Meyer Lemon Glazed Cookies

Meyer Lemon Glazed Cookies

Our coasts in the US are polar opposites right now. Los Angeles has been going through another heatwave...we've been in the 80's. And the East Coast is getting hit by a snow storm. What to do?

Make cookies. That's the answer for everything.


My parent's have a great Meyer Lemon tree and come winter, it's bursting with lemons. Meyer Lemons are very fragrant and sweeter than your regular lemon. They've gotten super popular in recent years and they deserve the attention! I hope you are able to find some...and I hope they are from California.

This is a simple cookie to make. I made it while watching Sherlock. Oh, I love that show. Don't you? I tried really, really hard to stay up to watch it after Downton, but didn't make it so I watched it the next day while baking these cookies.

I made smaller cookies - the original recipe from Martha Stewart has about double the yield.

Both the cookie batter and the glaze include lemon zest.

Fresh from the oven. Let them cool completely before glazing the cookies.

After glazing the cookies, let the cookies rest for an hour so the glaze sets up.

Recipe: Meyer Lemon Glazed Cookies
Adapted from: Everyday Food/Martha Stewart Glazed Lemon Cookies

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (original recipe was 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely grated meyer lemon zest (I used two meyer lemons)
2 tablespoons fresh meyer lemon juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze
2 cups confectioners'/powdered sugar
zest of 1 meyer lemon (about 1 Tablespoon)
1/4 to 1/3 cup fresh meyer lemon juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the lemon zest until damp and fragrant. This will release the lovely meyer lemon flavor.
3. In an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter with the lemon zesty sugar until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until combined. It may look curdled but that's okay.
4. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture until just combined.
5. Drop dough onto cookie sheets (I line my half-sheet pans with parchment paper). I used a small cookie scoop and got 42 cookies. The originally recipe uses one heaping tablespoon and yields 24 cookies.
6. Bake until edges are golden, 12-15 minutes for small cookies or 15-20 minutes for larger cookies, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. To make the glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest until pourable. Spread glaze on the cooled cookies and let sit for an hour until the topping is set.

Meyer Lemon Bars

Meyer Lemon Bars

My folks have a Meyer Lemon tree in the backyard. Thus, lemons galore! When life gives you lemons, you need to make some lemon bars!

I adapted a recipe from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich. Oh, by the way, the FTC says I'm supposed to disclose that the link to Alice's cookbook goes to Amazon. I'm in the Amazon Affiliate program where I get a few cents if you click through this link and buy stuff on Amazon (don't worry, I never know who buys what so you can add that Fifty Shades of Grey to your cart too). Anyway, I have to tell you this with all the links now! Oy vey. And what do I do with those few cents? I plow them back into Amazon buying cookbooks...so the cycle of Amazon is complete.

I really like the crust. It'll be my go-to lemon bar crust from now on. It uses melted butter and is super easy to assemble. The "blob" (yes, I think that is a baking term) of dough gets pressed into the bottom of the pan. Because it is "wet", you can get a really smooth surface. I used an off-set spatula to spread and smooth out the crust. The crust is on the thinner side...if you like a big, hardy crust, then this one may not be for you.

Here's a photo of my mom and dad last year holding their Meyer Lemons!

I increased the amount of lemon juice from 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup. I like a big, thick layer of lemon on my lemon bars!

Meyer Lemon Bars
My yield was 25 bars (cut 5 x 5)
Adapted from by Alice Medrich's "Very Tangy Lemon Bars 2.0" (page 182) of her book Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-your-Mouth Cookies


Crust:
7 Tbsp unsalted Butter, melted
2 Tbsp sugar
¾ tsp  vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
1 cup (4.5 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour

Topping:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar (I used 7 ounces of sugar because Meyer lemons are milder than regular lemons. Alice suggest using 4.375 ounces but I missed that note in her recipe!)
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (I didn't measure my zest...used zest from two Meyer lemons)
2/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, strained (Alice Medrich's recipe calls for 1/2 cup juice, but I just kept squeezing my juicy Meyer lemons and just threw all the juice into the bowl!)

