lemon crinkle cookies

Lemon Crinkle Cookies are the lemon version of the super delicious Chocolate Crinkle Cookie often seen around Christmas time at Cookie Exchanges. 

Have your heard of them? Better yet, have you tried them?

I hadn't heard of Lemon Crinkle Cookies until my husband told me that he saw them featured in an on-line magazine, and that they looked amazing.

So, I did a little research and found that there are a few different Lemon Crinkle Cookie recipes out there.

Although the differences in the recipes are quite subtle, they yield very different cookies! Either moist and chewy, or cakey.

I don't know about you, but we prefer moist, chewy cookies over cakey ones.

And of all the recipes I sampled over the week, this one yields the most moist, chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookie. YUM!

So grab a lemon at the market this week, 

and bake a batch of these Summer-time treats!

Here's what you'll need . . .

½ cups butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg

Zest of 1 medium lemon

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoons baking powder

⅛ teaspoons baking soda

1-½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cups powdered sugar

**If you like a more cakey cookie, then add 1/2 cup more flour and 1 more egg to the recipe above.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. 

Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. 

Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet, slightly flatten with your fingers making a flattened top, and then repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

**If using a non stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

bon appetit!

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vanilla blueberry lemonade

oh my gosh . . . heaven!

  
I agree, vanilla beans are expensive . . . but I think we all deserve a jar of them in our cupboard for special desserts and drinks! And a vanilla blueberry lemonade is just that . . . special!  

I love drinks that are a twist off an original and leave you desiring another sip. A hint of warm vanilla, paired with sweet lemon syrup . . . it might sound a little strange, but it's wonderful. I highly recommend serving it at your next gathering, and surely for your best girl-friends!  

  

Here's what you need . . . 
4 cups water, divided
2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped, seeds reserved
Ice
2 cups fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
3 lemons, sliced
Garnish, fresh mint    
  
Preparation
In a medium-size saucepan, combine 2 cups water, sugar, and reserved vanilla seeds.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove vanilla syrup from heat, and cool completely.
Fill pitcher halfway full with ice.
Add vanilla syrup, lemon juice, remaining 2 cups water, blueberries, and lemons, stirring gently to combine. 
Garnish with fresh mint, if desired.
Serve immediately.

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lotsa lemon pasta

I'm often too busy during the week to prepare lunch for myself, but on occasion I have the chance to sit down with my husband on a Saturday afternoon and enjoy a tasty, lite lunch . . . and this pasta dish fits the bill.  It's easy to prepare, and tastes divine ~ especially when paired with fresh focaccia bread.  

You can also dress this dish up with shrimp, scallops, chicken, and/or salty prosciutto or pancetta, for dinner. Yum!  

lotsa lemon pasta

Ingredients
1 7-ounce bag arugula
1 7.5 ounce container crème fraîche
juice of 2 lemons 
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 16-ounce bag fusilli or linguine (or other small pasta)
freshly ground black pepper  
    

 

 

 

Preparation
Roughly chop the arugula and place in a colander.
In a large bowl, stir together the crème fraîche, lemon juice, lemon zest, and half the Parmesan cheese.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente.
Drain the pasta into the colander with the arugula. 
((The hot water will wilt the arugula slightly))
In the large bowl, toss the pasta with the crème fraîche sauce and season to taste with freshly ground pepper.
Garnish with the remaining grated cheese.
Serves 4 to 6

Buon appetito!

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pink lemonade

Lemons! Lemons! Lemons! 

I was recently given a basket of beautiful lemons ~ and I couldn't resist squeezing them to make this all time favorite of mine . . . pink lemonade. There's nothing like it . . . fresh-squeezed lemonade. Add a splash of grenadine ~ and you've turned a simple yellow refreshment into a sweet, pink delight!  

Pink Lemonade

Ingredients

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (5 to 6 lemons)

1/2 to 3/4 cup superfine sugar, to taste

1 cup crushed ice

4 cups water

3 teaspoons grenadine

6 maraschino cherries

Directions

Place the lemon juice, sugar, ice, water and grenadine in a blender and process until completely smooth. Place a cherry in the bottom of 6 glasses and pour the lemon juice mixture in the glasses. Serve.  

simply . . . refreshing & charming INSPIRATIONS

~ delicate punch glass ~pink flower ~

   

~ intimate garden affair ~

Enchanting beverage jars filled with pink lemonade and citrus slices of  pink grapefruit, lemons, limes and lemons 

 

~ Pink lemonade roses ~

~ Crisp mint leaves ~

~ pink lemonade granita ~

beautiful beverage jar ~ pink peonies ~ 

and delicate straws in dainty glasses

 

~ beautiful glass on a china plate ~ 
~lemon slice and maraschino cherries ~

 

charming goblets ~ lavender stems

Summer garden ~ watermelon ~ pink lemonade

Monogrammed sugar cookies ~ tall glass of pink lemonade

~ pink lemonade atop a vintage tablecloth ~

~ watermelon and mint leaf skewers ~

~ a passion for pink ~

~ pink lemonade cupcakes ~

bon appetit!!