Week 4: Dipped Lemon Spritz

Hmmm... being that it's 11:00 on a Saturday night and I'm finally posting this week's recipe, you're probably thinking that I'm starting to wimp out on the one year commitment. Not a chance. Once again, the baking was done on Wednesday, but I couldn't motivate myself to post it until now. Here ya go!

Dipped Lemon Spritz

Recipe from Taste of Home

Makes 6 dozen cookies

2/3 c. plus 2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. grated lemon peel

1 c. unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

dash salt

1 pkg. (12 oz.) dark chocolate chips

(Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the ingredients this time.)

In a small food processor (doesn't really matter if it's small or not-- I used a big one), combine sugar and lemon peel; cover and process until blended.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 2/3 c. lemon-sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, lemon juice and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Using a cookie press fitted with a 1 1/2 inch bar disk, form dough into long strips on ungreased baking sheets. (I always use parchment paper or a silpat on the baking sheets, but neither is necessary for these cookies.) Cut each strip into squares-- there is no need to separate the pieces.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until set (don't brown the cookies). Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

The part where it says to cool completely? Yeah... make sure they're completely cooled before proceeding to the next step. This is important. Learn from my mistakes. I didn't wait until they were cooled, and I lost a few in the bowl of chocolate. They are super delicate while they are warm. Just a word to the wise.

In a microwave, melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Dip cookies diagonally in chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper (or back on the wire cooling rack); sprinkle chocolate with remaining lemon sugar. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Now it's time for honesty: I don't really care for these cookies. I've been told by my always willing taste testers (a.k.a. my family) that they're really good, and my niece wants me to share the recipe with her mom (my sister). In my humble opinion, there isn't enough citrus flavor to these cookies. If I were to make them again (and let's face it, that's not likely), I'd probably add more lemon zest to the sugar and a little more lemon juice to the dough. I like in-your-face lemon flavor, not just a subtle "do I detect a hint of lemon?" flavor. I'm just sayin'. Now I'm thinking about changing things up and going with an orange variation. I love a good orange and chocolate combo.

What are your favorite flavor combinations?

Week 1: Orange Jello Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Well friends, here we are at the official beginning of "the project". I'd mentioned in the previous post that the beginning of the year would be on May 30th, which is Sailor Boy's and my first wedding anniversary. Yay for us! Unfortunately, he goes away to work for 3 weeks at a time, and of course he's away right now. Boo. I got to go visit him on Saturday and Sunday though, and we were able to spend a few blissful hours together. Lucky us. :)

When Sailor Boy's co-workers found out that I was coming to visit, they started campaigning for cookies. Turns out my hubby has been bragging about what a good wife he has. :) I made a few batches of yummy goodness, and while I thought about making them the first blog post, I didn't want to break the rules I've set for myself. Therefore, I bring you Orange Jello Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting:

And I'll come right out and say it before I get called out: yes, I used a cake mix. Don't judge-- my grandma makes a similar cake (only she uses lemon), and if boxed cake mix is good enough for grandma, it's good enough for me. :)

Orange Jello Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Grandma's recipe

Makes 24 cupcakes or a 9x13 cake

Cake:

1 box Duncan Hines "orange supreme" cake mix

1 box (0.3 oz.) orange jello (I couldn't find a 0.3 oz. box, so I used half of a 0.6 oz. box)

4 large eggs

3/4 c. vegetable oil

3/4 c. water

Glaze:

2 c. powdered (confectioner's) sugar

1/ c. fresh squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners, or spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place the cake mix, jello, eggs, oil and water in a large mixing bowl. Blend on low speed for 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the mixer speed to medium for 2 more minutes. The batter should be well combined with no lumps. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full (or pour into baking pan, smoothing batter with a spatula). Bake the cupcakes 18-21 minutes (approx. 35 minutes for 9x13 cake) until the cakes spring back when lightly pressed with your finger or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl; set aside. Remove the cakes from the oven and immediately poke holes in the top of the cakes with the tines of a fork or a wooden skewer (be careful not to tear the hot cake). Pour the glaze over the cakes so that it seeps into the holes. Cool, then top with cream cheese frosting.

** I'll be the first to admit that I don't always think things through, so didn't think that pouring the glaze over the cupcakes while they are still in the pan would cause them to end up swimming in a a pool of stickiness. Here's a tip: take the cupcakes out of the pan and put them on a cooling rack BEFORE pouring the glaze on them. You'll want to put something under the rack to catch the spill-over (paper towels, foil, jello roll pan, etc.). It can be a little messy, but you'll thank me in the long run. Trust me. Really.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe from www.foodnetwork.com (Paula Deen)

Makes enough for 24 cupcakes or 9x13 cake

1 lb. cream cheese, softened

2 sticks butter, softened (I know it's a lot of butter, but it's SO worth it!)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 c. sifted powdered (confectioner's) sugar

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Seriously. These cupcakes are so yummy and orangey (and yes, I really do think that's a word). And you can make the same recipe with lemon (substitute a lemon cake, lemon jello and fresh lemon juice). According to www.duncanhines.com, they make a "strawberry supreme" flavored cake mix. So if you used strawberry jello in the cake, and puree fresh strawberries in the blender or food processor (remember to strain the seeds out!), for the glaze, it could be a beautiful thing. Try some variations on this theme and let me know how things turn out!