CALAMANSI CHEWIES : Buttery cookies with Filipino lime

If Santa ever visits a Filipino home on Christmas, he’s in for a treat if you leave out these unique, lemon-lime-like sweet CALAMANSI CHEWIES. Yes, Santa, you’re getting these goodies from this Filipino at heart because you’ve been nice to us, too!

What is a calamansi? Calamansi, the Philippine lime are small,green, round citrus fruits, measuring about quarter of an inch in diameter. They have the tart flavors of a mandarin orange, but are sour as much as they’re sweet.The calamansi also has a piercing sweet citrus scent. I grew up enjoying “calamansi” juice in the Philippines, freshly made every day by my parents for my school lunchbox.

They are as versatile as lemons and limes are. I’ve used calamansi for anything I want to make from appetizers, sides, entrees to desserts.  This little citrus is packed with loads of Vitamin C, too. But let’s get back to this calamansi cookie.

 

 

These days, it’s nearly impossible to get  fresh calamansi where I live in the USA. The next best thing I can do is buy it from my Asian grocer in frozen packets. The little packets have the concentrated frozen juice. I used two packets for this recipe, an adaptation of “Lemon Chewies”. 

After baking them, the results were calamansi-mazing!  The light, chewy, buttery cookies were tinged with the sweet limey “calamansi” flavors I was accustomed to. The cookie batter had a sweet, tart aroma and after baking, the citrus scent lilted in the air. What a terrific take for a favorite lime from my childhood! 

 

CALAMANSI CHEWIES with HONEY

*Adapted from The Cookiepedia by S. Adimando

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup sugar

2 packets frozen calamansi concentrate (about 2 Tablespoons total)

1 egg

1/3 cup honey

Powdered sugar for sprinkling

 

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until they look light and fluffy. Add the calamansi concentrate and mix to incorporate
3. In a separate bowl, crack in the egg and add the honey. Stir them together until they’re well mixed. Then add it to the butter mixture and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture a third at a time and let it mix in fully each time before adding the next batch. Blend till smooth.
4. On a parchment covered cookie sheet, scoop teaspoons of the dough and roll them gently into little balls. Place them on the sheets 2 inches apart and flatten with the tips of fingers or a fork.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies are set and bottoms are golden brown. Cool on racks when done. Sprinkle with powdered sugar after cookies cool completely.

 

• RECIPE SUBSTITUTION : If “calamansi” is not convenient, substitute 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest.

** Please check out the “KALAMANSI MELTAWAYS” of my fellow food blogger, Caroline. She has terrific photos of the citrus fruit and a great recipe, too!

 

Calamansi Chewies Cookies calamansi is a citrus calamansi the Philippine lime chewy lime cookies with hint of honey Filipino cookies holiday Filipino cookies Quirk Books Santa cookies for Christmas The Cookiepedia by Stacey Adimando Posted under Cooking, Events, Featured, Queen's Thoughts, Travel by Elizabeth Q.