Freezing Orange Zest

Why didn't I start doing this years ago???  I have several recipes that call for orage zest including Orange Poppy Seed Olive Oil Cake (and the two other orange poppy seed cakes referenced), Cranberry Bread, and Spicy Orange Shrimp. When I'm using the zest I prefer to start with an organic orange, but organic oranges are not always easily available.  This was especially true before Thanksgiving this year when I wanted to make Cranberry Bread.  Soon after, however, I not only found organic navel oranges but found they were on special. I bought a bunch to have for dessert with Coconut Macaroons. As I was peeling the first orange, I thought, "Wait a minute this is organic zest going to waste!"  The solution: 

Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of a flat, freezable (with cover) container. Using a zester, then a grater remove the zest from the orange and spread across the parchment paper.  Freeze. Remove zest and put in jars/freezer containers and (while still frozen) freeze for later use.  Peel and enjoy the orange(s)!

Coconut Macaroons

We got some awesome chocolate topped coconut macaroons at the Atlantic Baking Company in Rockland, Maine this summer. Back home and needing to make a cookie of some sort, I decided to give it a try.  I turned to my trusty Silver Palate Cookbook. While the Silver Palate recipe* calls for a quarter cupfull of batter per cookie baked 20 minutes or until golden brown at 350 degrees F,  I wanted much smaller cookies and failed to reduce cooking time. The results were good but not as soft and chewy as the Atlantic Baking Company's. But like the Atlantic Baking Company I added a chocolate dip. I have since modified the recipe to use the entire can of condensed milk (the macaroons freeze well). I also changed the technique mixing the dry ingredients into the wet. I think this blends the ingredients faster and better.

                                                                  

Mix together in a medium size bowl:

2.45 oz (1/2 c) flour

15 oz shredded coconut

Mix together in a large bowl:                            :

14 oz sweetened condensed milk.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (I use 325 degrees F convection).  Drop about 2 T of batter per cookie (should make 30 cookies at about 29 g each) on baking sheets covered with parchment paper. Some bits of batter may fall away from the cookie. After all the batter has been distributed, using your damp hands, push the stray pieces to the nearest cookie and push to attach.

2 t vanilla or 2 t almond extract**

Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 - 20 minutes (I bake for 12 minutes at 325 convection) until golden brown checking after 10 minutes and rotating the cooking sheet if cookies in the rear are browing faster than those in the front.

Remove cookies from pan and cool on a rack. If desired, when cool, dip (I acutally don't "dip" I "frost" the bottom of each cookie) in chocolate (I use 365 Dark Chocolate Baking Chunks) melted in the microwave. Set the cookie upside down on a plate, then put the plate of cookies in the  refrigerator to set the chocolate.

*Silver Palate recipe:

1/3 c unbleached all-purpose flour

2 1/2 c shredded coconut [9 oz]

1/8 t salt [omitted]

2/3 c sweetened condensed milk

1 t vanilla extract

** I prefer almond extract. However if making for a group that might include some people who are allergic to nuts, use vanilla.

NOTE: I use melted chocolate so often that I just cover the ramekin containing any remaining melted chocolate and refrigerate until next use.

Revised 12/13/25 revised technique, edited