Lemon Cookies

One of my favorite authors/book series is Joanna Fluke’s, Hannah Swenson.  Not only does Hannah bake cookies for a living, but she also solves mysteries.  Joanne Fluke also provides recipes for the readers.  I have found several of my favorite recipes in her books.  This is one of those recipes.  I don’t remember which book it is from.

If you like tart lemon bars, you will like these.  They are lemon bars in a cookie bar form.  Yummy!  Enjoy!

These are wonderfully lemony and quite tart.  You may wish to sprinkle them with powdered sugar before you serve them to those who like them sweeter.

Lemon Cookies

Stars of the recipe:

• 1/2 cup softened butter (1 stick = 1/4 pound)
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg beaten (just whip it up in a glass with a fork)
• 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 2/3 c. flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
• 1/2 c. milk

Steps:

1. Beat the butter and the sugar together until they’re light and fluffy.
2. Add the beaten egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Mix it all up.
3. Mix in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well.
4. Mix in half of the flour and half of the milk.
5. Stir everything all up, and then add the remaining flour and milk.  Mix well.
6. Drop by teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Make these cookies small, about the size of a cherry.  If you make them too large, they’ll spread out on the cookie sheet and crumble when you remove them.
7. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 14 minutes.
8. While they are baking, mix up the topping.

Topping:

Stars of the recipe:

• 1/4 c. of lemon juice
• 1/2 c. of sugar

Steps:

1. Heat lemon juice just a bit in the microwave.
2. Add sugar and stir it up.
3. When the cookies come out of the oven, remove them to a wire rack with a piece of foil placed under it.
4. Brush the topping onto the hot cookies.  The faster you do this, the quicker the topping will dry into a glaze.

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