Lemon Cornmeal Cookies

Ryan and I are art-walking today. Living in Austin, we’re lucky to enjoy the East Austin Studio Tour each year.

The East Austin Studio Tour allows participants to see new artistic talent, visit working studios and learn new techniques. All over East Austin, studios, homes and galleries open their doors to the masses.

Ryan and I visited:

The backyard studio of a portrait artist.

A woman who makes jewelery out of pieces of vintage dishes.

A glassblower.

A gardener who makes gigantic cement bowls for his chard and tomatoes.

And a garage studio for a screen-printing artist.

We had so much fun. It also helps that the weather is perfect today. 70 degrees with full sun.

After a long morning of walking and chatting and admiring, Ryan and I were in the mood for a sweet afternoon snack. These lemon cornmeal cookies sounded perfect. Subtle, sweet and crunchy, they go well with a cup of chamomile tea or a glass of almond milk.

Lemon cornmeal cookies are new for me. I had never made or tried them until this year. My coworker brought them in to our all-employee meeting on Wednesday. After taking one crunchy bite, I went back and stole a plateful. They were that good!

The cornmeal makes these cookies taste special–wholesome and nutty. They can be topped with a simple sugar icing or a thin layer of powdered sugar. Whatever you do, I guarantee that by the end of the night, your cookie plate will be empty. These lemon cornmeal cookies do the trick!

One last thing….please take a moment to vote for my chocolate pull-apart rolls. It only takes two clicks (no email, registration, ect…) I still need quite a few votes to make it into the top 3. You can vote once a day…so please share and continue to vote. The contest ends Monday.

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal (fine texture)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients and stir with a whisk.  Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).  Scrape sides of the bowl occasionally.  Add egg and beat well.  Beat in grated lemon rind.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat at medium-low speed just until blended. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour, if needed.

Spoon about 1 1/2 tsp batter 2 inches apart onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake at 350F for 12 minutes or until lightly browned and almost firm.  Remove from oven and cool on pans for 2 minutes or until firm.  Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Dust with powdered sugar.

Always,
Monet
Anecdotes and Apple Cores