Sometimes we all long for things of our childhood; I find it difficult to find sweet treats of yesteryear now that wheat based foods are not an option anymore.  This gf cookie recipe that I made late this winter nearly perfectly reminds me of the Lemon Cooler cookies my dad loved to snack on.  I might have snitched a few when he wasn’t looking.  My little sisters also thieved them!

They are a refrigerator cookie; so easy to concoct and once chilled, you just slice and bake.  I froze many of them as they wouldn’t keep that long even in my airtight cookie jar.  They defrost quickly and still taste great a month later.

The recipe is from Annalise Roberts’ “The Heirloom Collection” published last year.  I recommend getting a copy; every single thing I have made has been fantastic. I used my stand mixer to whip this up and some Meyer lemon zest to add extra flavor. Regular lemon will work fine too; use lesser amount of lemon extract if you use regular lemon which has a stronger flavor.

Zesty Lemon Cookies

¾ cup unsalted butter

½ cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp. grated lemon zest

2 tsp. vanilla extract

¾ to 1 tsp. lemon extract

1 2/3 c brown rice flour mix

1/3 c sweet rice flour

½ tsp. xanthan gum

¼ tsp. salt

½ cup powdered sugar  ** for rolling the baked cookies in

Instructions: Beat butter (room temperature) and first amount of powdered sugar in stand mixer until light and fluffy.  Add zest, extracts and mix well. Mix flours and dry ingredients in a small bowl, add to creamed butter/sugar and beat until a smooth dough is created.

Make two rolls of dough using a length of plastic wrap; shoot for a 1 inch diameter: plop big spoonfuls on the plastic wrap, fold over to seal, twist ends, roll until smooth.  Chill at least an hour or two.

Heat oven to 350.  Spray baking sheet with Pam.

Use a sharp knife, slice cold dough logs into ¼ inch slices and put on baking sheet, an inch apart (they don’t spread much).  Bake for 12-14 minutes, until light brown. Let them sit on the sheet for 3-4 minutes, cool slightly more on rack and then roll in powdered sugar until well covered.  Cool and enjoy. Store in an airtight cookie jar. They freeze for about a month in a freezer bag.