.
Damn, it is RAINING out here. Windy, too. Just what we need, yay! I'm glad my BiL wanted to go to the dispensary earlier, as now I'm all cozy with my little stashbox refilled. I'll be going next door to watch 2001 with my nephew in about an hour. He likes space movies so I thought he should see a movie that takes place in real space for once. I have a new batch of cookies I baked last night, and doubtless we will do popcorn as well. Then I have a pile of mending to do, which will be nice to get to work on while I'm wrapped up on the couch watching something fun.

Now this is more like it!

_________________


Cinnamon Cookies

12½ tbsps (just over 1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup plus 2 tbsps granulated sugar, divided
1/3 cup light brown sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsps plus 1 tsp cinnamon, divided
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp (4 tsps) vegetable oil
1 tsp water


In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of the sugar, brown sugar and lemon zest together on medium speed until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder and 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon and mix until combined. Then add the oil and water and mix until fully combined.

Place the dough on plastic wrap and roll it into logs that are 2" in diameter. (Smaller logs are easier to work with than one long one, so it may be helpful to use about a baseball-sized portion of dough to form each log.) Twist the ends of the plastic wrap as you would to wrap a candy to help you achieve an evenly round log. Freeze for about two hours or until the logs are chilled all the way through. (You can freeze the logs, well wrapped in plastic and stored in an airtight container, for up to a month. Defrost frozen logs before using, but be sure they are still chilled all the way through.)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar and the remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon until well combined.

With a sharp knife, slice the logs into slices and arrange them on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, then bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies begin to pick up a little color along the bottom edges. Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on the baking sheet or a cooling rack, then store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to a week.

Makes 30-60 cookies, depending on thickness


This is another of those bitchy dryish doughs. I'm thinking that instead of rolling into logs, it'd easier to just press the dough into the bottoms of a couple of muffin tin, to about 1/3" thick. (I'd line them with pieces of plastic wrap to makes sure they're easy to extract.) In the fridge for about a half hour, then pop the dough rounds out and proceed. I suspect that will be MUCH less of a headache then wrestling with rolling logs and cutting them, ARGH.

.

.
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. :)

.

.
Oy, I'm SO crap at doing things in plenty of time...

Nevertheless, I'm getting to the holiday stuff, so if anyone would like a card, please leave a screened comment with your address, or you can PM me with it. I'll get them in the mail this week.


( In other news... )