Soft Lemon Cookies

I hope you guys enjoyed your Fourth of July holiday!

Mr. Vittles and I had a great day off, and we were busy bees with the Mini.  She actually had a few "firsts," such as...

...first time in her baby pool;

...first time seeing fireworks;

...and first time not having a complete melt down at a social outing.

(Mommy was probably most excited about the last one, not sure about her though.)

We stopped by my grandmother's house, where my aunt, uncle and cousins were visiting in addition to my grandmother's friends from Florida.  We then went to a barbecue at our friends' house nearby.  The Mini barely napped in the afternoon, but she was so well-behaved I could hardly believe it.

Our friend's mother was holding her for almost half the party, and Mr. Vittles and I kept looking at each other like, "Has our child been abducted by aliens?"

Then, the fireworks were more than 2 hours past her bedtime, but we decided to wake her up and give it a go.  We weren't sure how she'd react to the loud noise, so we watched from a marina one town over - she really liked looking at them, however did not enjoy the boat horns of an over-zealous yachter nearby.  For that reason, we left before the finale but I would still consider it a success!

I would also consider these lemon cookies to be a success.

If anyone has ever had my ricotta cookies, these have a similar consistency (very soft and cake-like).  But the lemon adds a freshness that is perfect for summer.

Soft Lemon Cookies

• 1/3 C. milk
• 2 t. lemon juice
• 1 3/4 C. flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1 t. lemon zest
• 3/4 C. granulated sugar
• 1/2 C. (1 stick) butter
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla

Glaze

• 3/4 C. powdered sugar
• 1 T. + 2 t. water or milk

Combine milk with lemon juice, and set aside.  Let sit 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda to combine.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine lemon zest with sugar.  Using your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar until very fragrant and evenly-distributed.  Add butter, and beat on medium speed with a mixer until butter is pale and fluffy (about 2 minutes).

Add milk mixture, egg, and vanilla.  Beat on medium speed until combined.

Add half flour mixture, and mix on low until incorporated.  Add remaining flour mixture, and mix on low.  Increase speed to medium, and mix until well-combined, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.  Let dough chill for a few hours in refrigerator or overnight.

When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a cookie pan, or line with non-stick foil or parchment.

Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough by rounded spoonful onto prepared sheet about 2 inches apart (I put 8 cookies on my sheet, staggered - these will expand).  Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are starting to brown.

Remove from oven, and let cool on sheet 1-2 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool.  When cooled completely, make glaze by mixing powdered sugar with water or milk until runny.  Dip cookies in glaze, and return to wire rack to dry.  Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Recipe Adapted from Taste of Home's Community Forum