Candied Orange Cream Cheese Cookies

About

While these cookies require some extra prep work, it is so worth the effort for a delicious keto-friendly dessert! While fruit is typically avoided on keto, citrus peel is a great way to add vibrant flavors in small doses. Combined with soft and fluffy cream cheese cookies, you’ll be very impressed with taste and texture!

Please note that Step 2 calls for more stevia than what is listed in the ingredients. The ingredient list is for nutritional purposes only.

Ingredients

1 ¾ ounce orange peel
1 cup water
½ cup stevia in the raw, bakers bag
4 ounce cream cheese
2 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoon stevia in the raw, bakers bag
1 large raw egg, white
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon lemon extract
½ cup coconut flour
½ teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

The day before you want to bake the cookies, prepare the candied orange peels. Start by peeling an orange of your choosing and slicing the rind into strips. Unfortunately, you will not be using the actual fruit for this recipe. Share with a friend, or discard the orange fruit.
In a pot over low heat, combine the water with 1 cup of stevia. Not all of this stevia will be eaten later. Once the stevia has completely melted into the water, add in the orange peels. Place a lid on the pot and gently simmer the orange peel in the simple syrup for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, strain the orange peels, discarding any excess simple syrup. Do not rinse the orange peels, simply let the syrup drain from the peels. Then, spread the orange peels out on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Let the orange peels air dry for at least a full 24 hours.
The day of baking, mix together softened cream cheese, softened butter, and the second amount of stevia in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
Next, mix in the egg white, vanilla, and lemon extracts. Mix together the coconut flour and baking powder, then mix this into your cookie batter.
Chop your candied orange peels into fine pieces. If they are still a little sticky, this is okay for this recipe. Simply spray a knife with pan spray before cutting the candied orange peels. Mix the orange peels into the cookie batter. Once your cookie batter is fully combined, place it in a sheet of parchment paper and roll the cookie batter into a log, about 8-10 inches long.
Wrap the parchment paper around your cookie batter and set it in the freezer for at least 3 hours. After the log has frozen, preheat an oven to 325 degrees. Slice your cookie log into 16 cookies and arrange them in a sheet tray.
Bake the cookies for 22-25 minutes. The outside will have a slight dark yellow color, and the inside will be creamy white. Enjoy!