Lemonade Cookies

Wish you could bottle up the flavor of summer and bake it into a cookie? Follow chef Lydia Shire‘s lead to get a taste of sunshine during the winter months. The award-winning chef and owner of Scampo uses a can of frozen lemonade concentrate to get that sour, puckery punch, and a pinch of fresh lemon zest only heightens the citrusy tang. These lip smackers are a light and refreshing (albeit tart) break from the typically decadent holiday treat.

See more holiday cookie recipes here.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit.
Fill a large bowl with warm water and plop in the unopened can of lemonade to thaw while you mix the cookie dough.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with a hand mixer. Add the lemon zest, if desired. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until the mixture is light and creamy, 4-5 minutes, then set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
Measure out 1/2 cup of the thawed lemonade and set the rest aside. Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Stir, then add about one third of the 1/2 cup lemonade. Continue adding the flour and lemonade alternately, stirring after each addition, until the mixture shows no streaks of flour. Beat on low speed with the mixer just until all the ingredients are combined.
Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake the cookies, checking them after 8 minutes. When the edges are just starting to brown, remove the cookies from the oven. (The centers will still look soft.) Using a pastry brush, immediately brush the top of each cookie very lightly with a little of the remaining lemonade concentrate, then lightly sprinkle with sugar. Transfer the cookies to a rack and allow them to cool completely.

Looking for more holiday treats (with less actual baking)? Get to the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts’ annual charity bake sale on Saturday, December 15th. All the proceeds will benefit two local non-profits: Community Cooks & Women’s Lunch Place. Get all the sweet deets here.