I hope everyone enjoyed a lovely Valentine’s weekend.
Valentine’s Day is always a big moment for bakers. The usual themes involve chocolate, pink and red decorations, and berries. This year I wanted to make something that still felt like the holiday without repeating the usual ideas.
While walking through Kroger last week – dodging a ceiling full of Valentine’s balloons – I noticed blood oranges on sale and looking especially good.
Strawberries tend to dominate Valentine’s desserts, even though they are rarely in peak season. Winter is actually citrus season, and few fruits fit the holiday better than blood oranges. With their crimson flesh and sweet flavor, they are both striking and delicious and quickly became my inspiration.
While searching for recipes, I found one by Chloe Hood from her Instagram account Life & Fork. Her recipes combine interesting flavors while still feeling approachable. Some combinations may sound unusual, but that sense of play is exactly what inspires me to try something new – usually with a small personal adjustment.
When hazelnuts were not available locally, I substituted macadamia nuts, which pair naturally with white chocolate. The result became a Blood Orange Curd, White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookie.
The recipe involves several components and requires patience, but holiday baking often feels worth the extra effort. To save time, I worked on multiple steps at once: toasting the macadamia nuts, browning the butter and preparing the blood orange curd. While the curd chilled in the refrigerator, the butter cooled to room temperature and the nuts finished cooling.
After the curd thickened, I spooned portions onto parchment paper and froze them so they would be easier to handle during assembly. Gloves are helpful here. Flatten the dough into a disk, place the curd in the center and wrap the dough around it to seal. Messy, but worthwhile once baked – the soft citrus center makes the effort clear.
The cookies were a hit. I saved some for my Valentine, my husband Jon, and shared the rest with friends as a Galentine’s treat. They are soft from the brown butter and white chocolate, crunchy from the toasted macadamia nuts and bright from the citrus filling. One of the best cookies I have made, and fitting for the holiday.
Whether for others or ourselves, it is worth taking time to show care – on Valentine’s Day and beyond.
BLOOD ORANGE, WHITE CHOCOLATE AND MACADAMIA NUT COOKIES
Ingredients:
Blood Orange Curd
2 blood oranges, zested and juiced
100 grams sugar
50 grams unsalted butter, room temperature, diced
3 large egg yolks
Pinch sea salt
Cookie Dough
280 grams unsalted butter, browned
150 grams sugar
150 grams dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
400 grams flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons sea salt
3.5 ounces blonde white chocolate
150 grams macadamia nuts, toasted and chopped
20 tablespoons blood orange curd, chilled
Instructions:
■ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread macadamia nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely.
■ In a saucepan over medium-low heat, brown the butter until nutty and deep golden, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
■ For the curd, heat 1 inch of water in a saucepan until simmering. In a heatproof bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, zest, juice and salt over the water, ensuring the bowl does not touch the surface. Whisk about 10 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and whisk in butter until smooth. Cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until fully chilled.
■ Spoon about 1 tablespoon curd portions onto parchment paper to make 20 disks. Freeze about 1 hour.
■ Beat sugars and browned butter until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. In a separate bowl whisk flour, baking soda and salt, then fold into dough. Fold in chocolate and nuts.
■ Divide dough into 20 balls, about 65 grams each. Flatten, place frozen curd in the center and seal dough around filling. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
■ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 6 cookies per tray and bake 13 to 15 minutes. Tap tray on counter, then bake 2 to 3 minutes more until golden. Sprinkle with sea salt and blood orange zest. Cool 15 minutes before transferring to a rack.
■ Enjoy.
Kristin is a Columbus local and a graduate of MUW’s Culinary Arts Program. She lives downtown with her husband, Jon, her naughty cat Sokka and her retired sled dog, Megan. In her free time she enjoys baking, making stained glass art and hanging out with her friends. If you see her in town, say hi!
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
