Lemon Sugar Cookies

There are times when I know what I want to bake, and then I have to go through my cookbooks and find the right recipe. This week’s recipe is an example of that. I want to make a lemon sugar cookie, but I also wanted to use some raspberry sugar that I had purchased on vacation a couple of weeks ago. My husband and I had visited Bellingham, WA and went to this wonderful little shop called Quel Fromage. In addition to selling excellent cheese, they carried some interesting sanding sugars. I purchased raspberry sugar, espresso sugar and vanilla bean sugar.

I was looking for a thick, chewy cookie, kind of like a snickerdoodle but in sugar cookie form. I can always count on The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion to have the recipe I need when I have a specific idea. For sugar cookies, this cookbook provides recipes for chewy, crunchy, crisp, and roll-out sugar cookies. I chose the chewy cookie, since that was the texture I was looking for. This is really a simple recipe, as you basically put everything in the mixer and stir. I wanted a stronger lemon flavor so I used 1 teaspoon of vanilla rather than the 2 the original recipe called for, and I also increased the lemon oil to about ¾ teaspoon. And of course, I used raspberry sugar for the sanding sugar.

I made the cookies using the tablespoon of dough, but after I took the first batch out of the oven I made them smaller. They just seemed too big. These cookies are quite thin, not the chubby snickerdoodle-like cookie that I was hoping for. I’m not sure that you can taste the raspberry all that much, but I liked the extra crunch that it added to the chewy cookie. These are so, so good. They just melt in your mouth. I like the lemon flavor and I think I hit just the right balance. These are a quick and easy cookie that are just excellent!

1-1/2 sticks butter
¾ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ teaspoon lemon oil
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
2-1/2 cups flour
¼ cup coarse sugar or raspberry sugar, for coating

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, combine butter, sugars, corn syrup, vanilla, lemon oil, baking powder, baking soda, salt and the egg. Mix until combined and stir in the flour. Drop the dough by the tablespoonful (or smaller) into the coarse sugar, rolling the balls to coat them. Place them on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for ten minutes, until the edges are just beginning to brown. Do not overbake. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion