Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Lemon Crush

Back when I was a wee adult, working for THE Ohio State University, a woman who was in my office was all about making cookies at holiday time.

She'd take weekends to make the different doughs and then another weekend to bake everything off. It was quite the to-do.

Of course, the three other full-timers in the office were the beneficiary of this cornucopia of cookies. And of course, other people in the college just "happened" to drop by.  Vultures!

Phyllis made great cookies. And I have some of her recipes, but truth be told, I've only made (or attempted) a half dozen over the 19 years since I've worked with her. Remember: I am not a baker.

One I will always make are her Lemon Drops.

Phyllis would laugh at me (ummm....with me?) because the powdered sugar would make me cough even before I ate one. Somehow I'd inhale as the cookie got near and that was the end of that.

Still, they are fairly easy cookies to make (ssshhhhh.....don't tell my 'homey', Mike). Five ingredients and it's not even really dough, so.....

1 box - lemon cake mix (your choosing)
1 lemon -  1/4 tsp zest; 1/2 of a lemon juiced *
1 egg - beaten
Cool Whip - 4.5 oz thawed
Confectioners sugar (no actual measurement) **

Combine cake mix, lemon zest, lemon juice and Cool Whip (though you have to say it like Stewie Griffin).

* I did not measure out the lemon zest or juice. I was using the lemon only for this, so I zested the entire thing and juiced the entire thing. It was more than it called for, but it is just fine.

The batter / dough is STICKY. I mean, really sticky. It is hard to work with. So much so, that I had forgotten how bad it was and sent a "joking" text to Phyllis to tell her how much I hated making these.

It's really not that bad, but you have to have patience. That part comes in when you have to take a spoon full of batter / dough and put it into the powdered sugar to coat them (after you do, they are much easier to handle).


Phyllis suggests using two spoons: one to scoop up the batter, one to move it from the original spoon into the sugar. But I found that just complicated matters, as the batter would stick to the second spoon. Clean fingers work best for disengaging the batter into the bowl of sugar.

** you can't really measure how much you need. Just pour some in a bowl enough to coat 20-25 cookies.


Transfer each coated batter bunch onto a non-greased cookie sheet. You don't have to flatten them out, or space them too too far apart. 

Place in a pre-heated 350F oven for 14 minutes (or until edges just start to turn golden). Rotate pan halfway through cooking time. It will even out the cooking process for the cookies. 

Remove cookies onto cooling rack upon taking them from the oven. 


They might seem a little soft, but they will set up. They will never be crispy (or shouldn't be). Just lots of lemony goodness. 

Or, if you're Mike, you'll send a message my way saying, "are these cherry?"

He's pretty...........just not too bright. 



Song by: Prince

4 comments:

Mark in DE said...

A few years ago I started using a melon baller for cookie dough. Just a squeeze of the handle and the dough drops out onto the cookie sheet.

rebecca said...

Hee hee he said baller

dith said...

Those look good!

Lesserson said...

Yum.