KILLER LEMON SUGAR COOKIES

 It is fun to be serving the Cafe Treats and people come up asking for a particular treat or even say something about wanting the recipe. That's what happened yesterday with Baker Brenda's Lemon Sugar Cookies.

Brenda had told me whenever I needed some cookies made, she would make her "killer" lemon sugar cookies. I asked her to make them the next week. I even had someone come and ask for the Killer Lemon Sugar Cookies.

I decided I had better put one back so I would be sure to get one to eat later. All I can say is Killer Lemon Sugar Cookies is the perfect name. I definitely will be making them myself sometime soon.

PRINT RECIPE.

KILLER LEMON SUGAR COOKIES

1       cup butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch slices

2       cups sugar

2       eggs

1       teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or 1 tablespoon lemon extract)

1        tablespoon lemon zest (may put more lemon zest for extra flavor) ( may use dried lemon peel)

3        cups flour

1-1/4  teaspoon baking powder

1/4     teaspoon baking soda

1/2     teaspoon salt (omit if you use salted butter)

Course sanding sugar and regular sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. (Very Important)

Add the eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest and stir to combine.

Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix just until combined.

Place the bowl of dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or so. (You could also wait until now to preheat the oven and prepare the cookie sheets to allow the dough to get a little cold.)

Using a tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out the dough, drop the "scoop" into a bowl of decorative sugar and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. 

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Cool a minute before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Brenda's personal notes: She always uses Kerry salted gold butter and King Arthur's flour. If she makes these cookies in the winter and can't get good lemons, she uses the dried lemon peel for the zest. Sometimes she uses the lemon flavoring for the lemon juice. She bakes the cookies for 10 minutes and not a minute more. She also lets the cookies set a minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. She also returns the bowl to the refrigerator while she prepares her cookie sheet for the next dozen. She says she only has one good cookie sheet, her silver Caphalon cookie sheet so she lets it cool slightly and then gets a new sheet of parchment paper.

Some more interesting information about Brenda that she said I could share with you...She grew up in rural Missouri where all of the kids were in 4-H. Her mother was a home economics teacher who eventually turned to being a full-time mother of six. She had a full garden, canned and butchered. She always had a home cooked meal on the table. Brenda also got the Betty Crocker award in high school. Her mother also taught them to sew and Brenda crocheted as a high schooler. She said her three sisters loved to cook but she preferred to play the piano. (and she does a beautiful job of that also, I might add)

This has been such a fun post to write. Brenda and I agree that being particular is what makes a good recipe a "killer" recipe. I hope you will give Brenda's cookie a try. The recipe is definitely a keeper!

Since I am writing this the evening of Mother's Day, it seems like the perfect post to write.