Summer is my favorite season. Some of my favorite outdoor memories were sitting on the front porch, watching a thunderstorm roll in with a lemonade in hand and gabbing or playing music. Not only was I born in June, but I have always loved seeing all the worlds natural beauty in full swing. Vegetation is all in full bloom and parks are full of people enjoying the season. Every fruit, vegetable, and herb is in full growth during the summer. That’s why this months cookie is Lemon Thyme Shortbread, to usher in the summertime.
These cookies are surprsingly refreshing. The fresh lemon and herbal thyme flavors bring a lot brightness, like the sunlight on a summer day. The shortbread, on top of being very easy, is very delicate and isn’t as “heavy” as many other types of cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice from about 1 large lemon
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest zest of 1 large lemon
Instructions
- Zest lemon(s) into 2 tablespoons. In a container with a tight fitting lid, mix together 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, rubbing together between your fingers to release the oils. Cover tightly and set aside.
- Place the other tablespoon of lemon zest in a stand mixer along with butter, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, and the juice of the zested lemon. Mix on low until butter is creamed, or around 1 to 3 minutes.
- Add in the flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing around 1 minute on medium each time. Repeat until all the flour is added.
- Chop up thyme and add to the dough. Knead in the mixer bowl until the thyme is fully incorporated.
- By this point, the dough should be firm and tacky. Wrap the dough ball in cling wrap and place the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
- After chilling the dough, remove it from the fridge and roll it to about 1/2 inch thick. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Using a biscuit cutter, cut the cookies into rounds and place on a greased cookie sheet. These cookies will not expand when baking, so feel free to put them as close as you wish to make them fit on the sheet.
- Place cookies in the oven and bake for 16-18 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and sprinkle them with the lemon sugar made earlier, using light pressure to push the sugar into the surface of the cookies.
- Let the cookies cool for at least 15 minutes and enjoy!
Read other Cookie Calendar recipes:
- January: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip
- February: Loaded Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip
- March: Thin Mints
- April: Peanut Butter Stuffed Double Chocolate
- May: Kentucky Brown Butter Cake
Faith, Food and Pharmacy 