Lemon Cookies (Austin's favorite)

 

Easy Lemon Sugar Cookies from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Yield: 36 cookies (2-3 dozen depending on size)

Prep Time: 20minutes mins

Cook Time: 11minutes mins

Total Time: 31minutes mins

Ingredients

Lemon Sugar:

• ⅓ cup (71 g) granulated sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh lemon zest (from one large lemon)

Cookies:

• 1 cup (227 g) butter, softened to room temperature (not too soft!)
• 1 ½ cups (318 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest (from one large lemon)
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons (409 g) all-purpose flour (see note)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions 

• For the lemon sugar, combine the sugar and zest in a bowl and rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers until super fragrant and the zest and sugar are evenly and well combined. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest until lightly and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add the egg, lemon juice and vanilla and mix again for 1-2 minutes until the batter lightens in color. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. It will look a bit curdled; that's totally fine.
• Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix until combined. Don't over mix - just mix until no dry streaks remain.
• Scoop the cookie dough into rounded balls (about 2 tablespoons in size; I use my #40 cookie scoop).
• Stir or crumble the lemon sugar to break up any clumps. Roll cookie dough balls in lemon sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets a couple inches apart (about 12 cookies per baking sheet).
• Bake for 9-11 minutes until slightly crackly on top (don't over bake).
• Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Flour: at my elevation (2,500) and with the added lemon juice to the recipe, the extra 2 tablespoons flour is really important. Depending on where you live (high elevation), you may need a few tablespoons more beyond that (3 cups flour total). I recommend baking one "tester" cookie first - if it flattens too much, stir in a bit more flour to the dough. 

Another Cookie Spreading Tip: if the cookies spread and flatten too much while baking, try adding more flour per the note above or increase the baking temperature to 375 degrees F or use convection bake (if you have that function on your oven – see my Instagram experiment here to come to this conclusion). Conversely, if your cookies are not spreading enough in the oven, try reducing the oven temperature to 325 degrees and/or measuring the flour with a lighter hand next time (or use a scale to weigh the ingredients).

©Mel's Kitchen Cafe — https://www.melskitchencafe.com/easy-lemon-sugar-cookies/

Einkorn Poppy Seed Muffins

 For 12 muffins:

• 2 cups (240g) all-purpose einkorn flour

• ½ cup (125g) sourdough discard (room temperature)

• ⅓–½ cup honey or sugar (honey pairs well with einkorn's flavor)

• Zest and juice of 1–2 lemons (about 2 tbsp juice)

• 1–2 tbsp poppy seeds

• ½ cup yogurt, sour cream, or ricotta (for moisture)

• 1–2 eggs

• ¼–⅓ cup melted butter or oil

• ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt

• Optional: ¼ cup milk if batter is too thick

Lemon glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar + 1–2 tbsp lemon juice

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350–400°F (175–205°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin. Whisk dry ingredients (einkorn flour, leaveners, salt, poppy seeds) in one bowl.

2. Mix wet ingredients (sourdough discard, sweetener, eggs, fat, yogurt, lemon zest/juice, vanilla) until smooth—beat vigorously for 1–2 minutes to develop structure with einkorn.

3. Fold wet into dry just until combined (thick batter is normal; avoid overmixing einkorn). Rest 30 minutes or overnight in fridge for better flavor and rise from sourdough.

4. Scoop into tins (use ice cream scoop for even portions). Bake 18–25 minutes until toothpick-clean and golden. Cool before glazing.

Tips

Einkorn absorbs less liquid than modern flour, so expect a denser, tender crumb—add milk if needed. For gluten-free alignment (per your interests), confirm pure einkorn suits your needs; active discard boosts rise over cold. Glaze adds sweetness to balance sourdough's tang. Store 3–5 days or freeze.