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with foil or parchment (create a sling for easy removal).

Crust: In a bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the flour and mix until just incorporated. Spread the dough evenly in the bottom of the pan (I used a small offset spatula). Bake 25-30 minutes until fully baked and golden brown.

Topping: While the crust is baking, stir together sugar and zest until damp. This will release the lemon oils. Stir in the flour. Whisk in the eggs. Add lemon juice and zest and stir until combined.

When the crust is baked, turn the oven temperature down to 300 degrees. Slide the rack out and pour the filling over the hot crust. Baked for an additional 20-25 minutes until center no longer jiggles. Let cool completely in pan before slicing. (I tightly wrapped and refrigerated my bars overnight)

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake Bundt - Lemon Week 2011

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake Bundt

It's Day 3 of Lemon Week! Hello. My name is Mary and you may have heard...I Like Big Bundts. So, of course we had to have a Bundt cake. But this one is a Meyer Lemon Bundt!

Friends Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet and Jenn of JustJenn are celebrating lemons this week.

I made Martha Stewart's recipe for a pound cake but made 1/2 the recipe. I think I baked it a bit too long or over-mixed the ingredients because it was a bit dry. I'll have to try the recipe again!

I baked it in the pretty Bavarian bundt pan. I really like this bundt pan...just be sure to spray the heck out of it...them curves? Very sexy but lots of opportunities for stickage.

Be sure to check out JustJenn and the East Coast Mary recipes too. You don't have an excuse not to make something lemony! :)

Recipe:
Martha Stewart's Meyer Lemon Pound Cake
I made 1/2 the recipe and baked it in 10-cup Bundt cake pan. I baked it for 60 minutes but found it a bit dry so I would check it much earlier next time.

Meyer Lemon Ginger Muffins - Lemon Week 2011

Meyer Lemon Ginger Muffins

For the past couple years, I've dropped off a big bag of Meyer Lemons on justJenn's porch...a lemon fairy. justJenn had Lemon Week 2009 and 2010 and this year, I'm celebrating my dad's Meyer lemon tree with a week of lemon recipes too. Sure, I'm losing enamel on my teeth, but Meyer lemons make your kitchen smell fantastic so it's worth it!

It's Lemon Week 2011! Check out what justJenn is making, and check out my friend Mary on the East Coast who received a box of lemons from the Lemon Fairy. So far, she's made scones, muffins, and pasta.

This recipe has fresh ginger and lemon zest. You whiz them together with some sugar in a food processor.

I always use a disher to, well, as the name implies, dish out the batter so they are all relatively the same size. The crown on the muffin is really nice and perky. :)

After coming out the oven, a lemon/powdered sugar glaze is drizzled on top while the muffins are still a bit warm.

Recipe:
Simply Recipes - Lemon Ginger Muffins
My adaptations: I used Meyer lemons, I rubbed the zest into the sugar before adding it to the butter, and I used sour cream instead of yogurt because that's what I had in my fridge! I made 1/2 the recipe and got 9 muffins...so you might get more than 12 if you make the full recipe.

Meyer Lemon Sponge Pie or Lemon Cake Pie

Meyer Lemon Sponge Pie

I've never heard of the Lemon Sponge Pie (sometimes referred to as a Lemon Cake Pie). It is attributed to the Pennsylvania Dutch. Where have you been all my life?

Fellow Trader Joe enthusiast, Leah of Wine Imbiber is having a Lemon LoveFest! And of course I'm going to join in! I've been a Meyer Lemon Fairy, leaving my dad's Meyer Lemons around town. Please check out her Lemon LoveFest and submit your favorite lemon recipe(s)!

