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We eat so many of those little tangerines in the Fall and Winter (mandarines, Halos & Cuties) that I thought I'd collect the peels in a baggie and use them in cookies and breads. I have a recipe for Candied Orange Peel, but those are in strips (and dipped in chocolate) for a candy ~ and I wanted these very small pieces so you didn't have chunks in cookies ~ so used my food processor to pulse the peels to bits.
I looked for recipes for Candied Orange Peel Cookies, but they all were basically the same (even though some said "my own recipe" ~ News Flash! changing salt to 1/2 tsp. from 1/4 tsp. does NOT make it your own!). They all had the same basic fatal flaw too .... 2 whole sticks of butter for 2-1/2 cups of flour is a red flag to experienced cookie makers ~ you're going to get cookies that are spreading all over your cookie sheet! Had to change that.
And nearly all of them had white chocolate chips. Why? No one prefers white over regular chocolate, and semi-sweet or dark chocolate is a natural pairing with orange or tangerine. So, I changed to semi-sweet morsels. The chocolate is just to enhance the tangerine ~ they're not really the "star". ** And every single recipe called for store-bought candied orange peel! That gooey, syrupy orange peel makes your cookies basically a fruitcake cookie with white chocolate chips then! Yikes! Not what I was going for at all!
.... So, you have MY own recipe below ~ correct butter amount ~ corrected baking soda & powder amounts ~ correct flour ~ both white and DARK brown sugars .... and just CHOCK FULL of HOMEMADE CANDIED TANGERINE PEEL (very dry, and stored in sugar, not syrup) and semi-sweet chocolate morsels.
I roll the cookie dough balls in a combination of white sugar and edible gold glitter / sanding sugar before baking, so they're a little more festive for the Holidays.
CANDIED TANGERINE PEEL COOKIES
2-1/2 cups flour bleached flour……………1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda………………………..….1/4 tsp. baking powder
1-3/4 sticks (1-14 TB) unsalted butter), room temp
1/2 cup granulated sugar……………………1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs…………………………………...1 tsp. real vanilla extract
1-1/2 cup HOMEMADE fresh candied tangerine peel (recipe below)
1/2 to 3/4 cup mini-morsel semi-sweet chocolate chips
Another about 1/2 cup white sugar (to roll cookie balls in before baking) plus I added edible gold sparkling sugar for the Holidays
***
Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets w/parchment paper & set aside.
In electric mixer bowl, beat butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder and salt until smooth and creamy.
Gradually add flour ~ then add candied tangerine peel pieces and mini morsel chips. Roll into balls (about 1.\/2”) and roll in sugar. Put on prepared cookie sheets (about 2” apart).
Bake 10-11 minutes or just until barely golden brown around edges. Do not overcook! Cool on cookie sheets a few minutes before removing to racks or paper to cool completely..
Makes about 5 dozen
CANDIED TANGERINE PEEL
I used about 15 very small Mandarines ~ but cuties & Halos are fine too. Cut a little from the top and bottom of tangerines, then score the skin into 4 verticals segments and peel (leave white pith). Cut skin into 1/4-inch strips ~ or pulse to tiny pieces in your food processor.
Combine 1 cup of sugar with 2 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the sugar is dissolved, add orange peel. Lower to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes. Keep an eye on it closely and if the water starts to evaporate too quickly, remove from heat earlier that the 45 minutes mark.
Remove from heat and drain well. Be careful, it is hot! Let it cool for 15 minutes.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Use doubled plastic bags (I used grocery store bags.) Put 2 cups granulated sugar in and then put your cooled, cooked tangerine peel on top of the sugar. Hold the bags together tightly. Shake and squish bags together, so the tangerine peel gets completely coated with sugar. Then spread it out evenly on the prepared baking sheet and let it air dry for a few hours. Transfer to air-tight containers and keep in pantry (not in refrigerator because you don't want moisture in there)
I looked for recipes for Candied Orange Peel Cookies, but they all were basically the same (even though some said "my own recipe" ~ News Flash! changing salt to 1/2 tsp. from 1/4 tsp. does NOT make it your own!). They all had the same basic fatal flaw too .... 2 whole sticks of butter for 2-1/2 cups of flour is a red flag to experienced cookie makers ~ you're going to get cookies that are spreading all over your cookie sheet! Had to change that.
And nearly all of them had white chocolate chips. Why? No one prefers white over regular chocolate, and semi-sweet or dark chocolate is a natural pairing with orange or tangerine. So, I changed to semi-sweet morsels. The chocolate is just to enhance the tangerine ~ they're not really the "star". ** And every single recipe called for store-bought candied orange peel! That gooey, syrupy orange peel makes your cookies basically a fruitcake cookie with white chocolate chips then! Yikes! Not what I was going for at all!
.... So, you have MY own recipe below ~ correct butter amount ~ corrected baking soda & powder amounts ~ correct flour ~ both white and DARK brown sugars .... and just CHOCK FULL of HOMEMADE CANDIED TANGERINE PEEL (very dry, and stored in sugar, not syrup) and semi-sweet chocolate morsels.
I roll the cookie dough balls in a combination of white sugar and edible gold glitter / sanding sugar before baking, so they're a little more festive for the Holidays.
CANDIED TANGERINE PEEL COOKIES
2-1/2 cups flour bleached flour……………1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda………………………..….1/4 tsp. baking powder
1-3/4 sticks (1-14 TB) unsalted butter), room temp
1/2 cup granulated sugar……………………1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs…………………………………...1 tsp. real vanilla extract
1-1/2 cup HOMEMADE fresh candied tangerine peel (recipe below)
1/2 to 3/4 cup mini-morsel semi-sweet chocolate chips
Another about 1/2 cup white sugar (to roll cookie balls in before baking) plus I added edible gold sparkling sugar for the Holidays
***
Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets w/parchment paper & set aside.
In electric mixer bowl, beat butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder and salt until smooth and creamy.
Gradually add flour ~ then add candied tangerine peel pieces and mini morsel chips. Roll into balls (about 1.\/2”) and roll in sugar. Put on prepared cookie sheets (about 2” apart).
Bake 10-11 minutes or just until barely golden brown around edges. Do not overcook! Cool on cookie sheets a few minutes before removing to racks or paper to cool completely..
Makes about 5 dozen
CANDIED TANGERINE PEEL
I used about 15 very small Mandarines ~ but cuties & Halos are fine too. Cut a little from the top and bottom of tangerines, then score the skin into 4 verticals segments and peel (leave white pith). Cut skin into 1/4-inch strips ~ or pulse to tiny pieces in your food processor.
Combine 1 cup of sugar with 2 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the sugar is dissolved, add orange peel. Lower to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes. Keep an eye on it closely and if the water starts to evaporate too quickly, remove from heat earlier that the 45 minutes mark.
Remove from heat and drain well. Be careful, it is hot! Let it cool for 15 minutes.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Use doubled plastic bags (I used grocery store bags.) Put 2 cups granulated sugar in and then put your cooled, cooked tangerine peel on top of the sugar. Hold the bags together tightly. Shake and squish bags together, so the tangerine peel gets completely coated with sugar. Then spread it out evenly on the prepared baking sheet and let it air dry for a few hours. Transfer to air-tight containers and keep in pantry (not in refrigerator because you don't want moisture in there)
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