Thursday, March 19, 2009

Orange almond cookies

Last month, I mentioned that someone gave me three pounds of blanched sliced almonds. You may be wondering, what did I end up doing with all those almonds? Well, I haven’t done much with them yet, but I’ve been busy collecting recipes to try.

I have made one recipe so far, and it was for these orange almond cookies from the Martha Stewart Living cookbook. I don’t always have a lot of patience when it comes to baking, which is why you don’t often see complicated baked goods on this site. Well, that’s one reason I don’t bake as much as I’d like, the other reason is the caloric implications. These cookies are so simple to prepare, but they look and taste like you spent a lot of time and effort on them.

I did make some changes to the original recipe – I like my almond cookies to taste like almonds, so I omitted the anise and cut the orange zest down to about 1 ½ tablespoons. I also added a drop of almond extract. These cookies have a great chewy texture. The orange and almond flavors work really well together. If you were to use the amount of orange zest in the original recipe, I think it would be quite overpowering, so I’d stick to 1-2 tablespoons. If you’re an almond fan like I am, try this recipe!


71 comments:

Dewi said...

Why is it nobody ever give me three pounds of blanched sliced almonds? I'd be so happy ...
Wow, sounds really good Sara. Good that you omitted the anise, and added almond extract.
Cheers,
elra

Unknown said...

So pretty Sara! I don't have any almonds but I do have some almond extract and an orange I need to use soon. Maybe I'll make these!

The Purple Carrot said...

Beautiful and delicious looking cookies!! : )

Unknown said...

I love anything backed with an orange flavor. A bet these would be yummy with a little chocolate drizzled over them too!

Anonymous said...

yum! I love almond cookies ad the orange sounds perfect

Claudia said...

Love almonds, almond extract, almond cookies ... you ahve enough for almond flour! They look lovely.

Maris said...

You pretty much read my mind. I have some oranges leftover from one recipe and a tub of almonds from another! I don't usually like citrus in cookies but I'm sure someone in my office does!

Reeni said...

Their so pretty! I love almonds, these look deicious!

Heather S-G said...

I'm a huge almond fan! These looks so good.

Anonymous said...

Those cookies look gorgeous with the three sliced almonds on top! Great idea to add the almond extract to get even more of that delicious almond flavor!

Suzy said...

These look great. I love almond cookies and the orange sounds like a nice twist!

Selba said...

Very cute with the sliced almond, it looks like 3 flower petals on the cookies :)

Sarah said...

I love anything with almond extract in it! These sound great, I have to make some this weekend!

Hayley said...

Such a pretty picture. Almond flavoring is my favorite. Thanks for the recipe!

Anonymous said...

Simple and gorgeous Sara! What a nice gift too!

Leslie M. said...

These look so simply elegant and comforting and YUMMY! I know I would love these!!!
They are such a beautiful Cookie!!!
Leslie
LeslieVeg@msn.com
http://leslielovesveggies.blogspot.com/

Lyndas recipe box said...

I love almonds! These are such pretty cookies and they look delicious too!

Jess said...

I have a couple of delicious almond cake recipes, but I haven't yet found an almond cookie recipe that I love. I'll have to give these a try. Thanks, Sara!

Elyse said...

Yum, I love the idea of an orange and almond combo. These cookies look so pretty. (Not too pretty to eat though; I'm sure I could eat too many of these little treats!!)

Anonymous said...

I second that! I'd kiss anyone who gave me three pounds of blanched sliced almonds! Hello? Anyone out there with extra almonds?? ;)

Culinary Wannabe said...

They look really elegant! Like you should be serving them at high tea or something snazzy like that.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

First of all, I'm envious of your three pounds of almonds. Second, your almond cookies look wonderful and I like the sliced almonds on top.
I'm not much of a baker either and if we baked those gorgeous cookies at our house I'm afraid my husband would demolish them before the end of the day - and he doesn't need the calories. Uh oh, I hope he doesn't see I said that.
Sam

Finla said...

Looks so pretty and yumm.

Foodie with Little Thyme! said...

Oh Sara these look so good. Love the almonds on top.

Donna-FFW said...

Hi Sara- I love this combo, I make an orange almond shortbread that is a favorite here. Your photos look so professional, I love what youve done with the lighting. I still can not get my lighting the way I want!

Anonymous said...

These are pretty cookies, and they sound delicious! Great use of your almonds.

Jennifer said...

Sarah, those are beautiful! and I bet they are tasty too!

Usha said...

