#9: Lemonade Creams

I can't stand Sandra Lee. For those of you not in the know, Ms. Lee is THE Stepford Wife from the Food Network, and she makes me sick- I'm sorry, but no one can be that well manicured, dressed, tousled, and STILL be able to cook ALL THE TIME, and yet this woman somehow manages to pull it off. Ugh. Somehow though, I talked myself into buying her Bake Sale Cookbook. I guess I was drawn to her "dead behind the eyes" smile on the cover... or it could've been the delicious cakes, cookies, brownies her book was heralding. EITHER WAY, I have been DYING to make something from her pages, and with Nichelle being in Utah this last week, I decided to create something I knew she wouldn't enjoy (since she once told me that lemons aren't meant to be in dessert)- Lemonade Creams. These cookies looked GORGEOUS, and I was intrigued by the recipe's use of lemonade concentrate in both the cookie dough and the glaze. The results? Innnnnterestingly delicious, read on:

#9: Lemonade Creams (as taken from the pages of Sandra Lee's Bake Sale Cookbook)

Ingredients:

1 pouch (17.5 ounces) sugar cookie mix
1/4 cup cook-and-serve lemon pudding and pie filling mix
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
10 to 12 tablespoons of frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
3 teaspoons vegetable shortening
3 drops yellow food coloring
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together cookie mix, dry lemon pudding mix, and flour. Add butter pieces and 4 to 6 tablespoons of the lemonade concentrate, 1 tablespoon at a time, using your hands to work the mixture into a dough.
     - Yes, yes, yes. I know someone is going to call me out on it, so I will own up to it. I DID use a pre-made sugar cookie dough mix. If I'm being super honest, when I bought the cookbook, I completely forgot Sandra Lee's claim to fame is her show called "Semi-Homemade Meals," meaning she uses a lot of shortcuts, like pre-made cookie mixes. I bought it thinking the pictures looked delicious, WITHOUT reading the ingredients. What have we learned here? Never judge a book by it's deliciously deceptive cover. Oh, and PS, I used all 6 tablespoons of lemonade concentrate. The dough was WAY too dry otherwise. This is what my dough looked like:

 
2. On a lightly floured surface, shape dough in an 11-inch log. Wrap log in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
     - Apparently you need a little more flour than just the 2 tablespoons for the dough, I guess I should note that. OH, and to save myself time (since I created this cookie right before I left for California last week), I actually made this dough on Tuesday and chilled it overnight to use on Wednesday. It was an enlightened idea.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
     - Parchment paper is another one of those things I really don't THINK you need. I didn't use it, and the cookies turned out just fine.

4. Remove dough from refrigerator. Slice log in 1/4-inch slices. Shape slices into circles; place dough circles on prepared cookie sheets, spacing cookies two inches apart.

5. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or just until starting to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for five minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool completely.
     - My cookies took 12 minutes to turn a nice golden brown around the edges.

6. For lemon glaze, in a large microwave-safe bowl, combine shortening and food coloring. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Sift powdered sugar into shortening mixture, stirring until well mixed. Stir in enough of the remaining concentrate, about 6 tablespoons, to make a thick glaze.
     - This step was SCARY! My shortening didn't melt very well, so I ended up having to mix the food coloring and the shortening together until they were smooth and a nice light yellow. Adding the powdered sugar was horrible- I only added a little less than 2 cups because the shortening wasn't mixing well with it; it just sort of clumped together into these little balls. The glaze didn't really come together until I added the lemonade- then it was beautiful. Tart and delicious!

7. Dip bottoms of cooled cookies into lemon glaze. Lay cookies upside down on wire rack; let stand until glaze hardens.

The last one is blurry, I know, and I apologize. These cookies were adorable when done. I was imagining them at a tea or some sort of shower, like a wedding or baby shower. I have to admit though- this is another recipe that was SOOOO much better the next day. When I tried them that night, the cookies had a really strange texture... pliable, almost gummy, with a weird snap. The next day though, they had set and hardened a little, and the glaze gave them an almost SPARKLING taste. If you like lemon cream pies, I recommend these. Oh, and give this woman a try...