Today's cookies: Lemon Crinkle

[serai]

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Made this new cookie recipe today. They were super easy and taste wonderful.

And may I say being able to reach out my back door and pluck a lemon from the tree? In December? Is EXCELLENT.


Lemon Crinkle Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1½ cup AP flour
½ cup powdered sugar, reserved for rolling the cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 3 baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, egg, lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat until well combined. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until they are combined. Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Scoop about a tablespoon of the cookie dough and roll into a ball. Roll in the powdered sugar, then gently toss the cookie back and forth between your hands to shake off the excess sugar. Place on the cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Bake for about 10 minutes, or just until the bottoms of the cookies begin to brown and the cookies are no longer shiny. Remove from the oven and let rest for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container when completely cooled.

NOTE: The baking time will depend on your oven, among other things. I found these cookies reached their best moment after nearly 20 minutes of baking (for full tablespoons), but start checking at about 9 minutes, and pull them out when you see the edges start to get just a little golden brown. With the time it'll take to get them from the oven to your counter, and then the time they'll rest, they'll be perfect when you move them to the rack. (And don't skip the resting stage, or you'll find half the cookie sticking to the paper when you try to pull it off.)

NOTE THE SECOND: Do not neglect to shake off the excess powdered sugar after rolling each cookie. If you leave thick patches of powdered sugar on the cookies, the dough underneath may not bake completely, and you may get little patches of sticky dough on the surface. Not a tragedy, but it does interfere with the texture you're going for here.

Last but not least: Be sure to let the cookies cool off completely before eating. They don't get that lovely crispness until they've set all the way.

Makes between 2 and 3 dozen, depending on the size of the cookie. Be sure to adjust your baking time if you decide to make smaller cookies.


Very easy, sweet and lemony, with a lovely crispness. Definitely a keeper, this one. :)

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Comments

[shirebound]

Oh gosh, I love lemon-anything! These sound so delicious, and I love the name.

[serai1.livejournal.com]

The name comes from the cookies getting a crackled look when they come out of the oven. :)

[addie71.livejournal.com]

Oh, this sound delicious!

[serai1.livejournal.com]

Very, and WAY easy.

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

Yum!!

Oh, one of the things I miss the most from living in Florida is that smell of citrus in the air this time of year!

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

Reminds me of Mexican wedding balls, only with lemon instead of nuts. I'm definitely going to make these for my mom. She loves lemon.

[serai1.livejournal.com]

I'm sure she'll like them. I just baked another batch last night, and found that the temperature of the dough will influence how they bake up. The warmer the dough, the flatter the cookie. The dough should have some stiffness to it, but not be hard. If it's soft when you've mixed it up, then chill the dough for maybe 15 minutes or so, until it's stiff enough that it rolls into a ball of some firmness, i.e., it holds its shape easily and stays a ball when you set it on the baking sheet. :)

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the advice! I can't wait to make them!!