One of my favorite things to do during the summer is soak up the sun at Barton Springs Pool in Austin TX. For this weeks blog I was dreaming of those warmer days by the pool and wanted to do a bake that was fresh and tiny but packed a huge flavor. The recipe below is easy, delicious and full of sunshine; one bite will make you feel like you’re poolside on a grassy hill soaking up the warm rays of summer. Don’t forget to keep reading to my dos and don’ts that I did to find out why this recipe might be the easiest bake I’ve ever made.
Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest, finely grated
7 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into cubes
1 egg yolk
3 teaspoons ice water
Ingredients for Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
Directions for Cookies
In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar and lemon zest.
Cut in chilled butter using a pastry blender until mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
Add in egg yolk using a fork until blended.
Using your hands gently knead the dough.
Add ice water 1 teaspoon at a time and continue kneading the dough until a ball forms.
Once a ball has been formed cut the dough in half.
Roll each half into a log about 1 inch in diameter.
Wrap logs in plastic and allow them to chill in freezer for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Remove logs from freezer, unwrap and slice into 1/4 inch rounds using a serrated knife.
Place cookies on lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.
Directions for Glaze
Place powdered sugar into bowl and add lemon juice.
Whisk until smooth and syrupy.
Submerge cooled cookies into glaze top side down and return to cooling rack. Repeat this step 2 more times for a thicker glaze.
Tips and Tricks and a few Don’ts that I did
These cookies are so easy that the scariest part was rolling the dough. Even that part is as simple as playing with playdough. You literally just roll it on a lightly floured surface between your hands and the counter. Wrap it, freeze it and bake it. It could not be any easier.
You don’t have to make both logs if you’d like to save one. It can be kept in the freezer for at least a month, but trust me you’ll want to bake it sooner than that. These cookies may be small but they are addictive. I ate the first batch by myself in two days and only shared two. They are seriously that good.
Play with the flavor of the glaze. If you don’t want a punch of lemon flavor, you can add less juice to your sugar.
That’s it. Very few don’ts that I did and so simple I don’t have many tips or tricks. These cookies are tiny in size but mighty in flavor and incredibly easy. I’ll be eating these a lot this spring and summer. I hope you will be too! Enjoy!
Mae Bakes 