Name: Blood Orange Shortbread Cookies
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 10 Tablespoons butter, softened; 1/3c Dixie Crystals granulated sugar; 2 cups flour, sifted; Zest from two blood oranges; 2 Tablespoons blood orange juice; For Glaze:; 3/4 cup Dixie Crystals powdered sugar; 4 to 5 teaspoons blood orange juice

Blood Orange Shortbread Cookies

Welcome to #SpringSweetsWeek 2022 hosted by Heather from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks! Flowers are starting to bloom, the weather is getting warmer, and we're celebrating with spring sweets and a fun giveaway!

This post is sponsored in conjunction with #SpringSweetsWeek. I received product from sponsor companies to help in the creation of my recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

This year 22 food bloggers from around the country are sharing over 75 sweet recipes that are perfect for spring. So say bye bye to the snow and cold weather and get ready to enjoy amazing spring treats like cupcakes, cookies, pies, dessert boards, and even a few beverages!

I'm kicking things off with one of the easiest cookies there are to make, shortbread. Even though the base recipe is simple there are so many ways you can change them up. Melissa's Produce sent us an amazing selection and one of items were blood oranges.

I zested them and added that to the dough, along with some of the juice. The dough may look messy but form it into a disk as well as you can, wrap it and refrigerate it.

Roll out between parchment or waxed paper. I used Glad Press n Seal on the top and a pastry mat, it makes the clean up so much easier and the mat doesn't slide around.

I used a square cookie cutter with a scalloped edge. Re-roll scraps, being careful not to overwork the dough. Shortbread cookies don't spread so you can put a bunch on one sheet.

My go to baking sheets are the Anolon Advanced. They have nice big non slip grips and you don't ever need cooking spray or parchment paper! The cookies bake somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes. You want them to be golden brown on the bottom.

Let them cool completely on a wire rack and then move the rack back to the baking sheet. I made a glaze using Dixie Crystals powdered sugar and blood orange juice. I dipped the cookies into the glaze and then put them back onto the racks to set.

The glaze turns out to be a gorgeous pink color, perfect for spring! You can dip half the cookie, all of it, or even dip the underside and leave the tops plain.

Even with the glaze, they're not an overly sweet cookie. They're rich and buttery, flaky and crisp. They are great with coffee or tea. They'd also be amazing flavored with lemon or lime or even grapefruit!

Thank you to Dixie Crystals, Melissa's Produce, Anolon, Sweets & Treats, Taylor and Colledge, and Nairn's for sponsoring #SpringSweetsWeek!

Blood Orange Shortbread Cookies

Author: Jolene's Recipe Journal

Ingredients

10 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup Dixie Crystals granulated sugar
2 cups flour, sifted
Zest from two blood oranges
2 Tablespoons blood orange juice

For Glaze:

3/4 cup Dixie Crystals powdered sugar
4 to 5 teaspoons blood orange juice

Instructions

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment (This is unnecessary when using Anolon Advanced!).
Beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add juice, zest and flour, mixing well. Work dough with hands to bring it together into a ball. It may feel crumbly. Flatten to a disk and then wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Open disk and top with an additional sheet or use a pastry mat. Roll out to ??. Cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters or use a knife to make squares. Move to baking sheets with a small spatula.
Bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cookies should be golden brown on the bottoms. Let sit on sheets for 1 to 2 minutes and move to wire racks to cool completely.
For the glaze, combine powdered sugar and blood orange juice to desired consistency. Dip or drizzle cookies and then let the glaze set.