquid partner (i.e. melted butter) to dissolve into. My dad is probably shaking his head in disappointment right now because his daughter didn’t remember that even sucrose has a melting point, thus bringing shame upon his hardcore chemistry background. But just as the recipe (and chemistry) dictated, at some point the heated sugar turned into a liquid state (brown) and once the Quintessential Asian Flavors were added, along with fresh cilantro, orange and lime juice, and some spicy heat, I just HAD to taste this wonderfully fragrant bubbling sauce… and subsequently burned my tongue. duh.
These dumplings are seriously out of this world. I can only imagine what they must taste like at Café Boulud, without any substitutions or improvisations for an average household kitchen, because they were AMAZING even in my hands.
The braised meat, once reheated in the dumplings, becomes melt-in-your mouth beef goodness, savory and rich. The wrapper contributes a bit of crunch (with that lovely crispy browned bottom) so that each bite is a textural symphony of soft and crispy. The sauce is very very sweet, a little goes a long way, but the sweet heat completes the whole song. I am SO excited that there are still 30 of these guys frozen away, ready to be re-heated and enjoyed upon a moments notice!
Braised Short Rib Dumplings
adapted from Café Boulud via this NY Times article
makes about 45-55 dumplings
For the Braised Short Ribs (makes about 4-6 cups shredded meat)
The original recipe called for braising in 2 sticks of butter and I just couldn’t do it, I only used one… I don’t think the meat suffered by doing this, they are juicy and fatty enough as they are. As a consequence of this, I also halved most of the other ingredients for the braising, except the amount of meat and wine.
3 pounds beef short ribs, cut 2 inches thick (or about 2 pounds boneless short rib meat)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 750 mL bottle red wine
4 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 medium sized onions, coarsely chopped
6 large garlic cloves, smashed
7 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
For the Dumplings
4-6 cups shredded meat from braised short ribs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large shallots, minced
7 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup shredded daikon radish (I used leeks instead, not a great substitution, just that I like leeks and they are easy to find)
2 tablespoons yuzu juice (I used a combination of orange, lime, and lemon and added about 1/2 tablespoon of sugar to substitute)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
40-50 3 inch round dumpling wrappers from one 12-14 ounce package (or if you want to try home-made, there is a great tutorial from use real butter that I always use!)
For the Spiced Orange Dipping Sauce (I halved the recipe, the original made 2 cups worth of sauce)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 small shallot, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
3 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 dried habanero pepper (I used a teaspoon of asian garlic chili paste)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
juice from 1 lime
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste
Braised Short Ribs:
- In a large saucepan, boil wine until reduced by about half (10-15 minutes). Meanwhile, place a large, wide Dutch oven over high heat. Add olive oil and when it isvery hot, add short ribs and sear until well browned on all sides. Transfer short ribs to a platter.
- Heat oven to 300 degrees. Return Dutch oven to medium high heat. Add carrots, onions, garlic, and thyme. Sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add butter and continue to sauté until vegetables are tender, another 2-4 minutes. Add brown sugar and tomato paste. cook, stirring, another 2-3 minutes.
- Return short ribs to Dutch oven and sprinkle with flour. Stir well, until flour is incorporated and beginning to brown. Add the reduced wine and bring to a boil. Skim any foam (there was none for me). Cover, leaving lid slightly ajar, and transfer to oven. Cook until meat is very tender and falling off the bone, about 3 hours.
Dumplings:
- Shred short rib meat in a large mixing bowl, discarding any bones or cartilage.
- Place a small skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add ginger, garlic, leeks and shallots, and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add to bowl of shredded meat.
- Add scallions, parsley, daikon, yuzu juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Place a dumpling wrapper on a work surface and spoon 1 tablespoon of filling in the center, in a slightly oblong shape. Lightly brush edges with water, fold in half over meat and press closed to form a half moon shape. Stand on end to flatten bottom. Repeat until all the filling is used.
- To cook the dumplings, the recipe recommended steaming first, then crisping up the bottoms on a skillet, but I do this all in one step: in a medium size skillet that you have a top for, add 1 tablespoon of oil, and heat on medium high heat. Place dumplings in the pan, bottoms down, you should hear the sizzle. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan and cover. Reduce heat to medium, let the water evaporate, about 10 minutes. Uncover and turn up the heat to high, until bottoms are nicely browned.
Dipping Sauce:
- Place sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until sugar is melted and light golden. Remove from heat and carefully add 1/4 cup of water, avoiding splatters.
- Add ginger, shallot, garlic, scallions, cilantro, and habanero pepper (if using). Stir well, and return to medium heat. Simmer until reduced to a thing glaze, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add lime juice and orange juice. Add soy sauce to taste.
