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Thursday, January 12, 2012

Meyer Lemon Butter Cookies

It is that time of year again. The Lemon Ladies are sending out their beautiful lemons and I received my first box of the season a few weeks ago. I know I go on and on about these lemons every year, but they really do make a difference to me during these cold, dark winter months. Some people in Fairbanks buy Happy Lights, I buy lemons. As long as Karen has been shipping me these lemons, I have been making these Lemon Butter Cookies. These cookies and lemon bars are always the first thing I want each season. I actually have a little confession to make, these have already been a post on this blog. Way back in the beginning before most of you were here. I thought it was sad that a cookie as lovely as this one was buried back in the archives with crappy photos and little praise. This cookie really does deserve a second chance on the blog, and so I decided to bring it back. I hadn't planned on posting two recipes in two weeks with "Meyer Lemon Butter" in the title, but sometimes things just work out that way. I really recommend you get yourself some Meyer Lemons and give these cookies a try. They are just a simple little cookie, good with a cup of coffee for a late morning snack. There isn't much to them, so the Meyer Lemon flavor really gets to shine. Just what you needed for a cold winter day. Speaking of cold, they are saying it might get down to 50 below tomorrow. Keep warm Fairbanks.

Meyer Lemon Butter Cookies
adapted from Alpineberry

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 large egg yolks, divided
pinch of salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tsp finely grated lemon zest, or more to taste
2 cups all purpose flour
approximately 1/2 cup coarse sanding sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter on medium speed until smooth (about 4 minutes), add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth (another 2 minutes). Beat in 1 egg yolk, followed by salt, vanilla and lemon zest. On low speed, add the flour and mix just until flour is just incorporated.
Turn dough out onto a counter. Form dough into a log that is about 1 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter and wrap  in plastic wrap. I find it is easiest to do this on a piece of parchment paper, I then wrap the entire log, parchment paper and all in plastic wrap. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes in refrigerator. You may also place dough in freezer at this point and store for up to three months.
Preheat oven to 350F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
If you are coating your cookies with sugar, whisk the remaining egg yolk until it's smooth and liquid enough to use as a glaze, you may need to add a little water. Spread granulated sugar out on a piece of parchment paper. Unwrap your chilled dough log and brush lightly with the egg yolk. Roll the log in sugar, pressing gently to help the sugar stick.
Slice each log into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Place on baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch between the cookies.
Bake for 12-14 minutes until they are set but not browned. (It's okay if the yolk-sugar edges brown slightly.) Transfer cookies to cooling rack.

24 comments:

  1. 50 below?!? I suggest ordering another box. :) Stay warm!

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  2. Thanks for bringing this recipe back out, as I needed something to do with my Myer Lemons! Hope you have a nice warm house, too cold for me.

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    1. I really enjoy these cookies, I hope you like them too. I'm working from home today to keep the wood stove going. It takes good care of us on these cold days.

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  3. Making these today!!! Thank you Nicole! And thanks for mentioning Lemon Ladies Orchard! One of the great pleasures in y life is growing lemons for you!

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    1. I hope you like the cookies Karen. I can't thank you enough for taking the chance sending Lemons all the way to Fairbanks. Knowing that they come from you makes it all the better. So glad we have become friends thanks to the Lemon Ladies!

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  4. I just saw this recipe over at Sweets for a Saturday and had to stop by to tell you that these cookies sound incredible and easy to make. Thank you for a great post.

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    1. They are, both! :)
      Thanks for stopping by. It is always fun to see people from Sweets for a Saturday.

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  5. I just found your wonderful site at Sweet as Sugar party.......I'd like to invite you to my first linky party @CountryMommaCooks starts tonight at 9 central.....Have a great weekend!

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  6. I can't wait to try this recipe, I love Meyer lemons! I love them so much I'm nurturing a tiny tree right now with hopes that someday it will produce lemons. Stay warm!

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    1. I have always wanted my own Meyer Lemon tree. Don't think that will happen in Fairbanks though! Enjoy the cookies if you make them. Thanks for stopping by.

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  7. I have yet to eat a Meyer lemon but I think Walmart has them now. Can't wait to buy a bag and try this recipe. I love butter cookies!

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    1. Just be careful with the bagged ones in the grocery store. They spend way too much time in shipping. I know the ones here at Fred Meyer are sold in a bag of six and usually 4 out of the 6 are already gone bad. Give 'em a little squeeze and make sure they aren't mushy and then I recommend using them within a couple of days.

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  8. Those look so fantastic. Great pictures. Come visit us today. We have a wonderful banana bread recipe to share.

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  9. These look really delicious. I have a Meyer Lemon tree and have have tons of ripe fruit on it right now! I have a great recipe for a Meyer Lemon cake which I'll be posting on my blog soon. You have a lovely blog.

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    1. Thank you. I'll keep an eye out for that cake. It sounds wonderful, as does pretty much anything with Meyer Lemons!

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  10. the cookies look great. i haven't ever had a meyer lemon either. do they they differ in taste from the lemons one commonly sees in the store? i would imagine the quality of the produce from "the ladies" is very diffferent than that found in the store. how long do the lemons keep for?

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    1. thanks for your question, I goofed and answered it below....

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  11. Meyer Lemons have this heavenly scent and they are less sour than a conventional lemon. Meyer Lemons are more fragile than the standard lemons you find in the grocery store, as they are grown to handle weeks of warehouse and shipping time before they arrive in your store. Karen picks her lemons on Sunday and ships them out to me on Monday. It usually takes a full week for them to arrive to me in Fairbanks, Alaska. In the last three years I have probably ordered from Karen 15 times if not more, only two lemons did not survive the trip. They are always in perfect condition. I don't usually get around to doing much with them until the following weekend. So I don't actually use them until two weeks after they are picked. Whatever I have left on the following weekend I zest and juice and put in the freezer for summer. So, the short answer is that they keep about three weeks from the day they are picked.

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  12. I made the dough earlier this week and baked them tonight - yum! I had visions of rolling some in mini chocolate chips instead of sugar, but didn't do it. Probably a good thing, because I forgot the parchment paper, which meant the melting sugar stuck to the cookie sheet - I probably would have had a huge mess with chocolate! (i did put a few mini chips on a few cookies just after taking them out of the oven - tasty!)

    Maybe I'll order some from the Lemon Ladies next year!

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  13. Hi, This is my first visit to your wonderful Blog.
    Is there any way to copy the Lemon Cookie Recipe?
    I don't see a link to copy.
    Thanks so much...I will be back to explore again.
    Liber

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    1. Thank you so much. Do you mean a print button? No, unfortunately Blogger does not have a recipe widget that I know of. If you just highlight the recipe and print the selection only, that will work. You can also cut and paste into a word program. Hope that helps.

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