I have a thing for citrus.
How could I not? Tart flavors are just awesome.
Case in point: the bright and sweet flavor of this lemon velvet cake, the refreshing mix of lemonade and green tea of this bourbon arnold palmer, the lemon-lime juice that compliments basil beerade so well, and the list goes on. The citrus family has always been good to me, except for grapefruit.
Remember when you were a kid and ready for a nice pancake breakfast and your mom puts a grapefruit wedge in front of you, and was like:
Eat it; it’s good for you.
And you forced it down because you knew that if you didn’t you wouldn’t get to eat those wonderfully fluffy, syrup-drizzled, topped with butter pancakes?
No?
Um, <cough> me either. What I’m saying is grapefruit was always something I thought I should eat (apparently, fiber, potassium and vitamin C, really are good for you), but not something I ever wanted to eat (like cookies, candy, and cake). Until now.
The first time I spotted this grapefruit cookies recipe was when I received a copy of Martha Stewart’s Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share. You’ve probably come across this book if you a) love cookies, b) are into baking, or c) have a cookbook collection that rivals 101 Cookbooks. It’s a wonderful collection of recipes from meringues to bars, and everything in between.
The great thing about this recipe is that you can eat each cookie in one bite. To me “one bite” means I can eat as many as I want. I mean, after I’ve eaten a handful of grapefruit cookies, I don’t feel guilty. No one can ever feel guilty about eating 5 bites of something, right? Now, if only I could convince my mom they’re good for me.
Recipe for One Bite Grapefruit Cookies
Recipe for One Bite Grapefruit Cookies adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share. Cream filling recipe adapted from Lemon Velvet Cake.
- Grated zest of ½ pink grapefruit, 2 teaspoons
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
- ½ cup sugar, 100 grams
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 90 grams, plus more for work surface
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour, 42 grams (not self-rising)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, 57 grams, softened
- 1 large egg yolks
- For the pink grapefruit cream filling
- ¼ cup of unsalted butter, 57 grams
- 1 cup powdered sugar, 120
- 1 teaspoon pink grapefruit zest
- 11/2 teaspoon pink grapefruit juice
- For the Garnish
- ¼ cup sprinkles, 96 grams
- Add sugar and pink grapefruit zest to your mixer bowl. Mash with the back of a spoon until the sugar becomes moist and fragrant.
- Add butter and beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the egg yolk, beating until just combined. Scrape down the bowl, as needed.
- Reduce to speed to low and add flour in three batches, alternating with the pink grapefruit juice, beginning and ending with the flour.
- Mix until just combined.
- Pat dough into a one-inch disk and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes or until firm.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to ⅓ inch thickness. Use a ⅞ inch square cutter to cut out cookies.
- Place cookies on prepared baking sheets. Gather scraps of dough together and repeat process, if necessary.
- To firm up the cookies, place baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cookie edges are golden, rotating baking sheet at the midpoint of baking time. Let cool.
- For the Filling
- Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with ¼ cup of unsalted butter until light and fluffy (about 3min).
- Add 1 teaspoon zest and 1½ teaspoon of fresh pink grapefruit juice. Mix for another minute.
- Pipe about 1 tsp of buttercream onto bottom of half of the cookies. Top with the other half.
- Place ¼ cup sprinkles in a small bowl.
- Dip each cookie edge into the bowl. Press sprinkles into the filling to make sure it adheres.
- Store in an airtight container in the frig.
- Enjoy.
What cute cookies! Grapefruit sounds like a terrific cookie flavor, though I’d never have thought of using it in a cookie. Love all the sprinkles in these 🙂
Thanks, June! I never would have thought to put grapefruit in cookies either. Thanks, Martha. Maybe next time I’ll put grapefruit in a layer cake. What?! Thanks for stopping by.
Guilty? Why should I feel guilty? Just because I had a big plate of lasagna then saw your One Bite Grapefruit Cookies and wanted to dive into whole bowl of them. It’s both your fault, you for baking them to look so delectable, and that incredible photographer who made them come alive ready to jump into my mouth.
Felix Mayerhofer recently posted…The Fury of Hurricanes
Hahaha, Felix should never feel guilty about these little cookies or a big plate of lasagna. Hmmm, lasagna. Now you got me craving Italian food. Thanks a lot! 😉
These look so amazing! I love grapefruit and I definitely feel like it’s underused! I’m totally trying these.
Jessica DeMay recently posted…Crunchy Cinnamon Toast Squares (Paleo)
Thanks, Jessica! When you try them out, let me know how it goes. Happy Baking!
Amazing grapefruit cookies recipe. I love this recipe. Thanks for sharing such an awesome recipe.
It’s apparent that the writer is a data geek. I like the way he writes
and writes facts.
Gautier recently posted…Gautier
I don’t like grapefruit, but I can see doing this with large oranges. It’s so pretty!