Spiced Orange Crumble Cookies

It is not only the most wonderful time of the year, but it is also my favorite month of “Back Porch Table.” Because for BPT, December means cookies.

To kick off a month of cookies, I couldn’t help channeling the adorable NYT Cooking video producer and – although his bio doesn’t say it – personality Vaughn Vreeland. (I say “personality” because Vaughn is pure fun to watch, so much so that my daughter and I made a trip to Austin this fall to hear him speak at the – also adorable – First Light Books.) For the past year, Vaughn has been scouring the cookie recipe archives of NYT Cooking to identify the best of the best, which he then assembled in the colorful and quirky new book Cookies: The Best Recipes for the Perfect Anytime Treat.

Like Vaughn, the book is refreshing entertainment. You can now buy aprons emblazoned with “Fun, Fruity, and Tart,” which is the fabulous name of one of the book’s chapters. Also, the book is full of recipes I want to make. So when searching for something a little offbeat for the Christmas cookie box (read about the best ones here), the Spiced Orange Crumble Cookies from Cookies stood out. These are crumbly, tart, not-too-sweet – a stand-out in a sea of tried-and-trues. Follow the recipe and you’ll get perfectly beautiful layers in the cookie, a super satisfying result. I made two tweaks by adding a little cardamom and mixing the zest with the crumble.

And with that, let the month of cookie baking begin.

These Spiced Orange Crumble Cookies are crumbly, tart, not-too-sweet – a stand-out in a sea of tried-and-trues. (Photo: Andria Dilling)

Spiced Orange Crumble Cookies

Very slightly adapted from Cookies: The Best Recipes for the Perfect Anytime Treat by Vaughn Vreeland

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into ½-inch cubes, plus more at room temperature for the pan
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup almond flour
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons orange marmalade
Zest of 1 orange
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, almond flour, brown sugar, salt, cloves, and black pepper. Rub the butter into the flour mixture using your fingers until small pebbles for. (Alternatively, use a food processor to pulse the dry ingredients with the butter.) Pour the cream over the mixture, stir just until combined and squeeze until the dough forms ¾-inch clumps. Transfer a little less than half of the crumble (1 ½ loosely packed cups) to a small bowl and refrigerate.

Transfer the remaining dough to the buttered pan and flatten into an even layer by pressing into the bottom of the pan with a glass. Bake until the edges are golden brown and begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes.

Spread the orange marmalade in an even layer over the surface. Use your fingers to mix the orange zest into the reserved crumble, and sprinkle over the top. Return to the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Grate the zest of the orange directly over the top while the crumble is still warm. Cool completely in the pan, then run a knife along the edges of the crumble before releasing the sides. Dust with powdered sugar, cut into wedges, and serve.