Lemon Drops
I've got weddings on the mind. Yes, the big one that happened across the pond just a couple of days ago (beautiful ceremony, right?), and also the one in our family that's coming up in 40 days but more specifically the wedding shower tea party I'm hosting that's coming up in 12!! To say I'm nervous about pulling it off would not be accurate--after all, it's just a party and I've made tons of those over the years, although never a tea party per se, but still all in all, I say this with perspective in regards to what's going on in the world right now and what truly matters, it's just a party. And I'm not really nervous about it going smoothly, I'll have my mom and sisters and my son's fiancée and her mom and other friends to help, (and once again, it's just a party) but I'm having more than a little trouble narrowing down my list of must-makes! Cookies that won't make the cut are what's keeping me up at night!! Because...as my darling husband keeps reminding me, I'm cooking for women, not a bunch of hungry high school boys and I can't just make everything. But how to decide?!!! Thank goodness we are all 100% behind these easy-to-make, melt-in-your-mouth, very-ladies-tea-party Lemon Drops. Guys, these are a non-negotiable must and you're gonna love 'em!!
First and foremost, they burst with lemony goodness! If lemon makes you happy, every bite of these will fill you with joy!
Then there's that delicate, almost creamy crumb!
The fact that they're dainty and bite-sized makes them the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea, which as you know, I'm more than a little bit obsessed about now.
And what cannot be ignored is how simple these are to make--you just mix up a batch, roll them into little balls and bake. Once they've cooled, they get a nice shower of powdered sugar which balances out the tartness of the lemon nicely and makes them look so pretty too.
Bake up a batch today and you'll see why they are a must-have! Now, just have to whittle down from the 17 other cookies that are vying for a spot on my Google Docs list!! Yikes!!
Lemon Drops
Makes between 5-6 dozen little cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Bake Time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus a little more for sifting over the baked cookies
- The finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
The Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 300ºF and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Mix the flour and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until creamy and fluffy. Then beat in lemon zest and juice. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, and beat only until no flour is visible. You don't want to over mix.
4. Use a scant teaspoonful of dough to roll out little balls and place them about 1-inch apart on the prepared sheets. These will spread as they bake but not a huge amount. Bake sheets one at a time for 20-25 minutes, reversing sheet halfway through the process until cookies are lightly browned on the bottom. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. Then use a fine mesh strainer to dust the cookies with a little more confectioners' sugar and finish cooling completely.
5. Store cookies in an airtight container for about 5 days at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Oh My! Sugar High. I tinkered with some of the techniques.
