Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies With Lemon Verbena Recipes

OLD FASHIONED SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
• Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a second large bowl and mix well. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture 1 cup at a time. Chill the dough for 3 to 4 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Roll out the dough and cut it into shapes with cookie cutters or a knife. Place the shapes on the prepared cookie sheet. If decorating with colored sugar, brush the cookies with milk and sprinkle with colored sugar (if using royal icing, leave unfinished). Bake until the cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies.
• Remove the cookies to a rack to cool completely. If using royal icing, decorate the cookies as desired.
• Combine the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 3/4 cup water in a large bowl. Mix slowly with an electric mixer until stiff enough to form peaks; the icing should be pure white and thick, but not fluffy and bubbly. If the frosting is over-beaten, it will get aerated which makes it harder to work with. If this happens, let the frosting sit to settle, and then use a rubber spatula to vigorously beat and smooth out the frosting.
• Add up to 1 tablespoon food coloring and mix with a rubber spatula until the color is uniform. Gels are best with royal icing. You don't want to thin them with liquid colors. Be careful of adding too much color, which reduces the sheen of the frosting and can break down the consistency of the frosting over a couple of days. Store the icing at room temperature, covered, with plastic wrap on the surface.
• Yield: 3 1/2 cups icing

OLD-FASHIONED LEMON SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside.
• Put sugars and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and then the lemon juice. Reduce speed; gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
• Scoop dough using a 2-inch ice cream scoop; space cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten cookies slightly with a spatula. Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar, then lightly brush with a wet pastry brush; sprinkle with more sanding sugar.
• Bake cookies until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

OLD FASHIONED SUGAR COOKIES WITH LEMON VERBENA

Steps:

• Combine flour, lemon verbena leaves, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.
• Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until well combined.
• Add half of the flour mixture. Beat until combined.
• Stir in remaining flour mixture with a wooden spoon until combined.
• Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake in a 350 degree F (180 degree C ) oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
• Remove to wire racks and cool.
• Makes 36. Store in an airtight tin for up to 5 days.

OLD-FASHIONED LEMON COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar. Mix in egg yolks. Mix well.
• Stir in lemon zest and flour and cornmeal.
• Pat dough into a disc--wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 3-4 hours.
• Roll out on floured surface about 1/2" thick or a little less.
• Cut in desired shapes.sprinkle with additional sugar and lemon zest, if desired.
• Bake in 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges are just turning golden brown.
• Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute before removing to rack to cool completely.

OLD-FASHIONED LEMON SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and set aside.
• Put sugars and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer (paddle attachment if available) and mix at medium speed for about 30 seconds (until well blended).
• Add butter, mix at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
• Mix in eggs, one at a time, at medium speed, then add lemon juice and continue mixing at medium speed for about 30 seconds.
• Reduce speed and gradually add flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
• Chill mixture for at least 15 minutes.
• Drop cookie dough onto non-stick cookie sheets spaced 2 inches apart.
• Place remaining cookie mixture in refrigerator and cookie sheet(s) in freeze for 15 minutes.
• Using the flat bottom of a drinking glass, press the cookies till about 1/2 inch thick.
• If desired, sprinkle cookies with sanding sugar and brush lightly with wet pastry brush. Sprinkle with more sanding sugar to taste.
• Return to freezer for approximately 5 minutes.
• Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.
• Let cool on sheets for 3 minutes and transfer cookies to cookie rack and cool.
• Repeat from step 8 till cookie mixture is depleted.
• Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
• Finished cookies should weigh just about 21 grams and measure about 3 1/4 inches in diameter.