Baking Monday – Glazed Lemon Cookies

A few weeks ago, I made Engagement Chicken for dinner. Clearly, I'm not angling for a proposal, but the story behind this recipe is so interesting, I had to try it out. True confession: First time I've ever cooked a whole chicken. It was very easy and delicious, but the neck stump really bummed me out. However, whole chicken is way cheaper than chicken breast, so I may have to channel my inner Laura Ingalls and make it more often. Anyhow, I ended up with some leftover lemons and knew I'd be making something lemony for dessert this week.

True confession #2: I hate lemon zest. For as much as I LOVE crunchy bits in cookies, ice cream, and just about any kind of food, I cannot bear citrus zest. Yes, yes, I know that that's where the best lemony flavor comes from … and I went back and forth trying to decide if I should use it or not for this recipe, but in the end decided to skip it once again.

These cookies were delicious! Bake until just browned around the edges – I took the first batch out a tad too early – and ice with lemon glaze, with sanding sugar for the something crunchy. Drizzling icing would be much easier, but there's something so soothing in spreading icing by hand if I've got the time (and the mini spatula!) The biggest surprise this week was the accolades from Mr. Hotcakes, who typically hates all fruity desserts (with the exception of apple pie). I expressed how shocked I was that he liked these cookies so much, and he said, "It's because they didn't have any (spoken with distain) lemon zest." Two peas in a pod, we are.