This recipe showed up in an email from the nice folk at Southern Living Magazine featuring their favorite cookies.
Hmmm.
I like these, but I am not sure they’ll make my favorites list. Still, I have a goodly sized batch to bring to Rich’s mom’s for the holiday, so we’ll see what everyone else thinks. Don’t get me wrong – they are tasty – just more in a savory way than a traditional cookie – not unlike Tuscan Shortbread.
These babies also require a major investment in butter – a FULL POUND! – so I cut the recipe in half, which still yielded 3 dozen cookies.
Of course, halving the recipe had it’s own risk and challenge – I ended up shorting the sugar by about 1/8 cup, and had half an egg left over…
INGREDIENTS
•1 cup fresh lemon-basil leaves
(you can use regular basil, too)
•1-3/4 cup sugar, divided
(and extra for dipping)
•1 pound butter, softened
•1/4 cup lemon juice
•1 large egg
•6 cups flour
•Garnish: fresh basil sprigs
Pulverize the basil with 1/4 cup of the sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, then stir into the flour.
Beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, then beat in the egg and the lemon juice.
Add the flour and basil mixture gradually, beating until well blended.
Shape the dough into 1 inch balls – I used my trusty 1 tablespoon scoop, worked a treat – and place 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. If you don’t use parchment paper – WHY NOT? – butter your baking sheets before adding the cookie balls.
Heat oven to 350°.
Dip the bottom of a glass in a small plate of sugar and use it to flatten the balls out slightly.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned, and cool on a wire rack.
A friend has suggested using rosemary in place of the basil – which could be nice.
Now, about that half an egg…