Our latest Chow Bella showdown: a traditional holiday cookie exchange. From now through Christmas, we present Chow Bella's 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. Today: 11. Shannon Armour's Who-Cares-About-Chocolate Lemon Crunch Sugar Cookies.
I don't make cookies. Ever. I make cakes, mini cupcakes, cheesecakes, even tiny chicken pots pies but I do not make cookies. My mom makes some of the most beautiful Christmas cookies I have ever seen, and no matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to reach the same level of perfection as that woman; so I gave up on cookies a long time ago. I mean what's the point when you can just email your awesome mom a list of which particular cookies you would like to see on the table at Christmas?
Ingredients
Rub together (use your hands) the zest and granulated sugar until the sugar is a pale yellow color. This helps to infuse all of the oils in the zest into the sugar and gives your cookies an even more lemony flavor. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy (about 3-5 minutes).
Gradually blend in the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly golden and set.
Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks. As soon as the cookies have cooled, store them in an airtight container to keep them nice and soft. Toss a piece of bread in with them to keep them even softer.