Lemon Shortbread Cookies

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade, add it to grilled salmon, stuff some in roasted chicken, sprinkle the juice on some oysters, add the zest to cookies, steep slices in your tea, make lemon-ricotta pancakes, use them to clean just about anything... 

There are few ingredients that draw my attention more than lemon. It is definitely one of my top five favorite flavors. I think part of it comes with the fact that it's so versatile. Able to mix seamlessly into any type of dish, lemon is definitely one of my kitchen essentials. (That and a microplane.) Plus, how happy is the color yellow?!

I know my birthday just passed, but last year one of my best friends gave me this Miette cookbook. Only discovering the Ferry Building and the glory of Miette last year, I was stoked to be able to continue experiencing their baked goodness anytime I want - even all the way in Indiana. 

I tried to make the macarons, which I tried (like every other recipe) to wing and alter, but admittedly failed. Luckily, these shortbread cookies are really easy to achieve and made up for my past defeat.

Of course, I adapted the recipe just a bit and used whole wheat flour instead of all purpose. Another tweak I would make in the future would be to replace some of the liquid with lemon juice and perhaps add more lemon zest. These cookies delivered a subtle sourness, but not the lemon punch I prefer. The real kicker in these cookies in undoubtedly the butter, so I mean.. that pretty much made up for it.

My cookies also ended up a bit more... edged than they otherwise should've been. Just a tip, don't cut your dough and forget it in the freezer then put it straight into the oven. hehe.

Lemon Shortbread Cookies: [printable recipe]
adapted from Miette recipe
yields 24-36 cookies

Ingredients:
2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, preferably non-iodized
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons heavy cream (I substituted regular milk and almond milk because I didn't have heavy cream...)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Grind the sugar and lemon zest in a food processor to release the lemon oil. (I just mashed them together with the back of my lemon juicer.)

2. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, butter, salt, and baking soda. Beat on low speed until it looks like cornmeal.

3. Add lemon sugar, cream, and vanilla, and beat until just it clumps together.

4. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

5. If the dough is soft, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out the dough 1/2-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Don't freeze! hah!

6. Cut the dough into 1-inch squares placing them 2 inches apart on a parchment- or silicone-lined cookie sheet. 

7. Bake cookies until just golden, about 10 to 12 minutes.

8. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Check back tomorrow to see what I did with the leftovers! (Spoiler alert: it's delicious)

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