Lemon Crackles

Ya know, someday I'd really like to have a fancy schmancy camera instead of my very old pocket-size digital one.  Everybody else's craft blogs have gorgeous professional looking photos like they were done on a set of some quaint farm cottage on a remote coast of Somewhere Land.  All the pastries and cookies look so delicate like they were baked by fairies.  That's what I want my pictures to look like.  For now, my simple homemade-looking pictures will have to suffice.  Let me just note that these cookies taste a thousand times better than the picture might lead you to believe.  Give 'em a go.

I invented this recipe but didn't have great success in the beginning.  I refined it over a year's time and finally came up with what  you see here.  I get requests for these cookies, they are so good, especially in the summer time for a back yard party or a social get-together of some sort.  Light and delicious, these ones!

Ingredients:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 tsp lemon extract
1 large lemon to get 2 Tbsp lemon zest & 1/4 cup juice
2 eggs
15 drops yellow food coloring
1/4 tsp each baking soda, baking powder, salt, & cream of tartar
3 c. flour
Powdered sugar for coating

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grate the lemon to make the zest and squeeze it to get the 1/4 cup juice; set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar.  Mix in the extract, zest, juice, eggs, and food coloring.  mix in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cream of tartar, and half of the flour.  When thoroughly mixed, mix in the remaining half.

Roll dough in to 1-inch balls (I use a cookie scoop so they're all uniform size) and roll in powdered sugar to coat liberally, then place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass (they will "crackle" while baking).

Bake approx. 10 minutes, then let cool (I just take them from the cookie sheet and onto some wax paper on the counter to cool).  Store in an air-tight container with wax paper between layers.

You can certainly do these even more easily by rolling into balls and placing straight onto the cookie sheet without the powdered sugar or flattening them.  When they are cooled, use a strainer to dust them with powdered sugar like tea cakes.  They're beautiful served on a doily like that cottage in Somewhere Land.

Enjoy, y'all!