When Life Gives You Lemons … Make Lemon Sugar Cookies!

 

Last week was a real crappy one for our house. It started Wednesday morning, when we discovered fraudulent charges on our bank account. When you’re on a super-tight-to-the-penny budget (like most folks these days), missing $300 unexpectedly is no bueno.

Thursday morning we lost power at the house. Not an issue, usually. But when you’re working from home and have a pile up of files to edit and get through production, it throws your entire day off. But not like getting in a car accident on your way to pick up your daughter from school. Yup, that’s what happened later in the day. And I was at fault. Boo. Thank goodness for car insurance and our $500 deductible. Ah, but remember our to-the-penny budget? We’re screwed now.

The end of this month can’t come soon enough. Or at least my office lottery pool needs to hit at some point. That would be all kinds of awesometastic goodness. One can dream, right?

So I didn’t post anything last week because it was shitty and I was in no mood (nor did I have the time) to write. But this week is different! I got a bag of Meyer lemons from our neighbors and instead of making lemon bars, I wanted to try a new recipe. I found this Lemon Sugar Cookies recipe from two peas & their pod. It’s easy, straightforward and makes a ton. Oh, and, apparently, they’re super delicious per my neighbors and the hubs’ coworkers. Not too sweet and the lemon sorta lingers. I recommend refrigerating this dough and try rolling it in turbinado sugar (also known as sugar in the raw) for a twist that gives an extra crunch. The hubs preferred those, but I think I like just the granulated sugar, which is what the recipe calls for.

Lemon Sugar Cookies from two peas & their pod

Ingredients
2 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
1 C unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1/2 t vanilla extract
zest of 2 large lemons (mine weren’t terribly large)
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 C granulated sugar for rolling cookies (try turbinado sugar, too!)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. Using a mixer (hand or stand is fine), beat together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.

4. Add lemon zest, egg, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Mix until combined.

5. Gradually add flour mixture. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything gets all mixed together.

6. Here’s where the original recipe just rolls the dough in sugar, plops them on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets and pops them in the oven. I did that, but I recommend refrigerating the dough for about 30 minutes. It’s quite soft and sticks to your hands when rolling, so spending some time in the cool fridge will help stiffen the dough up a bit and make it easier to roll into balls. It’s not absolutely necessary, trust me. I did one batch right away and they turned out great, but I had to throw my batter into the refrigerator because I had to go pick up my daughter from school. It made it so much easier for her little hands to work with the dough after it had sat a bit in the fridge.

7. Roll rounded tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in sugar. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets,  about 2 inches apart (these puppies get nice and relaxed, spreading pretty far out, so give them some space).

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are slightly brown around the edges and set. 11 minutes was my magic number for larger cookies. The smaller the cookie, the less time, of course. Also, the longer you let them bake the crunchier they’ll be. Let cookies sit on the baking sheets for two minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

I love this tip that’s included: To keep cookies soft, store cookies with a slice of bread in an air tight container.

If you want something light and chewy and lemony you just found the perfect cookie. I’m not even a lemon person and I’ve eaten my fair share. I’ve been asked to make another batch already. Hope the cooler weather sticks around because it makes it so much better to bake (right?!).

What’s your favorite sweet to make with fresh lemons? Please share in the comments section or e-mail me directly!

~TTFN