And be sure to check out the Lemon LoveFest Library that is filled with many absolutely yummy lemon dishes!!! My to-do list just got a lot longer!

The pie is magic! :) A layer of lemon appears on the bottom and a nice light topping floats to the top.

Since my pie class at the New School of Cooking, I've been making pie crusts from scratch. Whoo hoo.

It's Lemon Season. Pick up a few and make a Lemon Sponge Pie!

Lemon Sponge Pie / Lemon Cake Pie
Click here for a printable recipe

Recipe: Adapted from Bunny's Warm Oven (5/21/2008) who adapted it from Betty Crocker Baking Classics (appears to be out of print)

One 9" unbaked pie crust

3 large eggs, separated
2 T grated lemon peel (I used a microplane to zest the lemons)
2/3 cup Meyer lemon juice (Recipe calls for regular lemon juice, but I used Meyer Lemons)
1 cup milk (I used whole milk)
1 1/2 cups sugar (According to Bunny's Warm Oven, the original recipe calls for 1 1/4 cup sugar...so you should decide based on how tart you want your pie. I used 1 1/2 cups in mine)
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare pastry and line pie pan with crust. Leave unbaked.

Beat egg whites in a large mixer bowl until stiff peaks form, reserve.

Beat egg yolks; beat in lemon peel, lemon juice and milk. Add sugar, flour and salt; beat until smooth. Fold lemon mixture into egg whites. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate. Bake until golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. (A layer of lemon will settle to the bottom and a soft meringue-like topping to float to the top.) Serve with sweetened whipped cream if desired. (I served it plain and that was fine).

My notes: I found the lemon mixture was very very liquid, and that made folding the egg whites into the mixture difficult. I mixed the lemon mixture by hand with a whisk...perhaps I should have whisked it on the KitchenAid to get the yolks into ribbons.

You may also be interested in this vintage recipe that adds butter to the batter.

Los Angeles Times Upside-Down Meyer Lemon Cake

Meyer Lemon Upside-Down Cake

The Los Angeles Times Food Section is opening its vault and has the Top 10 recipes of the past 25 years on the website. See the listing here. Earlier, I made the Cafe Beaujolais' Buttermilk-Cinnamon Coffeecake from 1985.

And the LA Times Food Section will be moving to Thursday (from Wednesday). This will be tough! The Wednesday Food Section is such a "hump day" treat...oh well, it used to be on Thursday and it's going back. I know the Los Angeles Times staff has taken a beating in this economic climate...I can't imagine life without the LA Times, especially the Food Section. I've been reading the paper forever...and will run out to the driveway on Thursdays now to grab the Food Section. Thanks LA Times Food Section and @latimesfood for all the great recipes and articles!

My dad has a lovely Meyer Lemon tree. It's old, short and stout. Hum, that kinda sounds like my dad too. :) Anyway, when I saw the Upside-Down Lemon Cake on the LA Times website, I knew I had to use my dad's Meyer lemons.

I just bought a new cast iron pan for the TWD Tarte Tatin, and was happy to use it again! A layer of brown sugar and butter is topped with the lemon slices. Then a cake batter is cooked on top.

Although difficult to cut because of the rind (make sure you use a sharp knife), this was a fan favorite at the library. Give it a try and let me know how you like it!

Check out the other LA Times favorites over the years here: Opening the vault: 25 years of our best recipes. This recipe was part of: Top 10 recipes of 2007

Recipe:
Lemon Upside-Down Cake
From Los Angeles Times test kitchen director Donna Deane. Published March 14, 2007.

From the article (Hello, I'm a librarian and had to get the citation :)
Blingtime for lemons; Let this season's precious fewer fruits sparkle and shine in desserts that make the most of every sweet-tart bit of golden citrus. Susan LaTempa, Donna Deane. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif.: Mar 14, 2007. pg. F.3

Lemon Upside-Down Cake
Printable recipe here or on Los Angeles Times

4 small lemons (about 4 ounces each) - I used Meyer lemons
One-half cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter, divided
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 vanilla bean, split - I used 1 tablespoon of vanilla paste instead
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.

