Who says you have to live in Florida or California to have a lemon tree? One evening this summer Bill and I made a delicious Lemon Verbena Pesto to bring to a neighborhood get together. One of the guests loved the dip and asked where to get Lemon Verbena. We have a very large bush on our deck and I offered to bring her some. She said she would trade it for some of her Meyer Lemons which were growing on a tree in her living room. Seriously I thought she was kidding. This was in early August and she thought they would be ripe soon. Last week a little baggie filled with beautiful fragrant lemons showed up on our kitchen counter. Hmmm what to bake.
I searched for an iced lemon cookie that would use both the lemon juice and rind and was thinking about a particular cookie that a little bakery in Newbury called The Sweet Patch used to make. I started with a recipe from The Bradford, New Hampshire Women's Club "Bradford Cooks". The Lemon Drop recipe was very close but I decided to up the amount of lemon juice and lemon rind and add a tiny bit of baking powder to get a little rise. The first batch came out of the oven a little bumpy on top so I solved this by spraying my fingers with a little spray oil and gently pressing the tops of the cookies to smooth them out. PS For those of you who know better the greens in my dish of lemons are NOT lemon leaves, they were snipped from an Azalea.
Meyer Lemon Cookies
Cream in standing mixer until fluffy:
1 Cup Butter (2 sticks unsalted)
3 oz. of Cream Cheese
1 Cup Sugar
Beat in:
1 Egg Yolk
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
2 teaspoons Fresh Lemon Zest
Set aside and in separate bowl sift:
2 1/2 Cups Flour
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Drop by spoonful onto pan lined with parchment paper. Put a small amount of oil on your fingers and gently smooth out the surface of the cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes depending on size and oven. Pull the cookies when the edges begin to brown and the center is still slightly soft but doesn't cave in when touched.
Ice when cookies are cool.
Icing
3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
1/4 Cup Softened Butter
1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Zest
1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice
Combine all ingredients in mixer and beet until fluffy. Frost Cookies and enjoy!
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