EASIEST LEMON SUGAR COOKIES (NO FRIDGE REQUIRED!) I was never much of a lemon cookie fas as a kid - but who was? With chocolate chip, peanut butter, and the pervasive M&M sprinkled cookies of the 90s, it really was no competition. But as an adult, I've grown a real appreciation for the flavor of fresh meyer lemon! Its a little sweeter and more full-bodied than the flavor of a traditional lemon, but I'd even take a regular old lemon here. Because lemon is GOOD. these are like the cookies you WISH you'd been eating in the 90s! These cookies are: fluffy chewy soft perfectly sweetened drizzled in fresh lemon glaze and SUPER lemon-y! You're going to love them as much as I do. Especially when you realize that they are like the sugar cookies younger, cooler, hipper cousin. They whip up in minutes and require NO REFRIGERATION. Yup, you read that right! Most sugar cookie recipes call for at least 1-3 hours in the fridge both batter making to ensure a proper shape and texture as the cookies cook; otherwise, they'd melt all over the pan into a sheet-pan sized cookies that's not actually appetizing at all. So here's the thing - these babies, they go from prep bowl straight to sheet pan straight to oven - it literally couldn't get any easier than that. So let's put on over our day sweatpants and get to baking - you'll have fresh, warm cookies in an hour!
INGREDIENTS: COOKIES 1 and 3/4 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon lemon zest (about 1 medium lemon) 1/2 cup unsalted ghee (or butter, room temp) 1 cup granulated sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 tablespoons lemon juice GLAZE 2 cups powdered sugar 2 tablespoons lemon zest 1/3 cup lemon juice DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with a non-stick spray or parchment paper, and set aside. In a medium bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, salt. In a separate large mixing bowl beat the butter for a few seconds, add the sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Beat or whisk until fully combined. Add in the dry ingredients, and continue mixing until a fluffy batter forms. Drop cookie dough by the spoonful, or using a 1-2 inch cookie scoop, onto the prepared cookie sheet. We used a two inch scoop for big, bakery-sized cookies! Bake until light golden on edges, approximately 12- 14 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool on the cookie sheet about 5 minutes and then remove to continue cooling on a wire rack. While cooling, prepare the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest together until well combined. Drizzle over the top of the cookies. Allow to sit and dry, glaze will harden after about 10-20 minutes. Leftovers can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Enjoy! 
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Organic Funfetti Cookies for my 28th Birthday! I have always been the kind of person who LOVED birthdays. I would celebrate as long as possible - the whole month if you'd let me! If you listened to the latest episode of my podcast, you know that I'm a total PITTA and that fire in my belly keeps me craving attention, so it makes sense that I would love a day centered around celebrating ME! I've had a pretty great last few birthdays, but this year totally snuck up on me. I have been so insanely busy between the blog, podcast, and new promotion at the yoga studio (studio assistant what whatttt) that I literally didn't realize until just a few days ago when my husband reminded me that we needed to figure out how we were going to celebrate. YIKES! (I must be getting old guys - I'm already forgetting my OWN birthday! 🙈)  It's the Thursday before my Saturday birthday and I still don't know how I want to celebrate (taking suggestions!) but I DID know what I wanted to eat on my birthday. I love sweets but I'm all about that low-sugar life, so I created the birthday cookie cookie of my dreams - an Organic Funfetti Sugar Cookie that hold its shape when it bakes, so you can cookie cut them into whatever cute shapes you like! They're light, sweet, and the PERFECT cookie to splurge on for your birthday - because you can eat as many as you want without having to worry about your sugar intake! Also it's your damn birthday and SOMEONE better make you cake, so let these be your at home treat. I had 6 yesterday. No regrets - bring on 28!
Turning 28 isn't a huge milestone, but 27 was a pretty great year for me. I had a lot of great experiences, made new forever friends, found some workouts that have kept me sane + feeling confident about my health and my body, and did some serious traveling. I made so many great memories and proved to myself how much growth I could experience in a year. 26 was hard, 27 was great, and I expect 28 to be filled with even more opportunities and positive memories! These cookies totally fit for who I am now - obsessed with eating as many cookies as possible as healthfully as possible! A few years ago I would've made a huge, triple layer cake or fudge-filled brownies but these days I'm all about indulging in a guilt-free way - and these cookies rival any cookie with 3x the sugar, guaranteed. I didn't write any long words of wisdom about this birthday, but a few years ago I did come up with 25 Things I'd Learned at 25 and they still stand pretty true. Maybe I'll make another list at 30. For now - let's bake, babes!  INGREDIENTS 2 1/4 cup organic all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup non-dairy butter 1 cup monk fruit sweetener (I used this brand, but you can always use sugar or your fave sub instead. If you choose to use stevia, I would recommend only subbing half the amount for taste.) 1 egg (or vegan egg substitute - a chia egg works great here!) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup sprinkles DIRECTIONS Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a separate, larger mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar (or sweetener) together until fluffy. Add in the egg and the vanilla and beat until the mixture becomes fluffy again. Pour in the dry ingredient mixture, continuously mixing until a dough forms. Pour in the sprinkles and use your hands to mix them evenly into the dough. Refrigerate the dough, covered, for 20-30 minutes. While the dough chills, lay out some parchment paper and grab a rolling pin. When your dough is ready, roll it out to about 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out your favorite shapes. Place cut cookies onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool before enjoying. Leftovers save well in a sealed container for up to a week - if they last that long!  Lemon Sugar Cookie Cake My favorite way to celebrate any holiday is with FOOD, and this 4th of July I wanted to crack into some of that summer nostalgia from when I was a kid with one of my favorite summertime treats! I finally called Mom to get the recipe she always used to make for us when we were kids; She would always make a giant cookie layer base, slather it in frosting and cover it in fresh fruit. Usually a summertime snack for it's portability and use of that fresh, seasonal fruit I’ve been craving this Lemon Sugar Cookie Cake ever since I made it a few weeks ago! I simplified and slightly health-ified her original recipe and got something I think is even better. Sorry Mom! I shared the simplified recipe on IG when I made it, but wanted to share an easier-to-read, printable version for all my regular readers here, too. It really is the perfect, easy, crowd pleasing summer dessert! Would love to hear your thoughts if you try it - and my Mama would, too! Scroll on down for the recipe and some notes before you bake, too. Enjoy, babes!  INGREDIENTS: COOKIE BASE RECIPE 2 1/4 cups AP flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup (non-dairy) butter 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup monk fruit sweetener* 1 egg (vegan if you prefer) 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 tablespoons lemon juice Zest of 1 lemon Strawberries, blueberries + raspberries for topping CREAM CHEESE FROSTING 8 oz. plain, non-dairy cream cheese 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice Zest of half a lemon 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract Maple syrup and/or monkfruit sweetener to taste DIRECTIONS: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a round pan (or baking sheet) with parchment paper. In a large sized bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. In a smaller, separate bowl combine the sugars, egg, vanilla, lemon juice + lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing completely. Once the dough has formed, roll it evenly into a round shape on the pan, about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges begin to brown, then let cool completely. While the cookie layer cools, mix the frosting and chop up the fruit. Once cool, frost the cookie like a pizza and top with fruit. Enjoy babes! NOTES: You can use real butter, eggs and milk here if you prefer. I adapted this recipe from my Mom's original which did in fact use the original versions with great success. Leftovers last up to 2 days on the counter and up to 4 days in the fridge, but - like most things in life - is best enjoyed fresh. *You can also sub the monk fruit sweetener for stevia or more real sugar.  |
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