These lemon bites are indeed luscious! They remind me of a crumbly, lemon shortbread cookie. I imagine them stacked neatly on a dainty dish and served with afternoon tea. Mmmmm….So here are the tips I would offer with these cookies: 1. They worked out better for me when I used room temperature butter. If you are softening the butter using the microwave, be very careful not to let it melt. Also, avoid overhandling the dough. It is necessary to press the dough into balls since it is kind of crumbly, but if the butter melts from your hands or you use even slightly melted butter, the cookies may turn out flat. 2. Take them out of the oven when the edges are slightly golden brown and then allow to fully cool before handling. They break more when they are hot. They were done in 13 minutes in my oven. 3. As with all cookies, show restraint and don’t eat the whole batch in one sitting. (Do as I say, not as I do)
How many of us have had a lemon of a day, a month or even a year? Hands down every single one of us, right? These cookies came from a truly wonderful little cookbook: “When Life Gives You Lemons.” Ali Eisenach from lemonpoppycake.com is responsible for this fabulous creation. The premise of lemon poppy is to put life into perspective and have a good attitude… while enjoying good food! When life gives you lemons, why not make Lemon Poppy Cake? Or Luscious Lemon Bites? Or any of the other yummy looking lemon recipes found in her little cookbook? She now has two other books: When Life Gives Your Friends and When Life Gives You a Chocolate Craving. All three are packed with 20 pages of tried and true recipes with mouthwatering pictures. They are printed on high quality paper with UV coating, too (which means spills wipe off, they don’t soak into the pages – a major plus if you’re messy in the kitchen like me!). You can pick them up at Tai Pan or you can order them on www.lemonpoppycake.com for $8.99 each. A perfect Valentine’s Day gift for the cook in your life!
So now for the giveaway…
Lemon Poppy is offering all three cookbooks to the lucky winner. To enter, leave a comment giving Ali ideas for future books. Fill in the blank: “When Life Gives You _________.” For a second entry, “Like” Lemon Poppy on facebook and then leave a second comment saying you did it. (“Like” The Sisters Cafe if you haven’t already, too!) As always, the winner will be chosen randomly. A winner will be announced on Wednesday, January 19th. Good Luck!
Luscious Lemon Bites
Submitted by Mindy ~ The Sisters Cafe
Recipe Source: www.lemonpoppycake.com
2 cups of butter, softened
2/3 cup powered sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest and vanilla. Beat well. Add flour and cornstarch and mix until well combined. Roll dough into one inch balls. Bake 15 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet until bottom edges of cookies are light brown. Cool and frost with lemon glaze.
Creamy Lemon Glaze
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Combine butter, lemon zest, juice, and powdered sugar. Stir until well combined. Place cookies on wax paper. Cool. Drizzle glaze over the tops.
{ 149 comments… read them below or add one }
When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.
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I liked lemon poppon on FB.
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when life give you apples…
or
when life gives you pumpkin…
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When Life Gives You Yeast Make Some Bread.
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I like Lemon Poppy on FB.
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I like Lemon Poppy on facebook!
When life gives you children
When life gives you chocolate…. :)
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When life gives you comfort…
cassie[email protected]
When Life gives you Lazy Sunday Afternoons
When life gives you zucchini…
When life gives you bananas…
I liked your post of FB!
When Life Gives You a Husband . . .
When life gives you grief, find someone else in need. I love your blog.
When Life Gives You a Snow Day…. :)
These look delicious! I love lemon baked goods, but have never made my own! This has to change!
When life gives you blog giveaways, ENTER…and then hope you win.
When life gives you "busy days"
harpercrew at gmail dot com
I've liked them! [email protected]
when like gives you dough, make cookies.
When life gives you a husband.
When life gives you kids…
When life gives you only 30 minutes or…
When life gives you picky eaters
When life gives you tomatoes…
I like lemon poppy on facebook
When Life Gives You New Neighbors..