2. Cut 3 of the lemons into one-eighth inch thick slices. (I ended up using 4 smaller Meyer lemons) Remove seeds and set aside. You will have about 30 lemon slices. Grate 1 teaspoon lemon peel from the remaining lemon. Set aside the grated peel; save the lemon for another use.

3. Heat 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or an ovenproof 10-inch saute pan until melted. Brush the sides of skillet with a little of the melted butter. Add the brown sugar, stir until it is moistened with the butter and spread it into an even layer. Arrange the lemon slices, slightly overlapping, to cover the bottom of the skillet. Set aside.

4. Cut the remaining 6 tablespoons butter into a mixing bowl. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean with the point of a knife onto the butter. (I used 1 Tablespoon of vanilla paste). Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until creamy. Add the sugar and grated lemon peel and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

5. Add half the flour mixture and beat until blended. Add milk and beat until combined, then add the remaining flour mixture and beat until blended.

6. Spread the batter over the lemons in the skillet to cover evenly. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake is golden and the center tests done. Let the cake stand 5 minutes, then invert the skillet onto a platter. To serve, slice into wedges with a sharp knife. (It is difficult to cut so make sure your knife is sharp to get through the rind).

Meyer Lemon and Ginger Sorbet

Oh dear. I'm having an affair with the ice cream maker. You know I'm in a committed relationship with the Bundt pan (as evidenced by my 1,000 bundt cakes), but my brand new ice cream maker makes me weak in the knees. Oh man, it is fantastic! It's like magic!! Perhaps it will only be a summer fling...we'll see.

I adapted the recipe straight from the Cuisinart instruction booklet! They had a plain lemon sorbet, but I love anything ginger so I infused some ginger into the simple syrup mixture. Next time, I would infuse more ginger for a longer period of time to give it more ginger flavor (I love love ginger)

Meyer Lemon and Ginger Sorbet

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 inch fresh ginger, cut into 1/4" slices - next time, I would use more
3/4 c fresh Meyer lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Bring water, sugar and ginger to boil, reduce to low and simmer for 5 minutes until sugar is dissolved. Let cool. Strain the ginger from the mixture. Refrigerate until you are going to use it.

Add lemon juice to syrup mixture and stir. Pop in the ice cream maker until thickened, about 25-30 minutes.

Tartest Lemon Tart - Tuesdays with Dorie

Tartest Lemon Tart...with something missing!

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Babette of Babette Feasts picked Tartest Lemon Tart on page 336 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I was really looking forward to this one! I love lemon. I love tarts. I love Dorie....And I'm a dork.

I forgot the heavy cream in the filling!

I took it out of the refrig but somehow it missed making it into the food processor. Um, perhaps I should mention it was 4:15 in the morning when I was bakin'.

Anyway, it was okay, but I'm sure the missing 1/2 cup of heavy cream would have given it a smooth, silky finish. I'll will definitely try this one again! (I have a bunch of Meyer lemons that need to get back in the tart again!)

Be sure to check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers! And buy Dorie Greenspan's book. It rocks.

(I'm in the Washington DC area now helping a pregnant friend on bed rest. I may or may not have internet access...so I apologize in advanced if I can't visit other TWD blogs! I've scheduled this post to be published on Tuesday morning...oh, technology is too cool. Take care and see you next week with Mango Bread! Yes!)

Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Meyer Lemon Glaze (Bon Appetite)

Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Meyer Lemon Glaze
and some California Strawberries

When the April 2009 issue of Bon Appétit arrived at the library, I started to salivate (as usual). They have a section on cakes that is just beautiful!

Then, I was going through my way overflowing Google Reader and found that Tracey's Culinary Adventure made the cake! It looked fantastic and I just had to try it out. I've been making the Everyday Food Orange Cornmeal Cake practically every day. I love this one too! You should definitely try both of these recipes!