- Strain through a fine-meshed sieve, discarding solids (I didn’t do this, I prefer my sauce with all the “good stuff” in it). Serve at room temperature; may be refrigerated for up to one week.
Marmalade Cake
The snow wintry mix rain has set in for the last few days, and we supposedly have a few more days of wetness look forward to… but I don’t even really mind because I think I have found my “sunshine-in-a-bite” in this marmalade cake! This rustic cake is moist and coarse-crumbed, rich in toasted nutty-ness with a strong and vibrant citrus flavor that screams HELLO SUNSHINE!!!!!!
This cake certainly packs a punch like no other citrus-flavored baked good I’ve ever had before; this is due to the fact that the recipe calls for boiling a whole orange and lemon until they are soft and squishy (I know, seems crazy! I was so curious! But it totally works!),
then pulverizing the whole orange and lemon rind into a thick paste, which is then added to the cake batter. Yes, pulp, rind, skin, and ALL.
As one can imagine, the addition of the entire fruit, including the rind, adds a bit of gentle bitterness to the cake, which can be a bit off-putting to some. But I really enjoyed it, just as I enjoy a good marmalade, because I would rather savor the slight bitterness in appreciation of the whole entire orange than a tooth-achingly cloying jam. This lovely cake has been aptly named “marmalade cake” by Orangette in celebration of this citrus awesomeness. In addition, the toasted almonds are not only tasty but give heft and weight to the crumb, reinforcing my belief that citrus and almonds are quite the dynamic duo.
Each bite just makes me really happy, and I just can’t help myself from reaching for another slice… and another….
A fresh dusting of powdered sugar resembles freshly fallen snow. (Hopefully the only “snow” I will see for the rest of this winter!!)
Marmalade Cake (Orange, Almond, and Olive Oil Cake)
adapted from Orangette, via Boonville Hotel
The recipe calls for 1 small-medium orange, but I ended up using an orange on the larger size. I suspect this orange also had a pretty thick rind; the basis for this suspicion from having eaten its sibling just a few hours before baking and having found that orange had a thick rind. Next time I will try a smaller orange, or perhaps this similar recipe that uses clementines (very little rind!) instead.
1 small to medium orange
1 lemon
1 cup of toasted almonds (I used blanched slivered almonds and toasted them to golden perfection; Orangette used raw almonds and toasted them)
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup olive oil
confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
- Put the orange and lemon in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover (the fruit will float, this is OK). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and cool.
- Meanwhile, toast the almonds. Preheat the oven to 325 F and set a rack to the middle position. Put the almonds on an ungreased sheet pan (I lined with parchment paper) and bake until they are golden and smell warm and toasty, about 10-15 minutes. Set them aside to cool completely. When cool, pulse them in a food processor until finely ground, the texture of coarse sand. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 F, and grease a 9-inch round springform pan.
- When the citrus is cool, cut the lemon in half and scoop out and discard the pulp and seeds. Cut the orange in half and discard the seeds. Put the lemon rind and orange halves in the food processor. Process until a coarse paste forms.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
- Combine the eggs and salt in a mixing bowl. Beat until foamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar. Mix in the flour mixture. Add the citrus, almonds, and olive oil, and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack. Remove the sides of the pan.
- Before serving, dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar. Alternatively, you could also make a quick glaze with confectioners’ sugar and water, or orange juice.
- Savor the awesomeness of the citrus.
Citrus Cornmeal Shortbread
Every year from about mid-February until the snow thaws for good, I suffer from a bit of “the winter blues.” I get weary of bundling up like an astronaut every time I leave the apartment, tired of losing one glove along the walk to work or a beloved pair on the train, upset that my skin freaks out from the dryness so that my hands and lips crack and split constantly while parts of my face decide sport the always chic pimply look, frustrated with the static in my hair, sick of my paste-y complexion, and angry that the weather restricts my freedom. I know I shouldn’t complain; this years’ winter has been very mild with abnormally few snowy days and many bright sunny days. And I have learned to enjoy the winter: the beauty of the snow in the city, the perks of “hibernating” (indulging in hot beverages and couch-potato-related activities), and the heightened appreciation for warm weather when it finally arrives. But this week especially, I found myself cranky (more than usual), unmotivated (again, more than usual), and constantly wishing that I were somewhere… warmer.
I found this recipe and immediately thought of these cookies as the embodiment of sunshine- because of the combination of citrus and cornmeal. Oranges, despite being a winter fruit, always make me think of warm sunshine due to the brightness of citrus flavor; cornmeal reminds me of cornbread and bbqs in the summer. I had high hopes that these cookies, in all their sunshine-y-ness, could snap me out of my funk. The cookies came together very easily and were buttery and crumbly, with a hint of orange and crunchy gritty-ness from the cornmeal. The flavors were more subtle than expected, and rather than scream SUMMER, as I had hoped, they merely suggested warmer days. They were still tasty, especially with some tea, and Andreas suggested the best way to enjoy them- with a little bit of jam on top.
