Lemon, Thyme, Almond Sugar Cookies

I'm going to say something very anti-American, and probably even anti-Southern: I don't like lemonade. I just don't. It doesn't do anything for me. Nor do I like lemon in my sweet tea... see, I'm not a complete loss as a Southern gal; I do like sweet tea. Just don't put lemon it it or my water glass, and we'll get along just fine. Here's the catch though... I LOVE lemon in baking and cooking. I'm addicted to any lemon cookie or cake imaginable. 

Now to switch gears here, I also love watching the baking and cooking shows, and after watching enough of them talk about how they incorporate a challenge ingredient into a recipe they already have, I thought, "I bet I can do that too." So, I did. I used my Sugar Cookies recipe (courtesy of Betty Crocker) and made it unrecognizable, but dang, are they good. I replaced some of the flour with almond meal, which creates a wonderful texture for these cookies. I used lemon zest and thyme in the cookies, which created an amazing flavor. Top that with the texture of sliced almonds in the cookie plus a delicious lemon glaze and sugared lemon zest, and oh my. This really isn't a difficult recipe, and would be a good starter recipe for you.

Cookies
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-3 lemons (zest and juice, separated)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup almond meal
1 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp thyme leaves, plus a little more for decoration
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup diced almond slices, plus a a few more for decorations

Glaze
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar for glaze
1/2 tsp almond extract

In a small bowl combine the flour, almond meal, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and thyme. Whisk gently until mixed.

Chop the almonds until they're the size you want. The cookies are thinner because they're sugar cookies, so you don't want the almonds pieces to be too large.

Zest and juice the lemons. Put a couple of teaspoons in a separate bowl with a pinch of sugar - start with a couple teaspoons. "Fluff" the sugar and zest together to coat it. Keep adding sugar to this during the making and baking of the cookies until the zest is crystalized and drier and doesn't look like it will take any more sugar.

In your stand mixer add the butter, powdered sugar, egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon zest and about a teaspoon of lemon juice. 

With the paddle attachment, combine ingredients until smooth. Fold in dry ingredients.

Mix in almonds  until spread throughout evenly.

Wrap dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for three hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle flour lightly on your surface, and then roll out dough to 3/16" thickness. Cut to desired shapes - I used a round with scalloped edges.

Bake cookies 7-8 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. Rest cookies for at least 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack until they are cool and set firm.

Create glaze by combining powdered sugar, almond extract and enough lemon juice to reach a nice thick glaze. You want the glaze thick enough to adhere to the cookie without running off too much. Dip each cookie into the glaze and then let it rest on a piece of parchment.

I set up an assembly line of dried thyme leaves, sugared lemon zest, almonds, and I added a little crystal sugar decoration to give a little extra crunch and shine to the cookies. Sprinkle on just a few thyme leaves, as much sugared lemon zest as you prefer, and a design with the almonds to your liking.

Allow cookies to rest on parchment until dry and hardened before putting in a container. But enjoy one or two as soon as possible because these are amazing!

If you give this recipe a chance, please let me know how it worked for you!

Zimtsterne

While I haven't quite perfected this recipe, I've decided to go ahead and share it for one of the Soldiers I work with. His wife is always on the lookout for gluten-free recipes, and this one definitely fits the bill. The cookie reminds me of my childhood in Germany. It's an almond-based cookie that is slightly sweet with just a touch of lemon and cinnamon. The cookie is called Zimtsterne, literally translates to "cinnamon stars." I made this batch a wee bit thick, and a maybe a wee-bit dry, but even so, they were quite delicious! This isn't the easiest recipe I've blogged, but it's not super difficult, so don't be afraid to try it. I found this version of Zimtsterne on Pinterest, of course.

2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more for rolling
10 ounces sliced almonds, with skin, (for finely grinding)

5 ounces sliced almonds
1 1/4 tsps ground cinnamon
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 tsps finely grated lemon zest

Sift the confectioners' sugar.

Put 1/2 cup of the sifted confectioners' sugar, 10 ounces (3 heaping cups) of the almonds and all the cinnamon in a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely ground, with just a few larger pieces.

Whip the egg whites in a large, clean bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until they hold soft peaks, about 1 minute.

 

Gradually add the remaining confectioners' sugar while whipping, until the whites are thick, creamy and somewhat stiff, about 2 minutes more. Set aside 2/3 cup of this meringue for topping the cookies.

Fold the ground almond mixture and the lemon zest into the remaining meringue to make a stiff dough.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Lay a sheet of parchment or waxed paper on the work surface and lightly dust with confectioners' sugar. Turn the dough out onto the dusted paper, flatten and dust with more sugar as needed, and then lay another sheet of parchment or waxed paper on top. Roll the dough between the papers until it is about 1/4-inch thick.

 

Flip the dough over and gently peel off a sheet of the paper. For ease when cutting, lay the paper back on the dough, flip again and gently pull off the other side of the paper so that the dough is fully released from it.

Cut cookies with a 3-inch star cutter and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (Excess dough can be rerolled.)

 

Use a small spoon, brush or offset spatula to spread the reserved meringue over the top of each cookie, taking care not to let the meringue drip over the sides. Press or sprinkle remaining sliced almonds in a decorative pattern into the meringue.

Bake cookies until bottoms are light golden brown and meringue is set and crisp, about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door to release heat and dry cookies out in the oven for 10 more minutes.

Busy baker's tips: The dough can be frozen between the sheets of paper for up to 2 weeks. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 10 days.