Heart Healthy Lemon Cookies
The weather’s warming up, the crabapple trees and forsythia are in full bloom, and it’s about time to trade the turtlenecks for T-shirts. For many people, this is the time of year when hearty comfort food gives way to lighter fare. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up making—and enjoying—cookies.Whether you need to limit the fat in your diet because of health concerns or you just want to eat lighter, here’s a recipe for rolled cookies that you can enjoy with a clear conscience. Because it uses lower-fat substitutes for the butter and egg, the result is cookies with only about a third of the fat and saturated fat of regular rolled cookies, and no cholesterol. They’re light, crisp, and lemony—perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.
Bake them for someone you love, or try them for yourself. Your heart will thank you.
Heart-Healthy Lemon Sugar Cookies
These cookies are crisp, with a light lemon flavor. Be sure to use a firm margarine; tub margarines work fine if they say they are suitable for baking (I used Smart Balance). This recipe makes a soft dough, so for best results, work with a portion at a time when you’re rolling it out and keep the rest in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. Scraps should be chilled before they are re-rolled. If you like, instead of sprinkling the unbaked cookies with sugar, glaze the baked, cooled cookies with a mixture of 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and a few teaspoons of lemon juice.
Beat until light and fluffy:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Whisk together, then beat in:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix until ingredients are well blended. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill thoroughly (at least two hours). Preheat oven to 375º. Roll one-third of dough at a time on a lightly floured counter to 3/8” thickness. Cut with your favorite Ann Clark Ltd. cookie cutter. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly colored. Let cookies cool slightly on cookie sheets and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
My favorite cookie cutters for Heart-Healthy Lemon Sugar Cookies are the Star Cookie Cutter, the Teapot Cookie Cutter, and the Dove Cookie Cutter.
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Comment
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Comment by Mia S Summer Rose on May 5, 2010 at 2:44am -
Hola Ann, i simply love crispy cookies and if they come with a stamp of ''healthy '',fantastic!!!!
Love the lemon flav here,that sure will shine thru:-))
I have never baked cookies w/o butter and this is a delicious start:-)))) for a cookie lover:-))
Am already bursting with the JoYs of spring in ideas for these;-))
Would love to know if u'll ship ur amazing Cookie cutters Internationally!!!!
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Comment by Chef Stephanie Petersen on May 4, 2010 at 5:21pm -
Thank you Ann! These look wonderful!
AnnClark.com
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| I love to bake cookies—it’s relaxing, creative, and the results are delicious! When I couldn’t find the right shapes and a good American-made supplier I decided to start my own company. We make sturdy tin and copper cutters in more than 200 shapes, and the list is always growing. Come and have a look; you’re sure to find the perfect cookie cutter for any occasion. |
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