I like you on fb..
When life gives you Vanilla…
When life gives you "filling"
When life gives you a hard time…. take it is stride and make it great!
I like you and Lemon Poppy on FB
When life gives you
-peanut butter
-buttermilk
-15 minutes to prepare treats
When life gives you a need to slow cook….
I Liked Lemon Poppy on FB
When life gives you garlic!
crapo(at)shaw(dot)ca
How about When Life Gives You Children? My kids are the hardest part about cooking since they have such different tastes.
pumpernickel @ gmail.com
When life gives you the need to cut calories… :)
It is New Years, RIGHT??!
when life gives you…
zillions of zucchini
a peck of peaches
a bushel of apples
no patience (quick meals)
and my favorite-
beans (low budget)
When life gives you chaos
When life gives you a sweet tooth….
Or
When life gives you 30 minutes to fix a meal…
when life gives you visitors/houseguests/a party!
What a great, fresh cookie. Lemon flavor perks me right up. :)
When life gives you yeast…
I "Like" Lemon Poppy on FB…
When life gives you sweet
surprises or when life
gives you rainbows.
Deanne
When life gives you a baby…. what do you feed it.
-Jessica
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when life gives you peanut butter…..
I liked you in FB!!!!
i "liked" Lemon Poppy and Sisters Cafe on FB :)
When life gives you HOLIDAYS!
When life gives you….Delicious Pounds to Lose!
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I liked Sisters Cafe and Lemon Poppy on FB
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When life gives you children …
when life gives you…
sour milk (buttermilk)-
a reason to celebrate
(or heartache)- make cake!
When Life Gives You A Crock Pot…
What fun cookbook ideas! jreese4peace{at}gmail{dot}com
When Life Gives You a Bumper Crop
bradenandcheri(at)gmail(dot)com
when life gives you a headache, make dr. pepper.=)
i liked sisters cafe and lemon poppy on fb
when life gives you… peaches
when life gives you potatoes…
When life gives you heartache, throw a party (with lots of good food, of course)!
When life gives you boring… Spice it up!
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When life gives you too many tomatoes..or zucchini. Perfect for summer garden recipes :)
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When life gives you ground pork
I am a fan of lemon poppy
When life gives you a great husband….thank him!
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I'm a fan of sisters cafe
When life gives you leftovers . . .
what to do with turkey from Thanksgiving, vegetables no one finished, etc.
When life gets full of beans, cook'um!
when life give you lemons, eat chocolate chip cookie dough
When life gives you leftovers… ;)
When life gives you a picky eater…
when life gives you diet restrictions (i.e. no gluten, or no dairy)
I liked lemon poppy on facebook
When Life gives you "life"..
Sometimes Life just Lifes on me ;)
when life gives you choice….choose the bright side!
When life gives you bacon…
When Life Gives You Muffins!
So happy to have found The Sisters Cafe!!! What a fun Blog! I am also new to blogging and didn't know for sure how to post a comment or give my idea for the Lemon Give Away??? But my idea is "When Life Gives You LOVE". Recipes for romantic dinners for two with fun "Valentine-ish" dinners, salads and desserts. Maybe easy enough fo the man in your life to pick up and make something for you once in a while too. Thanks again for the fun Blog, hope to visit it often…. Jennifer Dixon, Montrose, Colorado.
When Life Gives You Molehills, pull out the Magic. Fun easy recipes
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When life is cold and dark.. make SOUP.
A book of tried and true soups…
When life gives you Baby Showers…
When life gives you a BBQ… I liked on fb.
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When life gives you apples…
I like you on FB
When life gives you vegetarian friends… (in my life, that's kind of like giving you a lemon! ha!)
When Life Gives You A Garden of Plenty….
When life gives you, a budget.
I like you on FB!
"when Life gives you KIDS"
I "Liked" Lemon Poppy On Facebook :)
When life (and God) give you faith, you can move mountains.
