Day 71 - Lemon Sugar Snaps

  
      I burnt myself for the third time today.  Not three times today, three times since I've started this blog.  I suppose if you're baking every day, the odds are that you're going to increase the chances of wounding yourself.  There are two almost identical burn marks on my left forearm from reaching into the oven and touching one of the racks, and now on my right thumb; I went to reach under the baking sheet to grab what, I don't know.  So, if my body ever needs to be identified,  remember to remind my family about the marks on my arm and that there will probably be flour under my fingernails, too.
     I found this recipe in the Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, p.93; author, Martha Stewart; publisher Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a division of Random House; ISBN 0-307-23672-2.

     Lemon Sugar Snaps

     1 3/4 cups flour
     1 teaspoon baking soda
     1 teaspoon cream of tartar
     ½ teaspoon salt
     2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
     1 cup sugar, plus more for dusting
     1 large egg
     Freshly grated zest of 3 lemons
     1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

     In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt; set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add the egg and lemon zest and juice; beat until combined.  Add the flour mixture; beat until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Transfer dough to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

     Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.  Place sugar in a shallow bowl.  Shape leveled tablespoons of dough into 1-inch balls.  Roll balls in sugar to coat completely, and place about 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. 

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until the edges just begin to turn golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.  Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

     Wow!  These were lemonylicious!  I refrigerated for 4 hours and the dough was manageable.  It did become a little sticky though when I was rolling it.  I only used one large baking sheet, so in between batches I put the remaining dough into the fridge, covered.  The first batch I put into the oven, 6 were rolled in granulated sugar and 6 were rolled in confectioners' sugar.  I was hoping with the powdered sugar to get the affect of those Sunshine Lemon Coolers I always ate as a kid.  Oh how I loved those! No go.  And they were too sweet. 
     Martha is so smart, she knows exactly what her cookies need.  However, she really likes things big!  Martha always does things big.  I love how Martha likes big, but I like smaller cookies .  She called for flattened tablespoonfuls and as you can see here, they were large cookies. 

The last batch I made I used a flattened teaspoonful and baked them for 4 minutes and then rotated the rack for another 4 minutes.  I like this size much better. 

BUT, eating more of them is tempting.  Maybe that's why they're supposed to be larger. 
     My rating system is based on a scale of 1-4 with 4 rocking the house.  Martha's Lemon Sugar Snaps earn a 3½ rolling pins!  These would be divine with your pinky up on a cup of afternoon tea!
     Happy baking!