A while ago, while suffering through a wicked case of writers’ block and lack of inspiration in my own cooking, I decided I needed to change things up a bit. The best way to breathe new life and zest into my page? Have a guest poster! Duh. And who better than my we’d-totally-be-partners-in-crime-if-we-lived-in-the-same-region-let-alone-state domestic blogging counterpart, Kirsten from Comfortably Domestic. She is an all out domestic non-diva diva (yup, double negatives are what I’m all about), raising all boys in a hockey ruled household and still finding time for the little, more feminine, things in life – like these delicious cookies. Life is better with cookies. So, I hope you enjoy Kirsten’s recipe and her snarky and spunky spirit. She’s an absolute rockstar in my book!
When myBloggy-Buddy Megan asked awhile back if I would mind writing a guest post for her, Iwas quick to agree.  I get so much support and inspiration from Megan,that there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for her.  Best of all (for me) was shedidn’t have a deadline!  Lovethat!  See, Meganwas kind of bored with her own food-stuffs, and wanted to feature something alittle different on her blog.  The Food Blogger part of me can totallyrelate to that feeling.  I zipped off an email with all of the recipes thatwere in my queue waiting for me to actually write about them.  Megan chosethe Lemon-Ginger Tea Cookies.  A fine choice!

Lemon-Ginger TeaCookies came about way back in my New Bride days.  I was working on a verystressful project at work, and I would often come home and bake to relievethe stress.  Did I mention it was a stressful project? Because I wasbaking nearly everyday.  Moderation and I have not met.
When I couldn’tbribe any more friends, neighbors, or co-workers to take anymore of my cookies,I decided to bake something for Hubby to take to work.  Hubby was workingfor a foreign government office as a consultant. His diplomat bosses hadtastes that differed from the US norm with regard to dessert. They muchpreferred lightly sweet things with a hint of savory flavors and a goodtexture.
Now I knewAmerican style baking, but the savory element was throwing me for a loop at thetime.  Naturally, I wanted to bake something that the diplomats wouldenjoy, but I wasn’t quite sure where to begin.  I also didn’t want Hubbyto lose face in the office if I sent in something horrible. Oh, andpresentation was a factor–whatever I made had to be pretty.
So much forbaking to relieve stress.
I decided thatsimplicity was the best approach, and essentially made a shortbread-like cookiewith less sugar, and added a lot of lemon and ginger to balance out thesweetness.  The resulting cookie was simple, lightly sweet, andpractically melted in your mouth, all of which took care of the flavor andtexture requirements.  For the presentation requirement, I stacked thecookies into little cellophane cookie bags, and tied them with aribbon.  Hubby left for work the following morning with a box full of cookiesthat I hoped his bosses would enjoy.
Guesswhat? The diplomats loved them! I think you will, too.
All you need tomake the cookies is unsalted butter, brown sugar (yes, really!), an egg, alemon, all-purpose flour, salt, and ground ginger.  Oh, and a little more softenedbutter and a bit of granulated sugar to form the cookies before baking.
Preheat the ovento 350 degrees (F) and line a couple of baking sheets with silicone baking matsor parchment paper.
Zest a lemonuntil you get 1 tablespoon of zest. My lemons were on the small side, so I hadto zest two of them to get enough.  Slice one of the lemons in half, andsqueeze out a tablespoon of juice.

Food-Dork Tip:  Didyou know that you get more zest from a cold lemon, but more juice from a roomtemperature lemon?  In order to maximize my efforts, whenever I need zestand juice for a recipe, I zest the lemon fresh out of the ‘fridge, then I letit warm up on the counter before juicing it.  The same rules apply for allcitrus fruit.

Cream the butterand brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add an egg, mixing untiljust incorporated.

Add the lemonzest and juice to the bowl, and stir to combine.

I’m not going tolie–the mixture will look like a hot mess after adding the lemon components. No worries! It’ll be fine after you mix in the salt, ground ginger, andflour.  The dough will come together and you’ll be able to breathe easy.

Pinch off aenough dough (or use a small scoop) to form 1 1/2 inch balls.  Set thedough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Smear a tinyamount of softened butter on the bottom of a large drinking glass.

Pour somegranulated sugar on to a plate, and dip the buttered bottom on the glass intothe sugar.  Give the glass a little twist to ensure it is well coated withsugar.  Lick the glass. Repeat.
Only kiddingabout the licking part! Kind of.

Press thesugared glass onto the dough balls to flatten.  Re-butter and sugar theglass as needed to keep the dough from sticking.  Continue the process untilall of the dough balls have been flattened.  Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to9 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are a light golden brown, and thecenters are set.  Cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes beforetransferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve thecookies alongside a steamy cup of chai tea for a peaceful moment oftranquility.  It’s better than Calgon!


Lemon-Ginger Tea Cookies
Makes 24-28 Cookies
½ C. unsaltedbutter, softened
½ C. packedbrown sugar
1 egg
1 Tbs. freshlemon juice
1 Tbs. lemonzest
1 tsp. groundginger
¼ tsp. salt
2 C. all-purposeflour
Fortops of cookies:
1 tsp. softenedunsalted butter
¼ C. granulatedsugar
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
  2. In the large bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the egg, and mix fully until incorporated.
  4. Sprinkle in the powdered ginger and salt, stirring until just blended.
  5. Add the fresh lemon juice and the lemon zest, and mix well.  (The mixture will appear clumped and curdled, but it will all come together in the end.)
  6. Dump in the flour, and stir until dough just comes together.
  7. Use a small cookie scoop to portion rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, apart 2 inches apart.
  8. Rub a small amount of butter onto the bottom of a flat drinking glass. Dip the buttered glass into granulated sugar and give it a twist, ensuring that the bottom of the glass is well coated with the sugar.
  9. Use the sugared glass to compress a ball of cookie dough into thin (1/8-1/4 inch thick) cookies.
  10. Continue dipping the bottom of the glass in the granulated sugar and compressing the cookies, adding more butter to the glass, as necessary.
  11. Bake the compressed cookies in the preheated oven for 6-9 minutes, or until the edges are a light golden brown.
  12. Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.