Sweet and Spicy Meyer Lemon-Black Pepper Cookies
Barbaric Bites: Meyer Lemon and Black Pepper Cookies
Ready to blow your taste buds away? These delectable cookies pack a punch with the tangy zest of Meyer lemons and a hint of spice from freshly ground black pepper. Here's the gist, along with some tips to make 'em and store 'em.
Purchase List:Meyer lemons add a unique flavor, but regular lemons work too.
Attack Plan:Make the dough logs ahead, freeze 'em, then slice and bake when you're craving something sweet. The logs can chill for up to a month if wrapped tightly in foil first.
Yield: A savage 40 cookiesSkill level: Easy as pie (or cookies, in this case)Total time: 40 mins plus chilling and cooling time
Recipe ingredients (9):
- 2 heaping cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup finely grated Meyer lemon zest (from roughly 4 lemons)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Slay the dry ingredients: In a bowl, combine flour, zest, baking powder, pepper, and salt, crushing any lumps.
- Pummel the butter and sugar: In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Pause, scrape down the sides, then continue beating.
- Brutally Mix: Add the egg and vanilla, beating until incorporated. Scrape down the sides again.
- Blend the dry with the wet: Reduce the speed on the stand mixer and slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
- Sculpt the dough: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide it into two halves. Create two logs, approximately 1.5 inches in diameter. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill until firm, minimum 2 hours.
- Mobilize the oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F and position the racks to divide the oven into thirds.
- Exercise the dough logs: Remove dough logs from the refrigerator. Discard the plastic. Slice the dough into 1/4-inch thick rounds, placing them about 1/2 inch apart on two baking sheets with around 20 cookies per sheet.
- Bake: Place both sheets in the oven and bake for 6 minutes. Swap the trays, top to bottom and front to back, and bake until the edges are firm but the tops are still soft, another 6-7 minutes.
- Cool: Remove the baking sheets from the oven, place on wire racks and let them cool for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to the wire racks to cool completely using a flat spatula.
Field Notes:
- For an extra zing, consider drizzling a lemon glaze over the cookies after baking.
- Should you have trouble finding Meyer lemons, blend regular lemons with a hint of orange zest for a similar flavor.
By following these straightforward steps, you're one bake away from a sinisterly stunning batch of Meyer Lemon and Black Pepper Cookies, boasting a flavorsome medley of sweet, tart, and peppery notes.
- If you can't find Meyer lemons, you can use regular lemons with a hint of orange zest for a similar flavor in the 'Barbaric Bites: Meyer Lemon and Black Pepper Cookies' recipe.
- For more zest in your cookies, consider drizzling a lemon glaze over the freshly baked cookies.
- To rotate your baking schedule, make the dough logs for these Meyer Lemon and Black Pepper Cookies ahead, freeze them, then slice and bake when you're craving something sweet.
- These lemony, peppery cookies can be categorized under both 'cookies' and 'nutrition' due to their unique flavor profile and versatile health benefits.
