Chewy Lemon Cookies

I've been receiving lemons from several friends lately. The lemon farmers must be doing great. Lemon desserts are one of my favorite types. The lemons give a freshness taste to the dessert.

I made chewy lemon cookies from a recipe from a fellow blogger. These cookies are covered in powder sugar once they are out of the oven. I tried one without the powder sugar, and one after to taste the difference. The powder sugar makes it better. If you like your lemonade sweet, don't skip the powder sugar.


Chewy Lemon Snowdrops
from sophistimom.com
(makes about 24)
1 3/4 all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons)
zest of 2 lemons
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons lemon juice
about 1 cup powder sugar for coating

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk flour and salt together. Set aside.

In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, mix butter, lemon juice, zest and honey until smooth.


Combine lemon juice and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, add lemon juice and flour mixture. Scrape down sides and mix with a spatula to make sure all ingredients are evenly distributed.


Roll cookie dough into 1 inch diameter and bake 10-15 minutes. (Mine were done in 12) Let cool for a few minutes and toss into powder sugar while cookies are still warm. The powder sugar seems to stick to the cookies better while they are warm.


And enjoy some fresh chewy lemon cookies!

Valentine's Mug Cookies

February is here and Valentine's Day is just around the corner. For those with a special someone, you may already have ideas to show how much you care. If not, here I am to help.

I found a cool cookie cutter while browsing through World Market. The "Side-of-the-Cup Cookie Cutter" comes in a flower, star or heart shape. The cookies hang from your mug. The heart shape cookie cutter is great to make cookies and greet your special someone good morning, not just on Valentine's Day, but any day.

The cookie cutter comes with a shortbread cookie recipe as well. The cookies come out soft and have a nice butter like taste. And what dessert does not taste better with chocolate! After all, Valentine's Day is about chocolates. Dip the cookies in melted chocolate and oh goodness! They are good!

Shortbread Cookies

Recipe from World Market

2 cups butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

My suggestions

Chocolate melts (optional)

Sprinkles (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, stir in the vanilla. Add flour and salt and mix well. Roll out cookie dough and cut cookie.

Transfer cookies to a baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place the cookies in the refrigerator for approximately 30 minutes. This will prevent cookies from spreading while baking. In the mean time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake cookies for 10 - 12 minutes. My cookies took the full 12 minutes.

Let them cool for about 30 minutes. Melt chocolate melts according to dir

ections. Dip cookies in the chocolate and sprinkle nonpareils or your choice of decoration.

Place cookies on parchment paper and refrigerate for about 15 minutes until chocolate firms. Position cookie on the edge of a mug and "Good morning!" to your special someone with a yummy goodie!

Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Christmas will soon be here so it's time to start thinking what cookies to bake for those cookie exchanges, parties and family gatherings. For the last two years I have given a cookie plate to close friends and family I see for Christmas. I like to include a variety of flavors for those that like things sweet, chocolaty, vanilla like, fruity or sour. To make the cookie plate look festive I also try to choose cookies that have color. I saw this cookie in several sites and thought it would be perfect to add color to any cookie plate.

Christmas Pinwheel Cookies are two sugar cookie doughs rolled up together to form a swirl of color. Think of it like rolling a sushi roll or a sponge roll. You can also change the colors and sprinkles for different special occasions and holidays.

Ingredients

Sugar Cookie Mix

1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour

1 stick of butter

1 egg

(or use your own sugar cookie recipe)

red food gel color

sprinkles

Mix sugar cookie mix with flour. Add butter and egg to mix. Once thoroughly mix, remove half of the batter. Add food coloring to batter still in bowl and mix until all batter turns red.

Roll each batter into same size rectangles on parchment paper. Place each on separate baking sheets and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Place dough on top of each other and roll tight from the longer side. (I trimmed any excess to form a rectangle before rolling.) Spray roll with water.

Place sprinkles on a baking sheet. You can also shake the pan so that they all spread evenly.

Roll dough on sprinkles. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or freeze up to 2 months.

Remove from refrigerator and cut roll 1/4 inch slices. Place cookie slices on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake for 10 - 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy the yummy colorful cookies!

Candy Overload Cookies

Did you have less trick or treaters than expected? Did your children come back with too much candy? Or did you get overly excited with the Halloween candy at the store's clearance racks?

I've got a solution to this candy overload. Make cookies!

You've seen M&M cookies, so why not Kit-Kat cookies? Reese's cookies? Whopper cookies? Maybe Kit-Kat, Reese's, M&Ms and Whoppers in one cookie!

Just follow this recipe then add any candy of your choice.

Cookie recipe modified from Cake Boss: Stories and Recipes from Mia Famiglia:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
candy of your choice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put butter, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Paddle at medium speed until ingredients come together.
3. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour and mix until thoroughly integrated.
4. Chop the candy that will be used for the cookies and mix into batter.
5. Spoon batter into baking trays covered with parchment paper.
6. Bake 12 to 15 minutes.

I used Whoppers, Reese’s, chocolate M&Ms and peanut butter M&Ms. I also placed some batter in a separate bowl before adding all the candy to make different cookies.

Whopper cookies, Whopper and M&M’s cookies, Reese’s cookies, Reese’s and peanut butter M&Ms cookies.

What’s your favorite Halloween candy?