Don't just toss those Sumo Citrus peels, use the zest to make these awesome sugar cookies!
I have been really excited for the SUMO Mandarin season to arrive.
I had this mandarin for the first time last year and was really impressed with it's flavor and juiciness.
The SUMO was developed over a 30 year period in Japan, by a man who wanted the ease of peeling of a Satsuma mandarin and the size and juiciness of a California Navel orange. That is exactly what we have now.
This season I wanted to try and do something with one of them, even thought it's hard not to just want to gobble them all up as is. I love citrus flavors in cookies. Why not make a sugar cookie with the flavors of this awesome mandarin?
Some people might think sugar cookies are only for Christmas. We need not refrain from them the rest of the year, especially when you have some flavors out there that would work perfectly in one.
Jump to:
? Ingredients
Here is what you will need to make these cookies:
- Sumo Citrus
- Powdered sugar sifted
- Butter
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Cream of tartar
- Kosher salt
These cookies use the SUMO in two ways.
- The zest goes into the cookie batter to provide a nice essence of orange flavor.
- The juice is mixed with powdered sugar to make a simple, yet bold tasting icing.
The recipe below uses just 1 SUMO. The recipe I use is inspired by a sugar cookie recipe from Paula Dean with some modifications as you will see below.
? Top Tip
I found the best tool for removing the zest from a piece of citrus is a Microplane 40001 Zester Grater. Other similar tools don't remove the zest as easily and what is removed is often clogged up underneath the tool.
? More Cookie Recipes
- Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
- Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Finger Lime Sugar Cookies
- Pink Peppercorn Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookie dough
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 cup 2 sticks butter (slightly softened)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- zest of 1 SUMO Mandarin
For the glaze
- Juice of 1 SUMO Mandarin
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- Additional zest for garnish optional
Instructions
Making the cookies
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar.
- Mix in the egg, vanilla, and zest. Thoroughly combine.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar.
- Add the dry ingredients in batches to the creamed mixture until you have combined everything well.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. This is to harden up the fat so the cookies don't spread too much.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Cut the dough in half.
- Roll one half out onto a floured surface to around a quarter-inch thickness. Cut the cookies out with a round cookie cutter or what cookie cutter you like.
- Transfer cookies to a parchment or silicone lined half sheet pan. Do no more than 8 cookies on a pan.
- Bake for 10-14 minutes (depends on size of your cookie cutter) or until slightly browned.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack before glazing.
To glaze the cookies
- Mix together the juice of 1 SUMO Mandarin with powdered sugar. Mix until you form a glaze that is spreadable without being too thick or too runny.
- Spread onto cookies as soon as they are cool enough to handle.
- Garnish with more zest if you like (like I did in my picture)
Did You Know?
Did you know that you can get Sumo Citrus as part of a fruit of the month club?
I recently discovered that in February, Sumo Citrus is one of the varieties in Golden State Fruit's monthly fruit club (affiliate link) that you can order right on Amazon. They offer better choices than other fruit clubs I have researched. During the year they offer special varieties like Sumo Citrus, Sugar Cot Apricots, Pixie Tangerines, Bing Cherries, Pearl White Nectarines, and more. The club comes in 3-month, 6-month, 12-month.
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