Lemonade Cookies

Secret Recipe Club time! And you get two posts for the price of one today. Which is….free.

Don’t miss today’s first post, it includes a fabulous giveaway.

This month I was assigned to Melissa’s blog, I Was Born To Cook. And I think she was! She has TONS of great recipe on her site! Her recipe index is so long, take some time to browse the great stuff she has there.

I decided on lemonade sugar cookies, because I once again procrastinated and I needed a recipe that I already had all the ingredients for. Luckily for me, as I already said, Melissa had tons of choices so I had no problem finding something.

Also, did you know I FINALLY have my very own KitchenAid stand mixer?!? I’m going to be giving one away in July. It is bright and beautiful! I can’t wait to share the love. Anyyyyways. Cookies are now much easier to make! I don’t have to use any arm muscles! Hello, flabby arms, welcome to my body! Oh wait. They’ve already been here.

Lemonade Cookies
adapted from I Was Born to Cook, original recipe from Sweet Stuff by Karen Barker

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
grated zest of one lemon
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
turbinado sugar for rolling cookies in

1. Using paddle attachment, cream butter and lemon zest in mixing bowl until smooth. Add sugar and blend until smooth. Then add eggs, followed by vanilla and lemon juice. Scrape sides of bowl as needed.
2. Add dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Refrigerate for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Make round balls out of about 1 tablespoon of the dough. Roll in turbinado sugar or pink sanding sugar (pink lemonade cookies!) and place on baking sheet. Leave a couple of inches between the balls of dough. I did 12 to a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the bottoms of the cookies are pale brown and the tops are still light. Yields approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Note: The original recipe called for 1/4 cup of canola oil blended in after the butter and before the sugar. I left it out, partly to cut fat. Anyone know what it would have done? Chewier and flatter? These almost had a biscuit-like quality to them.

Verdict: Delicious! I love the refreshing taste of the lemon with the nice crunch of the sugar on the outside.
Husband’s take: I didn’t think Ben would like these because he isn’t too fond of all things citrus, but he really did like them. “They taste great with coffee.”
Daughter’s take: They are coated in sugar. Need I say more?
Changes I would make: None. If you want them a little more lemony, add in the zest of another lemon (2 total). My lemon flavor was slightly faint, but I only had one lemon.
Difficulty: Easy!

Tagged as: baked, cookie, lemon, lemonade, sugar cookies