Lemon Cookies

Without having a purpose for them in mind, I bought some Meyer lemons recently at the store. If you are not familiar with Meyer lemons, they are a citrus fruit thought to be a cross between a lemon and an unknown variety of orange. They taste like a lemon with a bit less of the pucker up tartness and are closer in size and shape to oranges. After a bit of searching for a good lemon recipe to use them in, I found this one and thought I would share it with you. Although I chose to use the Meyer lemons, you could simply use regular lemons in this recipe.

Please note that the dough must chill for 3 hours before baking, so please take that into account before starting.


Ingredients:

3 large lemons or 2 large Meyer lemons*
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
pinch of salt
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon extract
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon baking soda

*From your lemons you will need 2 tablespoons of zest and 2 tablespoons of juice.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt; set aside. Combine the butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg, and lemon extract on medium-high speed in a stand mixer for 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the zest and honey; beat on medium-high for another 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pour in the flour mixture, then put the teaspoon of baking soda on top, leaving it in a little mound rather than sprinkling it around. Pour the lemon juice directly on top of the baking soda mound and if your baking soda is fresh, it will bubble and foam to let you know that it has been activated. Beat on low speed for 1 minute and then scrape the bowl one last time. Using a large cookie scoop, make dough balls and then slightly flatten them. Depending on how much room you have in your refrigerator, place them on parchment-lined baking sheets or store them in a container separating the layers with parchment or wax paper, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Space the flattened cookie dough balls 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for approximately 10 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges look set but the centers are still glossy and a bit pale. As they cool, they will firm up. Cool on the baking sheets before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.


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