Clementine Dolci
8
- Prep Time45 min
- Total Time2 h 15 min
- Makes25 cookies
Text and recipe by Camilla Wynne, produced by Aimee Nishitoba, photography by Carmen Cheung, food styling by Eshun Mott, prop styling by Madeleine Johari.
These adorable citrusy cookies from recipe developer Camilla Wynne are based on Italian pesche dolci.
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups (347 g) granulated sugar, divided
Zest of 4 clementines
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (96 g) ground almonds
2 1⁄2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
Orange food colouring, divided
1 cup marmalade, finely chopped
1 cup orange liqueur
25 cloves
Instructions
Combine 1 1⁄4 cups sugar with zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Rub mixture with clean fingertips until fragrant. Whisk in eggs and yolk on medium-high until mixture is pale and fluffy. Whisk in butter and oil until combined. Sift in flour, almonds, baking powder, salt and cloves. Fold in until just combined. Fold in a few drops of food colouring to achieve desired shade. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hr.
Meanwhile, position rack in centre of oven, then preheat to 350F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment.
Scoop dough into 1 tbsp portions and roll into balls. Arrange 1 1⁄2 in. apart on prepared sheets. Bake until set and golden-brown around edges, 15 to 20 min. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool for 10 min.
Use a small melon baller or 1⁄2 tsp measure to carve out a demi-sphere from the bottom of each cookie while still warm. Place cookie centres in a medium bowl and crumble.
Stir marmalade with enough cookie crumbs in a small bowl to make a thick, sticky paste-like mixture. Spoon into each cookie cavity. Press similarly shaped cookies together to make sandwiches.
Mix liqueur and more food colouring in a small bowl. Pour remaining 1⁄2 cup sugar into a separate bowl. Working with one cookie at a time, dip into liqueur-food colouring mixture for 1 or 2 sec. Let dry for 1 min before rolling in sugar. Finish by sticking a clove into centre of each cookie as a stem.
Kitchen tip
Cookies are best enjoyed the day they are made but will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Kitchen swaps
Ideally, you’d use clementine marmalade to fill these, but that can be hard to find. Use any good-quality marmalade you like, homemade or store-bought. Not a fan of marmalade? Orange-scented buttercream is a good substitute.
Camilla Wynne is a Toronto-based cookbook author, writer and recipe developer. Her most recent cookbook is Nature's Candy.
