Heaven on Earth

Heaven on Earth

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Lemon Zucchini Cookies

When you have extra zucchini from the garden that got away from you, make some of these.  They are soft, and cake-y in texture; not too sweet until you add the glaze.  Erin says they remind her of tea cookies or cakes.  And they are oh, so good.  I made up this recipe because of what I had in the fridge.  If you don't have yogurt you can substitute milk, or even buttermilk.

LorAnn's bakery emulsion is the secret ingredient (well, it used to be secret before I told you).  Have you used this before?  This emulsion has no alcohol so it doesn't lose it's flavor when exposed to heat.  It brings a burst of butter-y, vanilla flavor to the party.  It's a trade secret of commercial bakers; they use it to give cookies and cakes that buttery taste. You can also just substitute an equal amount of vanilla or even lemon extract for it.  Either would be a nice substitute.

The lemon zest gives the cookies a tart kick and the lemon juice icing brings the sweet factor up a notch.  Before you make another loaf of zucchini bread, try these.  I made a batch to see if they would work, and after tasting them, Erin wanted to know if I was making a second batch.  They really are that good. 
Lemon Zucchini Cookies


Cookies:
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons of unbleached all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons of freshly grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon of baking soda
½ tsp. of kosher salt
6 ounces of butter (12 tab.), at room temperature
1 ½ cup of granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup of shredded zucchini (do not squeeze it dry)
1 teaspoon of LorAnn’s Bakery Emulsion
½ cup of vanilla flavored yogurt
¼ cup of milk
(you may wish to substitute ¾ cup of buttermilk in place of the yogurt and milk)

For the glaze:
1 ½ cup of confectioner sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Preheat the oven to 360ยบ F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, zest, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine the yogurt and the milk. Set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter briefly, until creamy. Add the sugar, and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, and beat well to mix. Add the bakery emulsion and beat briefly again. Mix in the zucchini until blended evenly. Alternately add the flour mixture and the liquid mixture at low speed, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Drop the dough by level tablespoons (I use a 3-ounce ice cream scoop) onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 ½ inches between each cookie. Bake for about 11 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 1minute; then transfer them to a wire rack.

This post is my entry for Recipe Swap Thursday.  Check out the link and see what everyone else has made this week.  And don't forget to enter the CSN Giveaway if you haven't already done so.  The deadline to enter is September 20th.

11 comments:

  1. Here is another use for the dreaded zucchini.

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  2. Your lemon zucchini cookies sound so yummy and moist...they are a feast for the eyes too. I have seen the emulsion, but haven't used it. You have peaked my interest. Joni

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  3. The cookies look wonderful. Thanks for the info on LorAnn's. I am going to order a bottle. Good luck with all of the produce!

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  4. Thanks for sharing. I like the theme of your blog. Have a great day!

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  5. You are so good at conjuring up recipes with your vegies and whatever you have on hand! And they're delicious to boot! I've never heard of "buttery sweet dough." I'll have to try it sometime.

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  6. Can you believe that I have no zucchini growing in my garden right now? Your cookies look wonderful and so soft and delicious. I have heard of LorAnn's bakery emulsion but I can't recall where, maybe at Lorken Food Finery?

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  7. I've not hear of bakery emulsions before. I'll have to get some. Your cookies would be gobbled up in no time at my house too.

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  8. Thanks for sharing info about the bakery emulsions. These cookies look so good!

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  9. YUM!! These are a fabulous way to use up the zuccs! Plus, my daughter is behind me squealing with delight at the photo, so I'm probably gonna have to bake some ;)

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  10. Darn..I followed the recipe to a "t" and this turned into pancake batter. I tried one sheet of cookies and they turned into perfect baked pancakes. So I added 2tsp of baking powder & poured the mix into a bread pan. Nice lemony zucchini loaf. Very tasty. I'll keep the recipe :)

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  11. I'M SORRY YOUR COOKIES DIDN'T TURN OUT. I'VE MADE THIS RECIPE MANY, MANY TIMES AND HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THEM RAISING. DO YOU LIVE AT A VERY HIGH ALTITUDE?

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