zest of 1 medium lemon – Brownie Mischief

Strawberry Iced Madeleines

Perfect heart-shaped madeleines with fresh strawberry icing

Course Dessert

Servings 20 madeleines

Ingredients

½ cup (113g) plus 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted melted butter, divided
zest of 1 medium lemon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (110g) all purpose flour, sifted
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, sifted
2 1/2-3 tablespoons puréed strawberries

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup (113g) of the melted butter with the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and granulated sugar, with an electric mixer at medium-high speed, to ribbon stage, about 8 minutes. The batter should look thick, voluminous and light in color.
Sift the flour mixture into the egg mixture in 2 additions, gently folding it in just until combined.
Gently fold the butter mixture into the batter in 3 additions. Cover and refrigerate the batter for 30-45 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Brush the molds of a heart-shaped madeleine pan* with melted butter, making sure to get butter into all of the crevices.
Scoop about a generous tablespoon of batter into each of the molds. Bake until the tops are puffed and springy and the edges start to turn light golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer the madeleines to a cooling rack.
To make the icing, whisk the powdered sugar together with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and 2 tablespoons of puréed strawberries in a medium bowl. Add more of the puréed strawberries until your desired consistency is achieved.
Brush the scalloped side of the cooled madeleines with the strawberry icing, using a small pastry brush. (Alternately, you can thin the icing with a bit of milk and dunk one side fo the madeleines into the icing.

Notes

To find the heart-shaped madeleine pan I used, click here.

Keyword madeleines, strawberry

Lemon Crinkle Cookies by Brownie Mischief — Click here to watch the video

Crinkle cookies, also known as crackle cookies, have been around for a very long time. The pretty, crispy, cracked exterior and the soft, moist interior are what we love about them! There’s definitely no shortage of recipes for crinkles out there, everything from chocolate to red velvet. I even saw an audacious cookie company selling lemon crinkles for twelve dollars each, more money than it will cost for this entire batch! So many of the recipes I tried were disappointing, especially the ones made with cake mix. So I created my own version which happened to go viral! Here’s to making sure delicious lemon crinkle cookies are available for all to enjoy.

This recipe requires a bit of chilling, which I know many people don’t like because they’re impatient. I happen to be one of those people. Old fashioned crinkle cookies require about 3 hours of chilling. My recipe has the addition of cornstarch, which helps prevent spreading and allows for a shorter chilling time. As an added bonus, cornstarch makes the cookies more tender. Win win!

Fresh lemon zest and lemon juice in these cookies is crucial to the best lemon flavor. A bit of pure lemon extract is added to enhance that flavor. Don’t be tempted to use imitation extracts. The flavor will disappoint you. I added two drops of lemon yellow food color, which made them so pretty they look like pure sunshine!

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Lemon cookies with a crackled, crispy exterior and a soft, tender interior

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Servings 14 cookies

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups (223g) all purpose flour, sifted
¼ cup (28g) cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
Zest of 1 large lemon
1 large egg
2 tablespoons (30ml) fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-2 drops yellow gel food coloring (optional) *I used Americolor lemon yellow
½ cup (60g) powdered sugar

Instructions

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and baking soda until well blended.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg until well incorporated. Mix in the lemon juice, extracts and food coloring until well combined. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes to one hour.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Roll the dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each. I used a #30 portion scoop*. Roll the dough balls generously in powdered sugar.
Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake until the cookies are set, about 10-12 minutes. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute then transfer to a cooling rack.

Notes

*To find Americolor lemon yellow gel food color, click here.

**To find a #30 cookie scoop, click here.

To find the striped wax paper pictured above, click here.