This citrus and cardamom cookie recipe is adapted from a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe published in The Guardian. You may be familiar with Ottolenghi as the co-author with Sami Tamimi of Jerusalem: A Cookbook.
Quarantine has been an interesting time. Not only am I seeking comfort through the methodical process of baking, but I’m also finding ways to use recipes as foundations instead of hard and fast rules. I found the “White chocolate and pear cookies with lime and cardamom” through Ottolenghi’s link on his Instagram profile. I read through and liked the concept of these fruit cookies.
And then I looked at my fruit bowl.
I had one apple and one lemon.
And so his pear with lime became my apple with lemon.
The cookies have a couple of steps that don’t lend themselves as quick bakes. First, you brown the butter and then chill it until solid. And of course, once you’ve shaped the dough into golf ball-sized rounds you chill them before baking.
Don’t let this discourage you from trying these sweet, tart, and floral cookies.
Pro tip:
Make a batch of dough and shape according to directions. After that only bake a few and put the rest in a labeled freezer bag.
Here’s what I put on the label: citrus and cardamom cookie, Date, 375 F, 15-17 min.
Citrus and Cardamom Cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup butter, softened (divided) -
- 2⅔ cups all-purpose flour -
- 7 cardamom pods - seeds removed & finely crushed -
- 1 tsp baking soda -
- ¾ tsp salt (table, kosher, pink, sea, or any combination) -
- ¾ cup brown sugar -
- ¾ cup granulated sugar -
- 1 tbsp lemon zest -
- 1 egg -
- 1 egg yolk -
- ½ cup white chocolate chips -
- ⅔ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 apple (peeled, cored, minced) -
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts
METHOD
- Melt 10 tbsp butter over medium heat until amber-colored with a nutty aroma. Pour into a heatproof bowl and refrigerate or freeze until solid.
- Whisk together the flour, ground cardamom seeds, baking soda, and salt
- Combine the remaining 6 tbsp of softened butter with solid browned butter, both sugars, and the lemon zest. The mixture should be slightly lighter in color, but not too fluffy.
- Add the egg and the egg yolk. Mix until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Mix until starting to combine - some dry bits will remain
- Add the white and chocolate chips, walnuts, and apple. Mix until fully combined.
- Form dough into 50 g balls (about the size of a golf ball) - should yield 24-27
- Place on a tray and chill in the refrigerator until firm - about 1 hour
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place cookie dough at least 2 inches apart
- Bake for 15-17 minutes. Edges should be golden brown with soft and puffy center
- Remove from the tray onto a wire rack to cool completely
