Citrus really identifies with spring, for me. Winter has those cozy, spicy, warm flavors, but spring – that’s when you break out the bright, light and vibrant flavors. Anything that offers a tangy sweet taste just sings “spring!” to me. That’s why I love these delicious Citrus Tea Cookies.
I’m not a tea drinker – give me coffee in any form, any time. However, I lived in Canada for a year, and was surrounded by tea drinkers. I can definitely appreciate it. Every time tea was brought out, along came some delicious, light and buttery cookies. I tried to recreate them as best as I could, adding in that citrus punch that I love so much.
What you need:
- 3/4 cup butter (softened)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup almond slices
FILLING
- 3 tablespoons butter (softened)
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- yellow food coloring
Make them:
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the yolk, vanilla and orange zest. Slowly add the flour 1/4 cup at a time until mixed well.
Place discs of dough about 1 inch thick in plastic wrap and leave in fridge for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line parchment on baking sheets.
Lightly flour the surface, and roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Use small cookie cutters or the opening of a wine glass if you don’t have cutters to cut small circles or squares. These cookies should be about 2-bite size, so keep that in mind. Place cookies on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart and sprinkle half of them with almonds, slightly pressing them down. These will be your tops.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until they are just getting golden edges. Let cool on wire racks.
To make the filling, cream the butter, juice and zests until nice and creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time until it’s nice and smooth. You want a thick, frosting-type filling. Add more powdered sugar if needed to get that consistency. Add a drop or two of yellow food coloring to give it a lovely, bright yellow color.
Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons on the back side of a cookie and top with an almond-topped cookie. Press down slightly, and then put on a kettle for your tea and enjoy! 🙂
Try these fun recipes, too!
Citrus Tea Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup almond slices
FILLING
- 3 tablespoons butter softened
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- yellow food coloring
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the yolk, vanilla and orange zest. Slowly add the flour 1/4 cup at a time until mixed well.
- Place discs of dough about 1 inch thick in plastic wrap and leave in fridge for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line parchment on baking sheets.
- Lightly flour the surface, and roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Use small cookie cutters or the opening of a wine glass if you don't have cutters to cut small circles or squares. These cookies should be about 2-bite size, so keep that in mind. Place cookies on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart and sprinkle half of them with almonds, slightly pressing them down. These will be your tops.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until they are just getting golden edges. Let cool on wire racks.
- To make the filling, cream the butter, juice and zests until nice and creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time until it's nice and smooth. You want a thick, frosting-type filling. Add more powdered sugar if needed to get that consistency. Add a drop or two of yellow food coloring to give it a lovely, bright yellow color.
- Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons on the back side of a cookie and top with an almond-topped cookie. Press down slightly, and then put on a kettle for your tea and enjoy! 🙂
Jeni’s Disclaimer: I’m just a regular girl. I love to drink wine while I bake. I’m by no means a professional baker or pro photographer. My creations aren’t staged, they just are what they are, and that’s probably obvious from the pictures. I create my recipes from inspiration of scents and flavors around me. I also repurpose my grandma’s old recipes. If you love to bake and your food ends up looking like REAL food, and not like something you’ll see on Instagram, you’re in the right place.
