White Chocolate- Lemon Butter Cookies
I ate way too much this Thanksgiving weekend. I started on Wednesday night and I finished in about 1 hour from now. I never want to eat again. I’m going to go on a sugar free, no fat diet for the next few months. Oh wait… Christmas is coming… shoot. So, it’s time to start seriously baking. Of course, Christmas cookies are in order. I started with a delicious, buttery, melt in your mouth little treat. White chocolate-lemon butter cookies are a nice addition to your Christmas cookie collection. The base of this cookie is like a shortbread, and the white chocolate bits and lemon zest pair very nicely together.
This is a classic ice box cookie, in that the dough is rolled into a log, wrapped in plastic, chilled for a few hours, and then sliced and baked. I should note, I’ve always had trouble with slice and bake cookies, and this recipe was no exception. The dough crumbled at times when I cut into it, and slicing through the white chocolate chips was no dance around the May pole either. The good news is, even as problematic as this dough can be, it still tastes amazing. With the slices that crumbled, I just formed them back into their shape, put them on the cookie sheet, and baked the living daylights out of them. Oh, and one more tip, don’t bake the living daylights out of these cookies, as they seemed to brown at the bottoms very quickly. My suggestion is bake for 5 minutes, turn the baking sheets around, then bake for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on those final minutes.
Grate a tablespoon of lemon zest
Cream the butter with the sugar, salt, lemon zest, lemon extract and corn syrup.
The butter/sugar mixture is properly creamed when it appears lighter in color and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks one at a time.
Always remember to scrape the bowl while you mix the ingredients.
Slowly mix in the flour until just combined.
Mix in the white chocolate bits by hand.
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a 2″ diameter log, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Once chilled, slice and bake in a 350 degree F. oven for 10 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
These cookies can be frozen for 1 month if wrapped up properly.
- 1 cup (227 g) Unsalted Butter, cut in 2-tablespoon pieces
- 3/4 cup (150 g) Sugar
- 1 tsp. (6 g) Salt
- 1 tsp. Light Corn Syrup
- 1/2 tsp. Pure Lemon Extract
- 1 TBS Lemon Zest (grated peel)
- 2 Large Egg Yolks
- 2 cups (249 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup (170 g) White Chocolate Chips
- In a heavy-duty mixer with the whisk attachment, cream the butter, sugar, salt, corn syrup, lemon extract, and lemon zest until light and creamy. Add the yolks, one at a time, and beat with each addition, just to blend in thoroughly.
- On the lowest speed, beat in the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl and across the bottom once. Stir in the white chocolate chips. Divide the dough evenly into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap each roll individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
- About 30 minutes before you are ready to bake, place a shelf in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cover a heavy baking sheet with parchment paper or greased foil.
- Slice cookies into 3/8-inch slices and arrange about 1 inch apart on the sheet.
- Place the baking sheet on the arranged shelf. Bake one sheet at a time until the edges just begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool on the sheet for 1 minute, and then remove to a cooling rack.
