This recipe is the thing that inspired me to start Cottage Kitchen! As a long-time sugar cookie fan, last holiday season I decided to stray from my usual but beloved vanilla sugar cookie in favor of…a grapefruit cookie. I figured a fresh grapefruit would provide a delicate citrus taste to the soft and sweet sugar cookie. It worked just like I planned and to boot, the grapefruit zest gave the cookies an appealing, very slight pink color. Topped with a frosting flavored with a little fresh grapefruit juice and sanding sugar sprinkles, these cookies are fragrant and delicious.
After baking these cookies as an experiment one morning, I called my sister to chat and mentioned what I had baked. Later that week, I called my mother and asked her, “Did I tell you I baked sugar cookies, but flavored with them with grapefruit instead of vanilla’. She answered, “You didn’t tell me, but your sister did. That is such a creative idea. You really have a gift for experimenting with food. You really need to find a way to share that with the world. And so today, I am proud to launch Cottage Kitchen.
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
- 1 and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup + 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
- ¾ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tp. Salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- Zest grated from 1 large pink grapefruit
For the icing:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 Tbsp. fresh pink grapefruit juice
- ½ cup sanding sugar sprinkles, preferably light pink or white
Directions:
For the cookies:
- In a medium bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together ½ cup softened butter and sugar. Beat in egg.
- In large spoonfuls, add dry ingredient mixture and stir to incorporate.
- Lastly, add in grapefruit zest and stir to incorporate. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
- When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 375 F.
- Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and allow to sit out for about half an hour.
- With a rolling pin, roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface.
- Cut out cookies using 3-inch cookie cutters, then transfer to an un-greased cookie sheet.
- Bake for about 9 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies begin to brown very slightly.
- Cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for one hour before decorating.
To make the icing:
- Using a fork or an electric mixer, beat powdered sugar into ¼ cups softened butter.
- Add grapefruit sugar, and continue to stir.
- If necessary, add a very small amount of water in order for powdered sugar to be fully absorbed.
- Spread icing evenly over tops of cookies, sprinkling each with about 1 tsp. of sanding sugar.
- Allow icing to dry for about 2 hours, if not eating right away. Makes about 20 cookies.
