A cozy winter citrus recipe roundup featuring oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and blood oranges to brighten the darkest days of the season.
There’s a particular shade of winter grey that settles in by late January/ early February. The trees are bare. The light feels a little flat. My kitchen window currently feels like a drafty porthole absent of any sign of spring. But! Because every kitchen needs a little saving grace on the counter – there’s a big bowl of bright citrus, amen!
This is the season when, thankfully, oranges taste like candy, grapefruit give me the snap back I need, and lemons feel like more necessity than garnish. Citrus in deep winter wakes up my sleepy palate. A peeled tangerine with a cup of milky black tea in the afternoon is perfection and just the reminder I need that the sun is still very much doing her job somewhere.
If summer is about ease, winter is about intention. We’re leaning into maximalism of the senses this season – something that cuts through the heaviness with a burst of sunshine.
So if it’s grey where you are, let’s bring the sunshine inside.
Here are some of my favorite citrus-forward recipes on Joy the Baker! Think cakes and quick breads, cookies and curds, and dinners for good measure – recipes that feel like little beams of light on a winter table.
Lemon Poppy Seed Kolaches are soft, pillowy yeasted buns with a tender crumb. The centers are filled with bright, glossy lemon curd that settles into the dough like a little pool of sunshine AND creamy sweetened cream cheese. A sprinkle of poppy seeds adds that familiar nutty crunch, and suddenly you have a pastry that feels equal parts old-world bakery and modern brunch table. I LOVE!
And then there’s the Lemon Curd Crumb Cake! It’s buttery, plush, and unapologetically generous with its streusel. This one is built in layers: soft vanilla cake, a swoop of tart lemon curd that bakes into silky ribbons, and a thick crown of crumb topping that shatters just slightly under your fork.
• Lavender Lemon Drops – not a cookie, but a chilled coupe glass, a sugared rim, and the exact right balance of tart lemon and floral lavender. It’s bright, punchy, and just sweet enough to feel like a treat without tipping into syrupy. Shake one up when winter feels endless and you need a little sparkle in your glass. A little drama and a lot of bright + delicious!
• Grapefruit Yogurt Poppy Seed Loaf because grapefruit is the cool older sister of citrus and she deserves loaf cake status. This one is tender from yogurt, lightly bitter in the best way, and finished with a glossy citrus glaze that sinks into the top layer of crumb just so to make the cake sticky in the most satisfying way.
• Years ago I landed on My Favorite Classic Lemon Bars Recipe and the recipe stays true! You know a good lemon bar when you have one: buttery shortbread base and the bright, just-tart-enough custard that makes your cheeks perk up. Of course, a heavy snowfall of powdered sugar is non-negotiable! (Sidenote: King Arthur Baking has a great non-melting powdered sugar for bakes like lemon bars. It’s a game changer!)
• When everything feels beige, I highly recommend slicing the peel off citrus fruits and slicing it into rounds. I can’t explain it but it’s instant colorful luxury. With that fruit, build a Citrus and Greens Winter Salad that refuses to be ignored. Peppery greens, jewel-toned citrus segments, maybe a few roasted cashews and creaminess from ripe avocado? Perfection.
• I love a low effort dinner and yes, risotto can be low effort. This baked version of Lemon Spinach Risotto does most of the work in the oven while you hover nearby with a glass of wine. It’s creamy, bright with lemon, studded with spinach, and feels both wholesome and indulgent at the same time.
• Peel and all, baby! This Whole Orange Bundt Cake is the kind of cake that tastes like sunshine soaked straight into the batter. It’s downright plush and livened even further with a bit of cinnamon crumble – always one of my favorite bakes every deep winter!
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