Lemon Lime Crinkles

Here in Chicago, it’s 30 degrees and the ground is covered with slushy, dirty, nasty snow.  It’s so cold that it makes you not want to leave the house unless you really have to.  I’ve lived here all my life, so you would think I’d get used to it.  But, no, I don’t.  I still hate the winter.  I would move some place warmer in an instant if all my family and friends didn’t live here.  So, to chase away the winter blues, I thought I would bake something to remind me of summer.  When I think of the warm Chicago summer, I think of my kids running through the sprinkler, shooting each other with water guns  and me watching, trying to keep cool with a cold drink.  Nothing really quenches your thirst better than a tall glass of ice cold lemonade.  I came across these lemon lime crinkle cookies and I thought they would replicate the flavor of my favorite summer drink.  You make a basic sugar cookie dough and add some lemon and lime zest to give it a bright citrus flavor.  They have crispy edges, a chewy middle and a lemon lime flavor that is totally addicting.  Unfortunately, summer is several months away.  But if you make some of these cookies, it will add a little warmth to your otherwise freezing cold day.

Lemon Lime Crinkles

Yield:  36 small cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1 egg

1 Tbsp finely shredded lemon peel (Microplane)

1 tsp finely shredded lime peel (Microplane)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 Tbsp white, yellow, and/or green nonpareils or plain sugar – I went a little crazy with the sprinkles

Preheat oven to 375°F.  In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of sugar, the baking soda and cream of tartar.  Beat until combined, scraping the bowl occasionally.  Beat in the egg, lemon and lime peel, and vanilla until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer and then finish mixing by hand with a wooden spoon.

Place the nonpareils or sugar in a bowl. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls.  Dip the tops of the dough balls in the nonpareils or roll in sugar. (I pressed the tops in the nonpareils, then rolled the uncovered part in sugar.)  Place two inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. (I got 16 cookies/sheet).  Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or just until the edges start to brown.  Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Source:  Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookies 2008

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Posted by Just Baked on January 25, 2012

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