Although many plants lie dormant during the winter, colder months are actually the best time to pick citrus fruits and incorporate them into your diet. They offer a range of health benefits, including boosting fiber and vitamin C.
The citrus fruit category includes more than just lemons, limes and oranges — there are dozens of citrus varieties, including tangerine, pomelo, kumquat, key lime, Meyer lemon, blood orange, clementines, tangelo and more.
Whether you love the winter or not, this is the best time of year to enjoy fresh citrus. Here are some citrus recipes to brighten up the season.
1. Lemon loaf
This treat is iconic for a reason: It’s easy to make but packs a punch of citrusy flavor. This recipe from Lil’ Luna was voted the best in baking blogger The Pancake Princess’s lemon loaf bake-off, but if you don’t have instant lemon pudding mix on hand (a key ingredient in this recipe), The Pancake Princess recommends this recipe from Smitten Kitchen instead.
2. Blood orange olive oil cake
If you want to make an impressive dessert but don’t have the time or skills to do something fancy, this recipe is for you. It’s a fairly simple, straightforward bake, but it looks far more complicated than it is. The slices of blood orange caramelize into a beautiful crust on this flavorful, moist olive oil cake.
3. Key lime coconut bars
You’ve likely heard of lemon bars, and while those are delicious, these key lime coconut bars offer more depth of flavor. The contrast between bright lime and warm coconut makes for a classic flavor combination, and it lends a tropical twist to the dessert.
4. Lemon meringue pie
I grew up reading the “Amelia Bedelia” books, which detail the misadventures of a maid who takes everything literally but makes a wonderful lemon meringue pie. Maybe I like the dessert because those books made it seem so enticing, but I think the combo of a crisp crust, smooth lemon filling and toasted meringue stands for itself.
As an added bonus, if you have any leftover lemon curd from making the filling, you can save it as a topping for muffins, scones, pancakes and any other number of other sweet treats.
5. Lemon basil sugar cookies
You may be surprised to see basil listed as an ingredient here, but I personally think we need to be putting more herbs in our desserts. Why stop at mint? Basil naturally has a slight sweetness to it, and it blends beautifully with lemon in these cookies.
6. Grapefruit poppy seed cake
Cake by Courtney has never failed me, and her grapefruit poppy seed cake is one of my favorites. While lemon is more commonly combined with poppy seed, this recipe calls for a homemade grapefruit curd to sandwich layers of the cake, and it works beautifully.
7. Kumquat upside-down cake
Kumquats are incredibly underrated members of the citrus family. They’re essentially nature’s sour candy, with a tart inside and sweet skin. Although citrus rinds are normally discarded, you can eat a kumquat whole. This recipe is a variation on a pineapple upside-down cake, and the kumquat’s tart flavor adds depth to the dish.
8. Mini lemon cakes
This recipe is inspired by “Game of Thrones,” but you don’t have to be a fan of the series to enjoy them. Sweet, mini lemon cakes are topped with a simple lemon syrup and sliced lemon for a pack of citrus flavor that looks absolutely stunning.
9. Carlota de limon
Warning: After making this Mexican dessert, you may never feel like making a key lime pie again. This four-ingredient icebox cake consists of a simple, no-bake custard poured between layers of cookies that sits in the fridge until it solidifies, similar to a tiramisu.
10. Blood orange rosemary cookies
Again, I really think we should be using fresh herbs more generously in our baking. Blood orange and rosemary is an uncommon combination, but the subtle, earthy spice of rosemary perfectly complements the blood orange in these glazed sugar cookies.