Friday, January 23, 2009

Lemon Buttermilk Cookies

These are true tea cookies. Cookies to eat off of antique plates and dip into cupfuls of tea. They are cakey and lemony and mild and sweet. I am making them to take on a weekend getaway where we will have tea and lounge and probably do a lot of eating but not a lot of moving.
These will be perfect. They are just light enough that I can almost convince myself that they are calorie-free.

For Cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
zest of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup well shaken buttermilk

For glaze:
1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (or more, to taste)

Make cookies:
Preheat oven to 350, place parchment on baking sheets
Whisk together flour, zest, baking soda, and salt.
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla, Mix in flour mix and buttermilk, until smooth.
Drop level tablespoons of dough about an inch apart on baking sheets. Bake, one sheet at a time, until cookies are puffed and edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes per batch.
Cool cookies on sheets one minute, then transfer cookies to racks.
Glaze cookies:
Whisk together all glaze ingredients and brush on the tops of warm cookies. Let stand until cookies are completely cooled and glaze is set.

Cookies are best the day they are made, but can be frozen, well wrapped, up to one month.

1 comment:

Teene said...

These sound so delicious! I am going to have to cozy up with some of them myself. In London today, thinking of you and MJ and Ams here in the days. The sun was shinning which made our leisurely day even better. xoxo