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This cookie is always a hit with people, I’m not sure why, but that is probably because I don’t particularly care for lemon flavor in things.  However this one is fun because you get to use zest AND sour cream!  The sour cream tends to make this dough a little harder to handle because it doesn’t get really hard.  Be patient, and just keep adding flour to the outside when rolling it out so it’s not too sticky!

How to make Lemon Star Cookies

What you need:

For the cookie

½ cup butter flavored shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 ½ teaspoons lemon extract

½ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel (Zest!)

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon of baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

For the Frosting

1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

6 tablespoons butter

¾ teaspoon lemon extract

3 drops yellow food coloring, optional

3-4 tablespoons of milk

Yellow colored sugar, optional.  I use “Sugar in the Raw” packets, its got big granules and looks really pretty sprinkled on the cookie.  Most importantly though, it keeps the cookies from sticking to each other!

What to do:

Cream together shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and extract.  Stir in (see picture, you don’t want to use mixer when it says stir) sour cream and peel.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Divide the dough into three balls; cover and refrigerate (see picture).  This is important for handling when it is time to roll and cut.   Refrigerate for 3 hours or longer until easy to handle.

Remove one portion of dough from refrigerator at a time.  On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to ¼ inch thickness.  Cut with a floured 2inch or so star cookie cutter.

Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets, or on parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake at 375° for 6-8 minutes.  Do not overcook or they will be dry and crumbly.  Remove to wire racks to cool.

Frosting

For frosting, in a bowl, combine the confectioner’ sugar, butter, extract, food coloring and milk to achieve spreading consistency.

Frost cookies; sprinkle with sugar.

Enjoy and Share!

I like peanut butter…with Jelly, on a sandwich.  I have never been a big fan of it anywhere else.  It’s not that I dislike it, it just doesn’t belong anywhere but on a sandwich…and in these cookies!  If you like peanut butter, and you like cookies, give this a try!  If not, do like I do, make these for the other cookie lovers in your life and relieve yourself from temptation!  These cookies are delectably soft and scrumptious!

How to make Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies

What you need:

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup smooth peanut butter

½ cup granulated sugar°°°

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

10 or so ounces of melted chocolate to preference

nuts or sprinkles for decoration

What to Do:

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine butter and peanut butter; beat with a mixer on medium speed until combined.  Add sugars and beat until fluffy.  Beat in egg.

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture and beat until just combined.

Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.  Make 1 ½ inch ball and roll into oval shape and place on cooking sheet 1 ½ inches apart.

Using a fork, press flat.

Bake 7-10 minutes, until cookies are golden brown around the edges.

Put on cooling rack and let cool.

Melt chocolate in container acceptable for dipping.

Dip cookies one at a time and place back on cool baking sheet lined with parchment.  After each sheet is filled, sprinkle decorations on the melted chocolate before it hardens.

Continue until all cookies are dipped, and let the chocolate harden.

Enjoy and Share!

In my house, the cookie-eater cannot get enough lemon.  I’m happy to oblige because I HATE lemon, and I need to fit into a wedding dress in less than a year! So I made a new recipe this year, to compliment the recipe I’ve made for a couple years (lemon stars, CLICK HERE), Lemon Poppy Seed Snowflakes.  So far, they’ve been a hit.  The good thing about these cookies and the lemon stars is that they produce a great amount of cookies for giving, and I’m all about giving!  Also, I always feel fancy when I have to use some sort of fruit zest.  For some reason when you put fresh ingredients into a cookie, if feels healthier!

How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

What you need:

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 stick of butter, softened

2/3 cup of sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

What to do:

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.  (I have to admit, I never do this, but you probably should for best results)

Beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 2 minutes or until smooth.  Beat in egg, zest and juice until fluffy, 1 minute or so.

Gradually beat in flour mixture on low, just until blended.  Add poppy seeds; stir to combine.

Divide dough in half.  Flatten each into 6-inch square; wrap in plastic.  This seems mundane, but it is important to do it because when you go to roll out and cut the dough it will be much much more manageable.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350°

Coat 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray.  If you want beautiful bottoms, use parchment paper on the tray and spray that with the nonstick spray.

Lightly flour dough.  I take a handful of flour and rub it on the outside of the dough and the surface I’m going to be rolling on.  Roll one of your dough squares to a ¼-inch thickness.  Pick out a cookie cutter or two as desired.  I used my snowflake cutter.  Use the cookie cutter to cut out the shape from the rolled out dough, and place on baking pan about 2 inches apart.  Bunch up the scraps, re-roll and repeat.

Bake at 350° for 10-13 minutes or until golden around edges.  Remove to rack and cool completely.

Enjoy and Share!

As I post this, Kim and Kyle are honeymooning in Hawaii!  How awesome is that!  Their wedding had GORGEOUS July weather, and probably couldn’t have gone any more perfectly. Kim did a pretty great job thinking about pretty much everything and planned everything out practically perfectly.  The pair of them was pretty much a photographer’s dream.  These two are just beautiful people inside and out, and I had SO much fun capturing their day.
You should know by now I am infatuated with a good black and white image. I couldn’t help but decide to post in all black and white with these two.  I feel like it cancels out the extraneous meanings in picture and gives the view to see the pure emotion with no distractions; these two had such a tender sense of emotion the whole day, and their black-and-whites turned out beautifully.  To view more from their big day in color check out my facebook fan page and take a peak at their albums, click here.
We started our morning out at Ecco Salon in Fitchburg WI, where Kim and her party got their hair done.  I love love loved Kim’s hair! It was so classic and beautiful on her.

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Next Kim and her girls headed back to her Fitchburg home for makeup, lunch, and to retreive…the dress…dun dun dun…
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Kim got dressed in the farm house at the Allen Centennial Gardens on the University of Wisconsin campus.

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And then she said…”I do!”
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Huband and Wife!
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Isn’t Kim just stunning?
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After we were happy with the photos we collected at the gardens we headed over to the Hilton in Middleton to get the party started!
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Congrats you guys! May your lives be fulfilled doing whatever makes you happy with each other by your sides.