I love almonds and orange in my bakes so this cookie is definitely going into my must try recipe list, looks awesome :-)

stephchows said...

Totally agree with cutting out the anise! These sounds amazing! I also love making amaretti cookies! So good!

Stacey Snacks said...

Sara,
I have no patience for baking either, I choose simple recipes that require no difficulty and no FONDANT!
I love the combo of orange and almonds. My favorite.
Martha's baking recipes are always excellent!

Kiezie said...

Sara, these look wonderful, and so professionally photographed!! You did really well!! I love almond but we are on almond restriction for a while, can't wait until it's over because these are mouth-worthy!!

grace said...

aw, the almond slices are so decorative! one doesn't come across many orange-flavored cookies, and that's a darn shame. nice work, sara!

Tyler said...

how cute!! i do love almonds and i would love to try these :)

Tammy said...

Orange and almond together...yum. I've got a great orange/almond bread recipe I began making more than a decade ago. I'd be happy to pass it along if you're interested. Love your pretty almond design on top of the cookie!

Pam said...

I love this cookie...so pretty and tasty too.

Gera@SweetsFoodsBlog said...

Sara, definitively a recipe to try! I'm big fan of almonds in anyway..so cute cookies I think combine perfect the orange + almond flavors.
A subtle and delicious cookie for tea time or breakfast! :)

Srikitchen said...

wow! its looking beautiful and crunchy!

Diana said...

They look so dainty and delicate -- perfect for a tea party! :)

Laurie said...

These are so Italian Sarah! I love little biscotto like these. :)

The Food Hunter said...

I love almond cookies. Those sure look good.

The Duo Dishes said...

Definitely almond fans for sure. Yours are so perfect!

Anonymous said...

The simplicity in the presentation is what makes these so inviting.

Olga said...

They look so cute! Would be perfect for a prim and proper tea party :)

How To Eat A Cupcake said...

If only I ever had blanched and/or slivered almonds around the house... They look yummy!

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

I love all of your recipes. This is such an interesting mix of flavors.

Anonymous said...

sounds like the perfect spring cookie :D

Varsha Vipins said...

Wow..picture perfect cookies Sara..:)

Jennifer said...

You have reminded me of my orange almond cookie recipe that i will not share with my friends. this looks great so I will just tell them to come here. By the way, new contest involving PEEPS on my blog.

Heather said...

mmmm. those sound so good, and the almonds look so lovely!!

Bharti said...

I love the combination of flavors Sara. Orange and almond sound lovely together.

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous looking cookies. Martha Stewart's recipes are usually great.

Jessica@Foodmayhem said...

They're so cute! They look like sand dollars.

Talita said...

Sounds great! It's a delicious combination!

Andrea said...

I love how those cookies look. The texture looks wonderful and I love all things almond.

priscilla joy said...

They look staright out of a Chinese Restaurant. They look delicious!

Melissa said...

These are such cute cookies! And they look like they are very tasty too! Thanks for sharing!

test it comm said...

Those cookies look good!

Anonymous said...

Those cookies look great - thanks for sharing your changes to the recipe.

La Bella Cooks said...

I am definitely and almond fan, so these cookies would be a hit in my house! They look fantastic.

Anonymous said...

So simple. So pretty. So sweet. Thanks, and I love the addition of orange.

sunita said...

Lovely cookies Sara...now I know what to do with my bag of almonds :-)

Chef E said...

Nice looking cookies there...how long did they last after their photo shot? Not long in this house :)

People say they want to come live with me, but they will have to follow me to your house, and if I am repeating myself, then it is your fault, lol, your stuff looks damn good!

Nancy/n.o.e said...

Oh, my, chewy + almonds is a dream combination. Good call on cutting the zest; citrus can steal the show if you don't watch it!
Nancy

teresa said...

Mmmm, what a great combination! I have to try these!

Creative Classroom Core said...

What a pretty and different sounding cookie! I will be bookmarking these to make very soon!

Anonymous said...

Sara-these look so amazing! I love orange and almond together!

Katrina said...

These look so pretty and yummy!

Jan said...

Those cookies look and sound delish. I agree with omitting the anise, it would have completely overpowered the lovely almond flavor.

Maggie said...

These sound wonderful and they're so pretty with the slices of almond on top!

Karen Brown Letarte said...

OOOh, they look so good! I love almond with just about anything; but rarely have the patience for making cookies. Beautiful job! Your cookies are so pretty.

Monica H said...

They look like sand dollars, which makes me crave the beach!

Summer can't get here soon enough...