The recipe calls for a crushed blueberry sauce, but I didn't have any and threw on some strawberries instead. The cake was so lemony delicious that it didn't need the sauce at all!

Okay, totally off-topic, but I seem to always have one competitive reality show going (no, I'm not talking about Octo-mom's competitive crazy person show - dude, she wins that one). I'm hooked again on the Amazing Race. Did you know that Mike White (screenwriter/actor of School of Rock, Chuck & Buck, The Good Girl) is in it with his 68 year old father? Totally my favorite team. The LA Times had a great article about it - Mike calls himself an "Amazing Race scholar." Sundays at 8 pm on CBS! It's not too late to join in the fun. And the host Phil is just so cute.

Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Meyer Lemon Glaze: I give it 4 forks!
You can find the full recipe here on epicurious!

Lemon Cup Custard (Tuesdays with Dorie)

Lemon Cup Custard

This week, Bridget of The Way the Cookie Crumbles selected Lemon Cup Custard on page 387 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Not since the raisin haters came out of the closet was there so much trash talk about the egg on the Tuesdays with Dorie website. Who knew that the little egg caused so much gag reflex to so many! Unlike my Ecuadorian friend who eats everything with an egg, I discovered there are many a baker out there who aren't card carrying members of Egg Custard Council.

I'm not a big fan of the egg custard, but I wanted to give this recipe a go. I made 1/4 of the recipe and that filled three mini-ramekins.

I followed Dorie's basic recipe and couldn't find my lemon extract so I just used the zest of two Meyer lemons to lemonize the custard. It's beyond simple to make, and I'll let my friend decide. I think I overcooked it a bit and it should have been a bit more jiggly (like parts of my body nowadays...but I digress). Also, I strained it twice...when adding the milk and when placing the custard in the ramekins. I probably won't make again, but I'm glad I gave it a shot.

Lemon Cup Custard

Thanks Bridget for the pick! I'm interested to see how other bakers changed up the flavors! Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers!

Glazed Meyer Lemon Cakes

Glazed Meyer Lemon Cakes

Whoo hoo! Top Chef tonight! Second to last episode! I'm on the West Coast so I've been careful to avoid spoilers online...and if you are reading this and have Top Chef on your DVR, um, come back later!

Okay, this morning I made these Everyday Food's Glazed Lemon Cakes using Meyer lemons.

Quick fire with three kicked off chefs...and crawfish. Please, please don't come back Leah. Seriously.

And in my Access Hollywood moment, I want to know if either Leah or Hosea are with their girl/boy friends anymore.

Okay, Jeff is back but can stay only if he wins the next challenge. Just a wee bit of pressure.

You are supposed to make these in a cupcake pan and then pour the glaze over the top. I decided to use my cute little cupcakey-like molds (what is the proper name for this pan? I'm completely brain dead and concentrating on Top Chef.) And how many people were so sad to have a Fashion Week come and go...with no Project Runway?!? The LA Times had a whole pull out about the sadness that is PRunway's absence and lawsuit...damn, this just says in neon letters that I really need a life...

Yeah, after a cooling, a lemon glaze tops the cake. I could drink the glaze.

Rock on Carla! Your dishes look great and I like your drink (I don't drink and that spritzer looks yum). Carla is like a NCAA Basketball team peaking during March Madness.

I could just reach into the screen and slap Stefan. Seriously b-slap that smirk off his face and his over-confident little head.

Elimination.
S. t. e. f. a. n.
Pick Stefan!
Come on, Padma... say, "Stefan."

Oh, so sad. It's Fabio. I loved him. I'll have to drive up the coast and go to his restaurant like Judy of Judy's Gross Eats.

Oh yeah, the cake. Here's the recipe for Glazed Lemon Cakes from Everyday Food. See you next week for the finale. Go Carla!!!