Meyer Lemon Cookies

These cookies were my first ever experience with meyer lemons. I'd heard a lot about them, but had never even seen them at the grocery store, so I had basically written them off. Then, all of a sudden, I found them at three different local grocery stores. I bought a few and decided to figure out what to make with them later.

I really liked these cookies. They're nice and soft and have a subtle hint of lemon in both the cookie and the frosting.


Meyer Lemon Cookies
Recipe from Canela and Comino
Makes about 16 cookies

INGREDIENTS

Cookies
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
juice of half a lemon (zest the lemon first and set the zest aside for the icing)
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg

Icing
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 TBSP honey or light corn syrup
juice of half a lemon
zest of a whole lemon
1 TBSP water

DIRECTIONS

Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl or measuring cup, combine the milk, lemon juice, and vanilla.

In a separate medium bowl, cream butter and sugar until light & fluffy. Add egg and mix well. Mix in the flour mixture and milk mixture, alternating flour and milk.

Scoop out batter onto a baking sheet, leaving plenty of room for them to spread out.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Icing
Mix together all ingredients with an electric mixer. Use to frost the cookies when they are completely cooled.

Sugar Cookies

I'm back! No, I actually haven't fallen off the planet. I've been busy making Christmas goodies over the past few days, and today, I made sugar cookies. I don't know anybody who doesn't like basic, frosted sugar cookies. I hope you like these - we sure do. :)


Sugar Cookies
Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens
Yields: 3 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup butter, softened (this is about 12 1/2 TBSP)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 TBSP milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups sugar
icing, recipe follows

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla. Then, beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer and stir in the rest by hand. Form the dough into a ball cover, and chill for 30 minutes or until the dough is easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time until about 1/8 inch thick. With cookie cutters, cut the dough into desired shapes. Place about 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 7-8 minutes or until the edges are firm and the bottoms are barely light brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Frost with icing, if desired.

Icing
2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 TBSP milk

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Add additional milk, 1 TBSP at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I admit it. I don't like raisins, but I love oatmeal raisin cookies (without the raisins). So, I guess I really love oatmeal cookies. I've always thought of them as a breakfast cookie more than a dessert. Is that weird? I have yet to find a recipe I like better than this one.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Recipe from my mom
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter (I use Crisco sticks)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp soda
2 eggs, beaten
5 tsp raisin juice
1 cup cooked raisins
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup cooked raisins

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange oven racks 2 racks apart.

In small skillet over medium low heat, cook raisins in about 1/3 - 1/2 cup water. They should "plump" as they cook.

Meanwhile, mix together first 5 ingredients.

After raisins are cooked, add raisin juice and vanilla. Mix together. Add flour and mix well.

Add oatmeal and raisins and mix together with a spoon.

Drop dough on cookie sheets and place on lowest of the 2 racks. Bake until cookies start to spread out and form the cookie shape. Move up to highest rack. Finish baking there. Take them out of the oven and transfer to cooling rack when just golden brown.

Cookie Time

I honestly think I make the best chocolate chip cookies in the world. Now, I know people tend to favor whatever cookie recipe they make, but I think that's just cause they haven't tried this recipe yet. It's pretty basic, but I haven't found a recipe I like better.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter softened (I usually use crisco sticks)
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (I like to use the light colored kind)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs (These should be at room temperature, or at least not "right from the fridge" cold)
1 tsp real vanilla
1/2 tsp water
2-1/2+ cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Chocolate Chips (usually about 1/2 bag)

DIRECTIONS
Mix together butter, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and water. (Sometimes I cream together the butter & sugars first but I don't think it makes that much difference)

Add one cup flour, and the salt and baking soda and mix together.

Add one more cup flour. Mix together

Add 1/2 cup flour, mix together (you'll probably have to do this by hand - even my kitchenaid doesn't like this part)

Depending on how the dough feels, add more flour. If you use crisco sticks, 2-1/2 cups should be about right. If you use butter, you'll want closer to 3 cups. I usually judge by how the dough feels - if there's not enough flour, the dough will be very wet and stick to your fingers. If there's enough flour, it won't.

Add chocolate chips and stir in. I don't measure - just add and mix till it looks about right. You can adjust to your liking of chippy-ness.

Spoon onto cookie sheets.

Bake at 350. I usually start them out on the second rack from the bottom. Bake them there until the dough spreads out and takes cookie form, but haven't really started to brown. Then, move them up to the second to the top shelf in the oven and bake until just before your desired done-ness (you take them out just before they're done because they will continue to bake for 3 minutes once they're out of the oven - leaving them in til they look done will cause the cookies to be overdone). Let cool on a cooling rack.

Enjoy! And be sure to eat a few when they're warm - they're magical right out of the oven.