Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Lemon Snowdrops




It may sound odd, but sometimes I forget that other people eat carbs. Living in L.A., I have become accustomed to folks turning down my baked goods because they just don't eat sugar, wheat, or any sort of refined carbs - not that this stops me from baking what I like!

I made these cookies after exploring sophistimom's lovely blog, and took them to my class at UCLA to give as prizes for a bingo game we played to review for the midterm (I mean, even I can't eat carbs ALL the time). The undergrads GOBBLED them up. And the few that were left were devoured by other grad students. Hmm, on second thought, maybe this carb-eating phenomenon is more a feature of the starving student lifestyle than a typical characteristic of the surrounding population...in any case, I was glad these cookies were enjoyed.

Personally, I enjoyed the buttery, sharply lemony goodness immensely - even in the uncooked dough, since there are no eggs in it! If you like lemon, and chewy cookies, you are going to LOVE these simple goodies.


Chewy Lemon Snowdrops

1 3/4 C flour
pinch salt
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter
zest of 2 lemons
2/3 C sugar
1/4 C agave nectar or honey
1 tsp baking soda
2 T lemon juice
about 1 C powdered sugar, for coating

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour and salt in a mixing bowl, and set aside.

In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, lemon zest, sugar, and agave/honey. Beat until very smooth, about 3 minutes, then scrape down the sides.

In a small cup or bowl, combine the lemon juice and baking soda. With the mixer on low, add the lemon juice mixture and flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber scraper and stir by hand a few times to make sure everything is incorporated.

Roll the dough into balls about one inch in diameter. Bake for 10-15 minutes (less for chewier cookies). Let cool for a few minutes on baking sheets, then roll each cookie in a bowl of powdered sugar to coat before they finish cooling.



3 comments:

  1. I LOVED these cookies, and it was super easy to make! There's something about lemon and powdered sugar that just gets me every time. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Also, I thought there wouldn't be that many because the dough looked so cute and little...but I had plenty to eat myself and even a few to share. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. they ARE super easy. AND super lemony - look how much zest is in there! I am embarrassed to admit that I probably ate half of the dough before it was cooked. Which still left a lot of dough for cookies, so it does make a good amount :P.

    ReplyDelete