Lemony Almond Cookies

A lot of people crave the rich, warm flavour of chocolate, others, like me, crave the puckery lightness of the sunshine-encased deity known as the lemon. Those of you who worship at the alter of citrus will understand my constant need to play with it, and it just so happens that I have a bin-full of the yellow fruit in my refrigerator...just a heads up for what's to come. I think it's safe to say that I have an unhealthy obsession with lemons (and limes, of course.) There is something so addicting to their acidic, bright, refreshing flavour. On occasion, I'll pass on a brownie, but no matter what my mood or how close it is to bikini season, I'll never ever pass on a good lemon-doused recipe.

To kick off the oncoming stampede of citrus recipes (I promise to spread them out), I'll start with these little darlings. Even though I've made lemon cookies before, no matter how much I love a particular recipe, I don't like redoing something unless someone puts in a specific request. But have you ever typed in 'lemon sugar cookie' and hit the search button? It's almost overwhelming. I didn't know where to start...the same feeling I get when I'm in Williams Sonoma (except no one came up to me and asked if I was ok.) This recipe was inspired from one that I found on the lovely site, two peas and their pod, so I knew it would be fabulous!

The cookies are on the thin side, but they still have the softness and chew that I'm always looking for in a cookie. Before going into the oven, the balls of dough (which are delicious, btw), are rolled through a mixture of lemon zest and sugar, so each cookie has a delicate crisp. Personally, I would have preferred a bit more lemon flavour, but since I had already added more than what the recipe called for, I didn't want to ruin the texture. All in all, these were very good. Lemon and almond go so well together, and I think this would satisfy both camps. I used a little bit of almond four too, but if you don't have any on hand, just use all all-purpose. :)

If you're looking for a simple, Spring-infused cookie recipe, this one is for you. :)

Lemony Almond Cookies (adapted from two peas and their pod

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup of almond flour (if you don't have any, just use the same amount of all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zest of 2 large lemons
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Rolling ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling cookies
Zest of one lemon

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the lemon zest and sugar. Using your fingertips, run the zest into the sugar until the sugar becomes moist and aromatic. Set the bowl aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or any large bowl, if using a hand held), beat the butter just until it's smooth. Add the lemon sugar mixture and beat until creamy.
Add the egg, almond extract, and lemon juice. Mix to combine.
With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture. Beat only until the streaks of white have disappeared. Turn off the mixer and, using a rubber spatula, give the dough a few more stirs.
Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the rolling ingredients.
In a large, shallow bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Using the same technique that you used for the dough, rub the zest into the sugar.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and, using a rounded tablespoon per cookie, roll the dough into balls. Roll each ball into the lemon sugar mixture to coat.
Leaving about 2-inches between each one, place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to turn brown. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies