Mmmm Zestyyy

Hello, all.

With finals rapidly approaching, I have been a little down due to stress. No matter how hard I wish I could, I can’t make finals go away.

I can at least make myself feel better by baking until my heart is content and I temporarily forget that I have to re-read ten Shakespeare plays sometime in the time frame of tomorrow.

I can feel the stress returning…

Deep breaths. No worries. I think I found something so bright and cheerful that it actually has the power to lift my spirits in just one glance.

No it is not the sun. Good guess. The recent warm weather has definitely helped though.

Correct answer: Glazed lemon cookies.
Umm…YUM.

Yes yes yes, I know lemon is one of those ingredients that may not appeal to all. But come on…these cookies have icing on top that is pretty much 100% sugary goodness. They’re crispy. They’re gooey. And they are SO irresistibly zesty. They completely transcend my fleeting memories of lemon shortbread Girl Scout cookies. Those silly cookies are amateur in comparison to my new gourmet limone loves.

Thankfully, today's baking has been quite soothing. There is something therapeutic about the art of baking. As I scan the ingredient listings, double-checking and triple-checking measurements as usual, I find my attention completely lost in one thing. I am on a mission…to make something wonderful while learning something new. I may seem like a professional (ha! please excuse my feigned cockiness), but every day I spend in the kitchen I learn something new. For instance, today I learned how to properly zest a lemon.

(Mom, I would like to give your boundless kitchen skills a shout out.)

In case you did not know....

The zest of any citrus fruit is the outermost rind. This part of the lemon retains the strong citrusy aroma due to the aromatic oils in the rind. The zest should only consist of the colored portion of the rind, not the white pith, which tends to taste bitter. A zester is a tool (so adequately named) that will prevent the pith from peeling away with the outer zest. However, a sharp paring knife, vegetable peeler, or hand-held grater will work just as well. I found that it is much easier to first zest the lemon then juice it. Putting the lemon in the microwave for 15-20 seconds will make juicing almost effortless.

The lemon flavor is subtle enough to keep me coming back for more while the glaze atop these cookies offsets the crispy texture perfectly. Warning: it WILL get messy when you spoon the glaze on top, but give the glaze an hour or so to set and the cookies will be consumed before you know it.

Of course I gave the cookies a taste test (or two) and allowed my mom to try one. But for now I am hiding this stash until it is time for my LAST meeting with my food writing class on Monday. We will be enjoying everyone’s chosen culinary creations while glancing over final projects.

Can’t wait to share these cookies with everyone!!



Glazed Lemon Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. Separately, beat the butter and sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix until combined. Beat in flour mixture. Drop tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until the edges are golden. Let cool for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and let cookies cool completely. Spread lemon glaze on top of cookies and let set for at least one hour.

Lemon glaze:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Whisk together confectioners’ sugar, grated lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice until smooth. Spoon onto cookies and let dry.

Yields 24 cookies.

(This recipe is adapted from marthastewart.com…once again. Props to Martha, I think I’m on a kick.)