Glazed Lemon Cookies

Recipe courtesy America's Test Kitchen


Cookies
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp grated fresh lemon zest
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze
1 Tbsp cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

For the Cookies:
Process the granulated sugar and lemon zest together in a food processor until the sugar is pale yellow and damp, about 30 seconds. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and pulse to combine, about 10 pulses. Add the butter pieces and pulse until the mixture resembles fine cornmeal, about 15 pulses.

In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, egg yolk, and vanilla together. (Be sure to mix this at the last minute because it will curdle if mixed together in advance). With the machine running, add the lemon juice mixture through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, about 10 seconds. Continue to process until the dough begins to form into a ball, 10 to 15 seconds.

Transfer the dough to a clean counter and roll it into a 10 inch log, about 2 inches thick. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degress. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Slice the dough into 3/8-inch-thick cookies. Lay the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies until the edges begin to brown, 13-16 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

For the Glaze:

Whisk the cream cheese and lemon juice together in a medium bowl until smooth, then whisk in the confectioners' sugar. Spoon a teaspoon of the glaze onto the center of each cookie and spread it out evenly with the back of the spoon. Let the glaze dry completely, about 30 minutes, before serving.

Frosted Ginger Cookies

These cookies are YUMMY!! They also make your home smell so good!

1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling cookies

3/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1 egg

3 Tbsp molasses

2 cups flour, sifted

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp each salt, ground cloves and ground nutmeg

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream 1 cup granulated sugar with butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg and molasses.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and spices. Add to the butter mixture and blend well.

Fill a shallow bowl with granulated sugar. Break off walnut-size pieces of dough and roll into balls; roll balls in sugar. Arrange on greased cookie sheets and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks.

Meanwhile, make glaze: Combine powdered sugar with 1 Tbsp water and stir until smooth, then stir in lemon juice. Drizzle glaze over cookies

Makes 40 c00kies

White Chocolate Biscotti

3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
Turn dough out onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Shape dough into 2 (12 inch-long) rolls; pat to 2 1/2 inch width.*
Bake at 300 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove rolls from baking sheet, cool 10 minutes on a wire rack.**
Cut each roll diagonally into 24 slices. Place, cute sides down, on baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Turn cookies over, bake an additional 10 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in the center but will harden as they cool). Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

*You can shape in 2 rolls or 1 if you want longer cookies. In the picture below I dough in to 1.
**I don't cook it as long as the recipe calls because I don't like them so crunchy...although I know that is what Biscotti is. At first I cook for 30 minutes instead of 35. Then when you bake them on their sides I only bake them 5 minutes on each side.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Recipe courtesy of Nicole Handy. This recipe was originally a chocolate chip cookie recipe - but we added the white chocolate chips and Macadamia nuts instead of semi sweet chocolate chips.

2/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup margarine or butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup chopped Macadamia Nuts

12 oz. pkg. white chocolate chips


Heat oven to 375. Mix shortening, butter and sugars well. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Combine dry ingredients and add. Add nuts and chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or till light brown. Yield: 7 doz.