Light-as-Air Lemon Cookies

It is so important to invest our time and energy in the things that make us happy. In today’s world of electronics and gadgets and never-ending deadlines… we can easily be swept up in the day to day necessities, unintentionally allowing the little things that bring us joy to fall by the wayside.

Life is happy, wonderful, adventurous and amazing… but it can also be stressful. Children who used to be outside playing kick the can or comparing Skip-It records are now taking lessons in exotic instruments and learning multiple foreign languages in an effort to get into a good college.  And before we even have a chance to worry about college, we’re struggling to pull every string to get our 3 month old into a decent preschool.

So yes, we live in a stressful world. Which is why it’s more important than ever to counterbalance this everyday stresses with activities, environments and people that bring us joy.  Life is too short to not appreciate the little things (that, as a friendly reminder, are really the big things). The key is to proactively and consciously put this time aside.

Many have mastered the art of justifying why we don’t work out, eat well, take time off of work and get enough sleep. The truth is that in having the best of intentions and taking care of others, we often forget to take care of ourselves.  And I know I don’t need explain the madness in this logic, because we all know that we can’t successfully take care of anyone else until we take care of ourselves.

This week, I encourage you to make a list of 5 simple things that you love, and to set aside an hour or two to just indulge in something that brings you effortless joy.  Whether it’s running, painting, playing chess, golfing, reading, surfing, needlepointing or napping… take time this week to make it a priority.  For me, it’s cooking (no surprise here).

And spending time with my amazing friends and their adorable dog, Reagan.

Happy Thankful Thursday :)

Light-as-Air Lemon Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp sea salt (preferably Maldon)

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 tbsp. sour cream

2 tbsp. full-fat milk or half and half

2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt

In a stand mixer using a paddle attachment (as opposed to the whisk), combine the butter, 1/2 cup of the sugar, egg, sour cream, milk, lemon juice and vanilla and mix thoroughly.  (Hint:  be sure not to melt the butter, but just to soften.  Melted butter will result in sticky dough that cannot be formed into balls)

Once the ingredients are thoroughly combined and while the mixer is running on low to medium speed, slowly add the flour mixture until combined

Using your hands, form the dough into small balls approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Roll in remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, and place on a greased cookie sheet.  If consistency of dough is sticky and too difficult to roll into a ball, freeze the dough for 5-10 minutes

Bake for 10-12 minutes max, being careful not to allow them to cook any longer.  They will quickly dry out and burn along the bottom if left for a longer period of time

While allowing for the cookies to cool, grate lemon peel over the top and then serve

Store in an air-tight container for up to a week

*Adapted from Yes to Yum