For the next time, I think I will either add more orange zest, increase the amount of cornmeal (and decrease the amount of flour accordingly), or perhaps try some high-end butter, as many shortbread recipes suggest since butter is the star. But for now, I’m still on the search for that winter-blues-breaker.
Citrus Cornmeal Shortbread
adapted from marthastewart.com
makes 24-30 cookies
2 sticks of butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
heavy pinch of salt
additional 1/4 cup of cornmeal for coating sides of the cookies
- Mix together butter and sugar until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and zest. Mix until combined, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Add flour, 2 tablespoons of corneal, and salt; mix until well combined, about 3 minutes. (At first it will seem like the dough will not come together, it will resemble wet sand… like on a beach… ooooh, beach…. but I digress- keep mixing and soon it will all come back together in a nice dough.) Halve dough and shape each into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic and refridgerate until cold, at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place remaining 1/4 cup cornmeal on a sheet of parchment paper. Roll the cookie log in cornmeal to coat. Cut into 1/4-1/2 inch rounds. Place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake until pale golden, 25-30 minutes. Cool sheet on a wire rack and store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
Ginger Fried Rice and Ginger-Orange Glazed Ribs
So I actually thought Chinese New Year was last weekend. I had talked to my mom briefly last week and she had mentioned going over to my Grandma’s with the rest of the extended family on Saturday, and I swear that I heard “for Chinese New Year.” So last Saturday night, I thought, I’m going to be a good asian and cook myself a Chinese New Year meal! Nevermind that the Google searchpage did not seem to recognize the holiday with its usual creative holiday-themed adornments to the Google logo, nor did I see commercials for the televised broadcast of the Chinese New Year Parade (yes, those are the two methods with which I keep track of important dates and holidays).
I stir-fried noodles with veggies and beef because the long length of each noodle symbolizes long life,
and I cooked fish because the word “fish” in Chinese sounds like the words for “wish” and “abundance.” And then the next day I realized that Chinese New Year was actually the NEXT weekend. Oops. Which wasn’t all bad because now I had an excuse to plan another Chinese dinner menu!
I had seen this New York Times article on Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Ginger Fried Rice and was anxious to try it. Amazingly, two bloggers, one who was one of the first food blogs I had the luck to stumble across and still faithfully follow, and the other who is a childhood friend who’s own blog partially inspired me to start my own, BOTH blogged about the dish within few days! This made me even more excited about it, and it seemed like an elegant dish to celebrate the New Year and Valentine’s Day.
I really love fried rice. Unlike my parents, I will make fried rice for the sake of having fried rice, instead of for the more common purpose- to use up all the leftover meats, veggies, and rice accumulated over past meals. This recipe really intrigued me because it was simple; the bulk of the work involves mincing the garlic and ginger and frying them until they are crunchy little flavor bombs.
The rice is topped with a fried egg, and the slightly runny yolk provided another layer of flavor to rice. I enjoyed the fried rice immensely… it was just so different from conventional fried rice, yet still somehow so familiar.
As if fried rice with a fancy French make-over was not enough special-ness, I also prepared baby back rips with a sweet and sticky ginger-orange asian glaze.
Gung Hay Fat Choy, Happy Year of the Tiger!
Ginger Fried Rice
from Mark Bittman, New York Times, January 2009
makes 4 servings
1/2 cup peanut oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed free of sand and dried
4 cups of day-old cooked rice, preferably jasmine, at room temperature
4 eggs
2 teaspoons sesame oil
4 teaspoons soy sauce
- In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring occasionally until crisp and brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels and salt lightly.
- Reduce heat under skillet to medium-low and add 2 tablespoons oil and leeks. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very tender but not browned. Season lightly with salt.
- Raise heat to medium and add rice. Cook, stirring well, until heated through. Season to taste with salt.
- In a nonstick skillet, fry eggs, sunny-side-up (I don’t like sunny-side-up, so I did over-easy), until edges are set but yolk is still runny.
- Divide rice among four dishes. Top each with an egg and drizzle with 1 tsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp sesame oil. Sprinkle crisped garlic and ginger over everything and serve.
Notes:
* I like to fry my rice at medium high heat until chunks of the rice get crispy and a bit browned. If you don’t have old rice to make fried rice, I often cook rice right before I make the fried rice, but just add a few tablespoons less water than you would normally. Rice fries up better when they’re on the dry side, especially if you are making traditional fried rice and adding soy sauce or other liquids to the rice.
