These easy cookies are like a trip to the tropics. The cookie gets its orange flavor from three sources—zest, aromatic orange oil, and heady Grand Marnier. Then both the flavor and texture becomes more complex with the addition of chopped candied pineapple.
Yield: 3 dozen
Active time: 20 minutes
Start to finish: 35 minutes
1 cup (16 tablespoons) soy margarine, softened
11/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, divided
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, triple sec, or other orange-flavored liqueur
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon pure orange oil
21/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped candied pineapple
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. Combine margarine and 1/2 cup sugar in a mixing bowl, and beat at low speed with an electric mixer to blend. Increase the speed to high, and beat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in Grand Marnier, orange zest, and orange oil, and beat for 1 minute. Slowly add flour and salt to margarine mixture, and beat until soft dough forms. Fold pineapple into dough.
3. Take scant 1-tablespoon portions of dough, and roll them into balls. Place balls 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets, and flatten balls slightly with the bottom of glass dipped in flour. Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.
4. Allow cookies to sit for 2 minutes. Sift remaining 1/2 cup sugar into a low bowl, and transfer cookies a few at a time to the bowl with a spatula. Coat cookies with sugar, and then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.
Note: Keep cookies in an airtight container, layered between sheets of waxed paper or parchment, at room temperature for up to 5 days. Cookies can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
Variation:
Substitute candied chopped mixed candied fruit for the pineapple, and substitute rum extract for the vanilla.