Cream Cheese and Orange Biscuits

Another recipe from my beloved One Girl Cookies cookbook - the book from the owners of the bakery of the same name in Brooklyn, NY (see my post on it here). Whilst scribbling in my diary yesterday, I realised that this time last year I was jetting off on a plane to NY with 50 school friends (as school trips go, it was hard to beat!). After dispelling my envy for those who are about to go this year, I decided to do something more productive - bake!

I owed a friend a birthday present, having turned up embarrassingly empty handed to the party on saturday night (I never quite know the etiquette with big parties, it seems to ruin their fun a little if you drag them off the dance floor to hand them a poorly wrapped bath bomb... but then I always feel weird turning up without anything). As party etiquette goes, I was already failing miserably having not turned up until 11pm - although I have to confess, a part of me was a little proud as I'd managed two 18th's in one evening and, as a girl who is normally found making jam or doing other un-teenager-like things, this was a step towards 'coolness'. But incase you fear I've changed, I can reassure you that I was back on true form making marmalade the next day with my dad.

So I decided to make these biscuits to take in as a present - as the recipient most definitely shares my love of all things food! They'd work really well as party favours too, as they're dainty and rather decorative with their sprinkling of desiccated coconut.

Recipe converted from the Orange Butter Drops recipe in One Girl Cookies - quantities converted from cups to grams and I've very slightly tweaked the glaze from the original.

Ingredients (makes about 16):

Biscuits

50g caster sugar

Grated zest of half an orange

165g plain flour

130g cold, cubed, unsalted butter

Half tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp cream cheese

Glaze

Juice of just under half an orange

70g icing sugar

40g desiccated coconut, toasted (watch out, it toasts quickly)

Half tbsp cream cheese

Method:

• Mix together the sugar, zest and flour.
• Beat in the butter (by hand or with a paddle attachment on a mixer).
• Beat in the vanilla and cream cheese until it comes together as a dough (should be pretty quick).
• Shape into small balls (about the size of large cherry tomatoes) and place on a lined baking tray, about 1 inch apart.

• Cook in the oven at 180 degrees c (I used fan, but I'd stick to the same temp if you don't have fan, they may just need a little longer) for about 15 - 18mins (until golden around the edges).
• Leave on a wire rack to cool completely whilst you make the glaze.
• Beat together the icing sugar, cream cheese and enough orange juice to form a fairly thick, glue-like paste.
• Dip the top half of each cooled, cooked biscuit into the glaze and then into the toasted coconut.

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