Mandarin Ginger Tea Cakes

I wish I had a witty story for this recipe.  Really, I do. 

However, the truth is that I was running out of supplies for the Cookie Caper baking.  So, I improvised with what I had on hand: cream cheese and tiny little clementine mandarins.  Even worse, when writing the recipe, I had a total mental moment and wrote down the wrong leavening ingredient... then I followed my own recipe.  So, instead of the crunchy and thin orange-flavored gingersnap I was hoping for, I ended up with these lovely, delicious cakey bites of clementine goodness.

 

Mandarin Ginger Tea Cakes

8 oz cream cheese

8 oz butter-flavored shortening

2 c. dark brown sugar

1/2 c granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 seedless mandarin oranges

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

5 cups flour

1.  Preheat oven to 325F.  In a food processor, pulse oranges until very finely processed.  You will need 3-4 tablespoons of pulp and liquid.  

2. Cream together cream cheese, shortening, sugars, eggs, and spices.  Add orange pulp and juice and continue to cream until the mixture is light and fluffy.

3.  Mix in flour and baking soda.  Mix well to combine.

4.  Scoop onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Bake 16 minutes or until bottoms are golden.

Note: This is a double recipe!  If you use a tablespoon sized cookie scoop, this should make approximately 8 dozen cookies.