Stella and I periodically made a run for the ice cold living room for a reprieve from the 90 degree temperatures, being delicate flowers who do not tolerate heat well at all (to borrow from Jim Gaffigan, we're what you'd call "indoorsy"). Stella continues to refuse to sleep anywhere other than her crib at home, so it was a very sleepless weekend for the lot of us, but nevertheless, we had a great time. I'm just still trying to recover, is all.
A few days prior to our trip, I inherited my mom's collection of those little cookbooks one finds in the checkout line at the grocery store - you know, like the Pillsbury Bake Off, Soups and Sandwiches, Summer Grilling, etc. They were all from the late 80s-early 90s and I had a great time flipping through them in all their bizarre glory. There were a lot of recipes that HAD to be inspiration for the Food Network's legendary Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, so ill-advised and tastebud-nullifying were the combinations of flavors and ingredients, not to mention questionable cooking methods (whole chicken "roasted" in the microwave? um, sure). But among them were several potential winners, on paper anyway. The stack of Christmas Cookie-themed books were especially useful and have been post-it flagged for further perusal this winter.
These little cookies were among a chapter of "cookies to gift" but the flavors are so perfectly light and summery that it seemed a shame to wait until the holidays to make them. These are not big, bold cookies; they are wee and light, crisp outside and tender inside, and the lemon and rosemary are quite subtle (despite my having doubled the original amounts called for and adding the juice from the lemon). They are sweetened sparingly and have no adornments save for a sanding of lemony sugar around the edges. But boring, they are not. Enjoy them with a nice tall glass of iced sun tea in the air-conditioning.
Tiny Lemon Rosemary Cookies
adapted from Pillsbury
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup + 3 tbsp granulated sugar
3-4 tsp lemon zest (to your taste)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves, or 1/8 tsp dried rosemary leaves, crumbled
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup sugar, 2-3 tsp lemon zest, lemon juice, rosemary, and egg with mixer on medium speed. Blend in flour, baking soda, and salt until a soft dough forms.
Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a log approximately 9 inches long (it's easiest to do this by wrapping in plastic wrap first) and then flatten each side to make your desired shape - triangle, square, or leave the log round. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until firm.
Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl, mix 3 tbsp sugar with remaining lemon zest, then spread on a cutting board or plate. Unwrap each log of dough and roll it in the sugar mixture to coat. Cut each log into 1/4 inch slices and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 5-8 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned (do not overbake). Remove immediately to wire rack and cool completely. Makes approximately 5 dozen.
No comments:
Post a Comment