Cookie #10 (Lemon Crinkles)
The next cookie on the list was inspired by my mother’s love of lemon, Lemon Crinkles. Every time you give my mom the option for dessert, if she can pick something lemon, she will go for it. Growing up, lemon was one of the only fruit flavors that she would use in desserts aside from blackberry. She may be a bit obsessed. Without realizing it, she may have passed a bit of that obsession onto me.
I love lemon pie, ice cream, and just about any other creation as long as the main ingredient is lemon. That bright, tart zingy flavor is enough to make just about anyone smile, with my partner excluded. I’m not sure how that happened. His mom is just as lemon-crazy as mine.
The cookies are crispy with a light lemon flavor. The ginger in the recipe adds an element of surprise and some contrast. They are just lemony enough to quell the craving. The crackle on the top is produced by rolling the cookie dough first in granulated sugar then in powdered sugar. When I make these cookies, I try to press the top of the cookie into the powdered sugar to create an even layer over the surface. Space them two inches apart on the baking sheet and let them crinkle away.
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter, softened
1 Egg
2 TBS Lemon Zest
1 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 TBSP Lemon Juice
1/4 TSP Ground Ginger
1/2 TSP Baking Soda
1/4 TSP Salt
1 TSP Vanilla Paste
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar, set aside for coating
1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar, set aside for coating
Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 350 F
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, cream together the butter, sugar, zest, vanilla, and egg on medium-high. Whip until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients. Reduce the speed on the mixer to low and add in the dry mixture. Mix until the dough comes together.
Using a small cookie scoop, portion out dough. Roll each scoop first in the granulated sugar and then in the powdered sugar. Give the top of the cookie a press in the powdered sugar to produce a better crackle.
Place prepared scoops of dough onto a baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and dry and crinkled across the top.
Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
