Kumquat Cookies

Confession: the real inspiration for wanting to create a kumquat cookie recipe is strictly because I thought it was fun to say: Kumquat Cookie. The alliteration of [k] with each syllable of the title is so fun. And I had never made a citrus cookie, so here we are.

A participant in my workout classes brought a big bag of kumquats to class the other day and said “We have so many and I don’t like them. Does anyone want them?” I was like sure!! Now admitedly, it had been a while since I’d had a kumquat. My Pawpaw had a kumquat tree right next to his satsuma tree, and as a kid the satsumas reigned supreme. If there was a ripe satsuma, the kumquats didn’t stand a chance at being eaten by my younger self.

When I got home and opened the bag, some of the kumquats had started to spoil. I saved the ones that were still good, but they were definitely passed the point of being able to throw these in a salad or something. They weren’t even juicy enough to make a marmalade. So, the cookie just made sense, especially since you eat the peel.

I’m hoping the recipe reaches some folks who find themselves with an abundance of kumquats not knowing what to do with them lol. I tried to make the cookie interesting by adding in some herbs that would typically pair well with a kumquat marmalade. Also what’s different than my original recipe is that lemon juice should be used in the glaze for some bite. Otherwise the cookie is just a sweet citrus cookie and doesn’t have that acidity that we sometimes think of when thinking of citrus desserts.

These cookies are fluffy, sweet, citrusy, tangy, pretty, and pretty local/authentic in terms of ingredient use and inspiration. I don’t think anyone else is going to show up to the Christmas party with vegan kumquat cookies.

EEEEEK I’m excited for y’all to try these! Please let me know if you do!

A plus tard…

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Kumquat Cookies

Yield: 22-24

Author: Camryn Clements

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 10 MinInactive time: 15 MinTotal time: 40 Min

This is a great recipe that uses those overripe kumquats you may have! It makes for a sweet citrus cookie, and the use of lemon juice in the glaze gives it the perfect bite of acidity!

Ingredients

The cookie

• 1 heaping cup of kumquats, divided (use some for zesting, about 8)
• 1 Tbsp of kumquat zest
• 1/2 cup of butter (113 grams)
• 3/4 cups of sugar
• 1 Tbsp aquafaba (the juice from a can of beans) unwhipped
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 2 cups of flour (270 grams)
• 1 1/4 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Glaze

• 1 cup of powdered sugar (115 grams)
• 1 Tbsp of kumquat zest
• 1 Tbsp of kumquat concentrate (made from the 1 cup of kumquats in the cookie recipe)
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp melted vegan butter (I like Earth Balance for this recipe)

Instructions

The Cookie (can be eaten without the glaze, but the glaze really compliments!)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Carefully zest about 8 of the kumquats
2. Beat the butter, sugar, zest, thyme, and basil until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Purée about 1 cup of kumquats in a blender. Press the puree through a mesh sieve and catch the concentrate in a bowl underneath (you may have to scrape the concentrate off if your kumquats are very over ripe like mine).
4. Mix together 1 Tbsp of you kumquat concentrate from step 3 with about 1/2 cup of water. Whisk together to make 1/2 cup of kumquat juice.
5. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. On a low-medium speed, alternate adding the flour mixture, then a little bit of the juice to the butter mixture, continuing until all the flour and juice are added and the flour and juice are fully incorporated. Scrape the sides if needed.
7. Scoop cookies onto prepared baking sheet (I used a medium cookie scoop, which is about 2 Tbsps of dough).
8. Bake at 375 Fahrenheit for 8-12 minutes, watching to see when the edges of the cookies are rounded and just lifting from the baking sheet. The cookies will not darken on top, so please go by the edges test to determine if they're done. If you wait for the tops to brown, the bottoms will be burnt.
9. Let cool on the pan for about 3 min, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

The Glaze

1. Make the glaze by whisking together all the glaze ingredients.
2. Place your wire rack over a baking sheet or parchment paper to catch the glaze drips you may have in this next step. Once cookies are cooled, dip each domed top of the cookie into the glaze, then lift. Place the cookie back on the wire rack. Repeat for all cookies. If desired, cut a small cross section of a kumquat to place on top the glaze for decoration (full circle or semi-circle). Let the glaze dry of about 20 minutes before trying to stack cookie or place in a container.
3. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

~ After eating a couple of these, I changed the glaze recipe from what I did in the video to give the cookie more bite. It compliments the sweet and herby cookie so much better

Did you make this recipe?

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