When Life Gives You Blessings
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When life gives you rain…
recipes for rainy days
lanzaelizabeth77 at gmail dot com
I like on FB! (Liz Lanza)
lanzaelizabeth77 at gmail dot com
When Life Gives You peanuts (make peanut butter, yum!)
When life gives you… SPINACH, make smoothies! I use spinach to make healthful smoothies for my kids all the time and am constantly looking for tried and true combinations to try! It's the only way I can get my kids to eat spinach and I usually sneek in some ground flaxseed as well!
When life Gives you Bliss!
When life gives you Blissful Creations
When life gives you nothing but Bliss!
I like Lemon Poppy on Face Book!
I did It!
When life gives you love . . . .
or When life gives you a crockpot . . . !!! love your site! it's one of my top two faves.
When life gives you children! I'd love a great cookbook that has kid friendly recipes. Whether it is easy recipes for children to use or great snack ideas.
I "like" you both!
When life gives you…the opportunity to serve. (i.e. too much garden produce, good meals for family, friends, & neighbors in need, etc.)
When life gives you…a chance to express yourself. (foods to apologize, express love, laugh/ be silly, etc.)
When life gives you pb&j kisses….
when life gives you bulges and bumps :) ….(a cook book of guiltess dishes and desserts)
When life gives you Children
I "like" Lemon Poppy on FB
When life give you apples…
When life gives you grandchildren…spoil them!
I see a few people beat me to my ideas…"When life gives you a rainy day schedule" OR "When life gives you a blizzard" a cookbook full of warm, yummy soups!
When life gives you carbs…
picky eaters!
when life gives you kids
When life gives you Chocolate…
Indulge!
I am thinking that your next book should be…..
When life gives you a teenager!
It's gonna be a HUGE book!
When Life gives you more life, and a busy life at that,
When life gives you a bowl of cherries…..
"when life gives you curve balls…"
ttmom 42 at yahoo dot com
like lemon poppy on FB!!
ttmom 42 at yahoo dot com
When life gives you lemons make lemon bites…
I liked Lemon Poppy on Facebook…
when life gives you breakfast
When life gives you bananas…
When Life Gives You Garlic!
When life gives you leftovers!
themoonmom at hotmail dot com
Like Lemon Poppy Cake on Facebook
When life gives you a pot luck
When life gives you recipes
jodyywaters at yahoo.com
When life gives you chilis, make something hot.
When life gives you Spring…
princessnat at yahoo dot com
When life gives you a sweet tooth…
I liked lemon poppy on FB
when life gives you cravings…
When life gives you a soup pot…fill it up!
When life gives you crumbs…..(some type of breading).
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When life gives you kids, laugh with them
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Can't wait to make those cookies – they look so yummy!
When life gives you chocolate…
aamiller2(at)mac(dot)com
I like you on FB!
aamiller2(at)mac(dot)com
When life gives you children…
I like Lemon Poppy on FB
When life gives you bad days, put on your big girl panties and deal with it! :)
i liked on fb
when life is crunchy…salads
when life gives you joy
when life gives you chips, better have some dips
When life gives you rain…
tiseli82 at gmail dot com
When life gives you zucchini…..
I like Lemon Poppy on Facebook.
When life gives you too much to do.
When life gives you a raspberry
Just make this Lemon bites..I used barely softened butter, per your advise. The bits turn out crumbly and was hard for my kids to eat as they just fall apart.
I just the cookie scoop to avoid hands contact with the butter.
Any suggestions
Hi Anonymous,
I'm sorry I didn't give very clear directions. The cookie is a crumbly type cookie, so you do need to gently press them into balls. However, if you handle them for too long, you melt the butter and they turn out flat. In my effort to prevent that from happening, it seems I have made you overly worried about handling them at all! I am going to see if I can make my tips more clear. They really are a very yummy cookie. The fact that they are a little crumbly shouldn't detract from the cookie. I hope they work out better for you next time!
Mindy