Iced lemon cookies

On very rare occasions, I am not craving chocolate. Once again, I said rarely, because 9 out of 10 times chocolate wins. But every once in awhile, I want something sweet and tart and extremely lemony. That is when I make these lovely cookies.

Iced lemon cookies:

Cookie Ingredients:
1 lemon (2 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1 tsp lemon rind)
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup crisco
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp orange rind
1/2 tsp grapefruit rind

Directions: De-juice lemon and use a grater to get at least 1 tsp of lemon rind. More will make the cookies more lemony. Use the grater to extract a 1/2 tsp of rind from both the orange and grapefruit. This adds a depth of flavor so it isn't all lemon all the time. Mix together all ingredients. Preheat over to 375 degrees. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes, until a toothpick comes out relatively clean. Cool.

Icing Ingredients:
2 TB lemon juice
1-1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar
3 TB butter, softened

Directions: Mix all ingredients with a hand mixer. Apply to cookies liberally.

Candied Lemon Ingredients:
1 or 2 lemons, very thinly sliced
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 TB corn syrup

Directions: Slice the lemons as thinly as possible. In a large pot, combine the sugar and water and allow to heat until the sugar dissolves. Add corn syrup, mix, and bring to a boil. Now it's ready for your lemon slices. Add those to the boiling water and allow to poach until the lemons are translucent. This takes about twenty minutes.Remove from water and place on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 200 degrees for about an hour and a half, or until they start to crisp and brown. Remove, allow to cool, and place on top of cookies.

These are tart and sweet with three layers of texture and taste. The soft pillowy citrus cookie is topped with the sweet and creamy icing, then the chewy crunch of the lemon tops it off perfectly. I also like to take the lemon off to eat all by itself. Enjoy with lemonade on a sunny day.