Lemony Cookies

This recipe came about after Camden was asking for a cookie after 7pm. One of the rules in my home is no caffeine (for my kids) after 5pm. Who wants their kids to jump off the walls at night? Not me. And trust me, I made that mistake before, giving Camden a chocolate sweet for nighttime snack. Never again.

I had great success with my cream filled chocolate cookies. When I decided to modify the chocolate cookies recipe to make these lemony cookies, I simply omitted all the cocoa powder and vanilla extract. The lemony flavor came from lemon zest and juice. Remember, when using lemon zest, be sure the lemon isn't coated with wax. If you can't find one without wax coating, skip the ingredient. Instead, use the lemon juice with pulps. The lemony flavor will mainly come from the lemon glaze. No zest, no worries.

Beside rolling out the cookie dough and cutting the dough with cookie cutters, place a small scoop of the dough into the foil cupcake liner. Then press the dough to spread it out. Make sure the foil cupcake liners are in the cupcake pan. Bake then frost as directed below.

Since these lemony cookies need to freeze for a few hours before baking, they are perfect for making ahead dessert. Once ready, bake, glaze, and enjoy.

Lemony Cookies
makes about 16, depending on the size of the cookies

1 large egg
6 Tablespoons (3 oz) palm shortening
1/2 cup (3.7 oz)  light brown sugar
1/2 cup (3.5 oz) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon (1 oz) fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, from 2 lemons
2 cups (8 oz) all purpose flour, more for dusting
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Lemony Glaze
enough to glaze 6 cookies

3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1. Place a parchment paper or nonstick mat on a baking sheet. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, palm shortening, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, shift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and lemon zest.
4. Using the hand mixer, mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture.
5. Place the dough onto the nonstick mat and knead until the dough is shiny. NOTE: Sprinkle flour a little bit at the time to prevent sticking, but don't add too much flour that the dough becomes dry.
6. Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick.
7. Cut the dough into desired shapes.
8. Using a thin spatula, transfer the dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
9. Freeze the cookie dough for 30-60 minutes. NOTE: The longer the freezing time, the better. Feel free to freeze some for future baking.
10. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
11. Bake the cookies until crisp, about 10 minutes.
12. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies onto the wire rack to cool completely. TIP: To speed up the cooling process, refrigerate the cookies until cool enough to frost.
13. For the lemony glaze, whisk together the sugar and lemon juice. 
14. Once the cookies are cooled, spread the glaze on the cookies. TIP: Use a small spatula or a butter knife for an even spreading.
15. Before serving, place the frosted lemony cookies in the refrigerator to sets up the glaze a bit.
16. Keep the cookies in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Allergy Info: These lemony cookies are free from or can be made without dairy, corn, legumes (soy), nuts (not coconut or palm), and fish.