John Thorne's Lemon Icebox Crumbles

John Thorne's Lemon Icebox Crumbles are simple, soft, crisp around the edges and lightly lemony.

It's another classic recipe from Richard Sax's Classic Home Desserts (an original recipe from his friend John Thorne).

I've made eight recipes from this book and all but one (don't worry, I didn't post that one on this site) has been terrific. One of my favorite is the unusual, delicious Lemon-Molasses Marble Cake.

I like this cookie because it's easy and straightforward. It's not an in-your-face lemon flavor like the wonderful Mellow Lemon Crinkle Cookies I made quite awhile back, but it's a nice rather addictive cookie that's great to snack on.

This is a small-batch recipe - it only makes 24, 2" cookies. That's a good thing for us since Bret doesn't eat fruit-oriented cookies. Only fruit-oriented pies. Don't ask.

The name of these Lemon Icebox Cookies implies they're crumbly, but they're really not. They hold together well and last a good 3 to 4 days if stored well-sealed.

You'll enjoy John Thorne's Lemon Icebox Crumbles. Try them out and dunk them in your morning coffee (yes, I have been known to eat cookies for breakfast) or afternoon tea.

Or eat one every time you walk by the kitchen. Any way you can get them. Just get them. I don't know who John Thorne is, but I thank him for these little cookies!

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John Thorne's Lemon Icebox Crumbles

Yield: 12 cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes

Inactive Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 58 minutes

Small batch of lemony cookies, soft with crispy edges.

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Ingredients

• ½ C (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 ½ C all-purpose flour
• zest from 2 lemons
• ¾ C granulated sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Combine the softened butter, flour and lemon zest in a mixing bowl and mix together with your fingers until mostly crumbles form.
2. Add the sugar and egg yolks and continue mixing with your fingers until a dough is formed. Add the teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and gently mix in. Form into a ball, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly butter 2 baking sheets. Form 1" balls with the dough and place on one of the cookie sheets. Flatten each ball with the back of a fork, making a crisscross pattern with the tines. Bake the cookies 12-13 minutes, until edges are barely browned. Tops will not brown.
4. Cool the cookies for about 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack. Place a piece of waxed paper under the rack and sprinkle cooled cookies with powdered sugar. Store in a sealed container.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

The original recipe calls for unsalted butter, but I used salted.

Be sure and move the cookies to the rack after 2 minutes or all that butter in them will kind of stick to the cookie sheet.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 131Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 13mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gProtein: 3g

Nutrition Values are Approximate