When Life Hands You Lemons…Make Cookies

My father has been trying to convince me for weeks to bake him a lemon cookie, and I finally gave in. With the oncoming of summer, I felt that a refreshing citrus cookie was also in order.

This is my first attempt at these lemon crinkle cookies, and I must admit, they turned out better than I had expected. Light, fluffy and cake-like, they would be a great companion to a cup of tea. The zest swirls in your mouth as it hits your taste buds, leaving a lingering lemony flavor. My best adaptation to this recipe was to add almond extract, for it enhanced the vanilla flavor, adding a bit of nuttiness for the consumer to enjoy.

I will certainly be making this cookie again, and adapting it more so to add a more innovative approach.

Adapted from: http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2013/03/meyer-lemon-crinkle-cookies.html#.UYRefyt34Rg

(my adaptations are in bold)

Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies
adapted from Cooking Channel

9 oz (about 1 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour, sifted

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted

1/2 teaspoon salt, sifted

1 cup granulated sugar, sifted

3 teaspoons lemon zest (about 2 to 3 lemons)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 brown eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the granulated sugar and the lemon zest. Rub them together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter to the bowl, and beat the sugar/butter mixture on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then mix in the vanilla extract, lemon extract, and almond extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until they are incorporated. Be careful not to overmix the batter. The dough should be light, smooth and very delicious. (One of my guilty pleasures is eating raw cookie dough).

Add the confectioners’ sugar to a wide, shallow bowl.

Using a medium sized cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons), portion the dough into balls. Roll the balls so they’re uniform, then drop them in the confectioners’ sugar and toss to coat. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets, placing them about 2 inches apart. I flattened them before baking.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies have puffed and their surfaces have cracked. (10 minutes seemed to avoid the bottom of the cookies from browning, ergo becoming to hard and crunchy from baking on the parchment paper). They’ll still be fairly light in color. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the cookies cool for one minute or so before removing them to the racks to cool completely (they will seemingly cool quite quickly).

Store in an airtight container.

*Note: I had read on the recipe I printed out that this is a refrigerated dough. However, I did not realize that until after the fact, nor do I think it is necessary*

Made about 20 cookies