Orange Anise Squares Recipes

ORANGE-ANISE SQUARES

Steps:

• Make Classic Shortbread dough, beating the seeds from 1 vanilla bean and 1/2 teaspoon crushed toasted anise seeds with the butter. Whisk 2 cups confectioners' sugar and 2 1/2 tablespoons orange juice; spread over the finished shortbread and slice. Top with candied orange slices.

ANISE-ORANGE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flours, anise, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Put sugar and zest into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed for 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium. Mix in juice and egg. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined.
• Working in batches, spoon batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip (such as Wilton No. 1A). Pipe 3 1/2-inch-long lines onto parchment-lined baking sheets, making the ends slightly thicker than centers. Bake cookies until edges and bottoms are golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer cookies to rack; let cool completely.

ORANGE SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, almonds, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, and 1 tsp orange zest.
• Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.
• Press into bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, orange juice, and extract.
• Combine remaining 1/4 cup flour and baking powder and add to sugar mixture, whisking to combine.
• Pour over crust.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until set.
• Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired.
• Cut into squares to serve.

FROSTED ORANGE DATE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, 1/2 cup butter, water and dates. Cook, stirring frequently until dates have softened and the mixture is well blended. Remove from heat. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the date mixture, then mix in the 1/4 cup orange juice, milk, eggs and 1 tablespoon orange zest. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. To make the frosting, combine the confectioners' sugar, 1/3 cup butter, cream cheese and orange zest. Beat until smooth. Gradually mix in the remaining orange juice a tablespoon at a time until the icing is spreadable. Spread over the bars when cool. Cut into squares.

ORANGE ANISE SEED SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• *NOTE: The orange juice is my addition. You can add any proportion of milk and orange juice as long as the liquid equals 1 cup.
• Topping Number Two: To make the simple syrup, bring the water and sugar to the boil in a small saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the orange blossom water. Set aside.
• Cake: Grease and flour an 8" square baking pan.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar and eggs until fluffy.
• Add the flour, baking powder, salt, milk, orange juice, anise seeds and nutmeg. Beat on low speeds just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Next, beat on medium speed until fluffy and blended, about another minute.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until cake springs back when touched.
• Remove from oven and while still cake is still hot spread the orange marmalade on top for Topping Number One. For Topping Number Two, poke holes in the top of the cake all over with a toothpick. Pour the simple syrup over the top.
• Cut into squares. Delicious with coffee!

FIG SQUARES

Steps:

• For baking: 1 egg, beaten For dough, in a large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add 1/4 pound soft butter and work finely into flour. Cut cold butter into 1/2 pieces and add to bowl. Work in until butter is left pea-sized. Drizzle water over mixture and toss in. If dough is dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed. Dough should be loose in bowl, not in a ball. Turn out onto work surface and pull together. Divide into 2 equal portions, flatten each slightly, and wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour before rolling. (Refrigerate up to 3 days, freeze up to 6 months.) For the fig filling, in a large saucepan, combine all but 1/3 of the grated zest and butter, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until fruit is soft and liquid thickened. Transfer to a food processor and puree until smooth. Add butter and puree to blend. Add remaining zest and pulse in. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. To assemble and bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 11 by 17-inch baking sheet (up to 12 x18) with parchment paper. Remove one of the wrapped pieces of dough from the refrigerator and unwrap. Roll dough on a floured surface into a rectangle to fit the bottom and sides of the baking sheet. Line the sheet with the dough. Place the baking sheet in the freezer while the second piece of dough is rolled out in the same way. Remove baking sheet from freezer and spread fig filling evenly over the surface of the dough. Top with the second sheet of dough and pinch the edges to seal. Trim the excess dough. Brush surface of dough with beaten egg. Prick through the top layer of dough with a fork evenly over the surface (about 1 1/2 apart.) Place baking sheet on bottom rack of oven. Bake 25 to35 minutes, until dough is a light-medium golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Cut into portions (squares are traditional.)

CHOCOLATE ORANGE SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease 9-inch square cake pan.
• In medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter with chocolate.
• Pour into mixing bowl and cool 10 minutes.
• Add eggs, sugar and marmalade to chocolate mixture, whisking until smooth.
• Stir in vanilla, flour, baking powder and salt, just until flour is no longer visible.
• Pour into prepared cake pan and bake until surface is shiny, approximately 30 minutes.
• Cool completely.
• Glaze:.
• Melt butter with chocolate and add corn syrup.
• Stir until incorporated.
• Spread glaze on cake.
• Sprinkle with orange zest.
• Let cake sit until glaze is fairly firm.
• Cut into 3-inch squares or pieces of desired size.

ORANGE-ANISE CREPES

Steps:

• Beat together the eggs, milk, orange juice, anise, and flour until smooth. Refrigerate overnight.
• To cook the crepes, melt a little butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat; brush the butter evenly over the pan. Pour in 1/4 cup of the batter, tilt the pan to distribute the batter evenly. Cook until the batter begins to firm up and bubble, when lightly browned, flip over, and continue cooking until browned on the other side, about 4 minutes total. Repeat with remaining batter. To serve, sprinkle crepes with sugar.

CRISP ANISE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and anise in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs with a mixer on medium speed. Slowly add sugar, increase speed to high, and whisk until thick and glossy, about 10 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture, whisking until just combined.
• Spoon batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Pipe 1-inch tapered mounds on baking sheets lined with nonstick baking mats, spacing them 1 inch apart. Bake until firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.