Ginger Orange Glazed Ribs
adapted from Steamy Kitchen
1 rack (about 2 lbs) pork baby back ribs, rinsed and dried
salt, pepper, garlic powder
Asian Ginger-Orange Glaze
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
3/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons orange zest (about 1/2 an orange)
1 tablespoon mirin
2 teaspoons honey
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the ribs liberally with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place the ribs in a large roasting pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil, and roast until the meat pulls away from the bones, about 2 hours.
- To make the glaze: Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil, cook the garlic and ginger for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients, turn the heat to low, and cook down until the sauce is thickened and reduced, about 6-8 minutes.
- When the ribs are done, place the ribs in a single layer (transfer to a baking sheet if needed). Brush the orange-ginger glaze on the ribs and broil on high until the glaze carmelizes, about 3-5 minutes. Do not walk away from your ribs, there is a less than a minute difference between nicely carmelized and burned ribs!
Notes:
I found the glaze to be actually a bit overly sweet; I may have over-reduced it. It actually tastes great (and is pretty thick) after everything is mixed for a minute or two on the stove-top, reducing may not even be required. I reduced the amount of orange juice and zest from the original recipe because I just wanted a hint of orange flavor.
Orange Almond Madeleines
You can never have too much of a good thing…
especially if they are these lovely seashell-shaped cake cookies. Yum.
I know that I made madeleines less than a week ago… but I was anxious to try out another recipe with a different flavor profile. These were better than my first attempt: they “humped” up nicely, had a bit more flour to butter ratio so were a bit more cake-y, and the glaze, oh the glaze! I loved the subtle flavor of orange and almond in the plain madeleines (you almost didn’t feel guilty after devouring a few straight from the pan), but addition of a sweet orange glaze pretty much sky-rocketed these babies to pure awesomeness.
Orange Almond Madeleines
adapted from David Lebovitz’s Lemon-Glazed Madeleines
makes 24 cookies
3 eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 rounded teaspoon salt
1/2 cup almond meal (finely ground almonds)
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder (optional)
9 tablespoons melted butter, cooled to room temperature
1 tsp almond extract
zest of one orange
Glaze:
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/4-1/2 cup powdered sugar (depending on how thick you want your glaze)
- Whip eggs, sugar, and salt in a bowl, until frothy and thickened (about 5 minutes).
- Sift flour and baking soda (if using) into the batter. Add the almond meal. Fold gently with a spatula (I did this until the dry ingredients were mostly combined).
- Add orange zest and almond extract to the butter, then add the butter mixture to the batter a few spoonfuls at a time. Fold gently until the butter has been incorporated.
- Chill the batter in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a madeleine pan with cooking spray, or buttering each mold and dusting with flour.
- Spoon batter into each mold until about 3/4 full. (The batter was a thick paste at this point, so I just spooned enough so that it looked like it would almost fill the mold if it were more liquid-y.)
- Bake for 8-9 minutes, until the sides are beginning to get a nice golden brown. Remove from the oven and remove cookies from the pan onto a cooling rack.
- Make the glaze while the cookies are cooling. Sift the powdered sugar into the orange juice, and whisk until smooth. Add more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze, add water (or more orange juice) to thin out the glaze. Dip the madeleines into the glaze (both sides if desired), then place back onto the cooling rack (with a baking sheet underneath to catch the dripping glaze) and let the glaze set.
* These lovelies are seriously best eaten the day of, when they are crispy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside. This meant there were 24 cookies to share between me, Andreas, and a happy weekend house-guest. To ensure that we each didn’t end up eating a daily caloric intake’s worth of madeleines, I also gave some to our neighboring friends. If you store them, I have found that they get soft and squishy (not so delicious) if you cover them, so we left them uncovered overnight. The next morning, they were no longer crispy on the outside and were a tad bit drier, but even so, the last was devoured before it was 24 hours old…
Orange Cranberry Bread
Good morning. What do you like to eat for breakfast?
I love having this orange cranberry bread for breakfast. It’s not too sweet or cake-y, and the tart cranberries are a great little wake-up call. It is best the day it is baked because the sugar in the batter forms a crispy crackly crust that contrasts nicely with the soft moist interior.
Orange Cranberry Bread
from Baking Bites
This bread truly lives up to its classification as a “quick bread”- it takes no more than 10 minutes to mix up in one bowl, and you don’t even have to hunt for your electric mixer, just whisk it together!
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (or store-bought o.j.)
1 tbsp orange zest
2 tbsp canola oil
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen (unthawed) cranberries
1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional; these are sweeter than the fresh cranberries)
- Preheat oven to 375 F and lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
- Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add orange juice, orange zest, oil, and egg. Mix until just combined.
- Stir in whole (and dried, if using) cranberries. Spread evenly in loaf pan.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes.
