Stephanies Kitchen – 2008 August 11

Yes, I have returned from the big city and I have to say that I enjoyed myself soooo much. I really loved Washington D.C. I ate at some really cool restaurants, saw some amazingly beautiful sights, toured way too many museums and had Air Force One fly right over my head. It was a lovely getaway from the daily life of kids and stress. Very relaxing and stress free. The husband and I really needed that. Bad. Anyways, the hugs and kisses didn’t last long and than it was back to life as we know it. It was a heart breaker though after returning and my 3 year old daughter said to me “Mommy, can you go away again for a long time and I’ll go stay with Grandma?”. Yah, you bet my eyes were filled with tears after that one. She had no idea how much I missed her. I was so glad to be home and it was a straight punch in the gut. Innocent as her sweet little heart is..Kids! ÂYou gotta love them!

My next post I will be telling you about all the fun places we ate at, because I had some amazing suggestions from my lovely food blogging friends, and every last one of them were exactly as they described. Only one bad experience and that one we should have known better. I’ll keep you on your toes for that one.

So, I couldn’t wait to get back in the kitchen. I was having baking withdrawls for sure. My husband thought I was such a dork. I had so many new ideas pop into my head while I was away, and I couldn’t wait to get back and try them out! So the first one are these decedent Iced Lemon Cookies. Yum. Yes I know I have a million lemon posts on my blog. I just can’t get enough of it. Especially in the summer. I crave lemon. So these definitely hit the spot. They are a spin on the classic sugar cookie with a burst of lemon. Yum, yum, yum. I’m sure every last one will be devoured before tomorrow morning!

Iced Lemon Cookies

recipe by Stephanie

For the cookies:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, chilled

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest

1 egg

For the icing:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons milk

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. Mix the butter, sugar, lemon peel and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Add egg.

3. Slowly add dry ingredients until well combined.

4. Using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scooper, scoop the dough into balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes or until firm.

5. Take out and cook 12 at a time at 350 degrees for 11-15 minutes or just until set. Do not overbake. Let cool on wire racks.

6. In a small bowl mix the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and milk until creamy. Top cookies with the icing.