The Perfect Summer Cookie

I teach Sunday School at our church, and I do my best to bring some sort of treat with me each Sunday. I have tried several different cookie & brownie recipes but now that weather is warming up, I thought I'd try something a bit different.

After searching through Pinterest I found something that looked like the perfect fit.

It was a HUGE hit! I have a feeling I'll be making these several times over the next few months.

I found the original recipe here and modified it just a teeny bit.

Lemon - Strawberry Butter Cookies

Yield: 3 dozen (or less if you forget to set the timer and burn a batch. doh!)

1 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 cups of flour - spoon gently into the cup and level with a knife.
1/2ish cup of strawberry jam - I had preserves, they turned out perfect.

For the glaze:  I didn't like the idea of lemon on lemon. I know a lot of you will, so feel free to use the original recipe! But, I substituted the lemon with almond. It was SUPER yummy!! The original glaze is in the linked recipe, here's what I used.

1 cup of powdered sugar
1 tsp almond
2ish Tbs of milk - use a little bit at a time 'till you get the consistency you desire.

*****

1. Cream the butter with the sugar for a few minutes. Make sure to scrape the sides & bottom of the bowl occasionally.

2. Zest the lemon & add it to the butter & sugar.

3. Add the flour a little at a time, scraping as you go 'till well combined & smooth.

4. The original recipe says to use 1" balls, but I can't ever seem to get that right, so I used my cookie scoop. With this handy dandy tool, I get the perfect size, every time.

5. Use your thumb to create a bit of a crater in the cookie.

6. Then, take a 1/4 tsp...or baby spoon...lol and place a small amount of the preserves in the crater.

7. Bake at 350* for 9-11 mins. (I baked mine longer to put a little crunch in the cookie.) Let them cool for a few minutes on the tray & then cool completely on a wire rack.

8. While the cookies cool, make the glaze by whisking all ingredients together in a bowl.

I love this stuff. I use it in several desert recipes. 

9. I'm a bit lazy, so instead of dirtying another space or dish, I just glaze the cookies on the wire rack.

10. Plate 'em up & enjoy! Orrrrr just eat them. ;0)

These are super easy to whip up. It took me less than 10 mins to make the dough. Just make sure the butter is at room temperature! Cold butter is a pain to mix. I left mine in a sunny windowsill while I did some chores.

And, one more thing! The first time I made these cookies was Easter weekend, and I was super busy, so I decided to make the dough ahead and then put it in the fridge to bake later. DO NOT do that!! It took over an HOUR  for the dough to soften up again. Woops! The cookies still turned out great, but I actually wasted time waiting for the dough to return to room-temperature. Live and learn...