Lemon Thins

I have a confession to make. I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to cookbooks. I don't judge the book by the cover or even the content. I judge them by whether or not they have an extraneous amount of pictures. I need pictures. I eat with my eyes before I eat with my mouth. The best cookbook ever written may hold all the secrets to the baking universe, but if it doesn't have photographs chances are I'd never give it a second glance. If the cookbook doesn't double as a good old fashioned picture book, I'm just not interested.

I told you I was a bit of a snob.

Despite my prejudices, I took it upon myself to make a recipe from a cookbook without a photograph this week. I figured cookies were pretty self-explanatory, especially in terms of what I was aiming for. Easy, right?

Wrong.

The first batch came out of the oven looking exactly like they did going in—not exactly what I was going for. They tasted delicious, but looked terrible. Is this what they were supposed to look like? Without the cookbook's illustration, it very well may have been. I should have never strayed from my picture prejudice.

I changed up the method and the second batch came out looking marginally better. I fixed those mistakes with the third batch and finally achieved the cookie I think the cookbook wanted me to make. Nevertheless, a simple photograph could have prevented my lemon cookie nightmare. To prevent any nightmares for you, here are several photographs to show you the way of this elusive lemon cookie. If only I had these to begin with.

What is your favorite cookbook? Do you also need pictures or are you brave enough to go without?

These lemon thins are light and delicate. The cookies are flavored with both lemon zest and fresh lemon juice, yet the flavors remain subtle and do not overpower. This recipe yields small, yet tender cookies. These lemon thins are the perfect complement to a cup of tea (if adventurous, you could even dunk them).

Lemon Thins
Adapted from The Eating Well Dessert Cookbook

Yields 30 small cookies

1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg white and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Fold in the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder.

Take a teaspoonful of dough and roll it into a ball with your hands. Place on a baking sheet and flatten with the bottom of a glass. Repeat. Sprinkle extra sugar on top, if desired. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges barely begin to brown. Do not overbake if the edges do not brown; the cookies will be done. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Comments

[Dianna]

I appreciate a good food picture. And a cookbook with a surplus of them! :) Your pictures have inspired me to give these cookies a try. In fact, I think I'll go make them right now! Thanks!

[Jessie]

They look so pure and delicious. I would love to taste them with a hot white chocolate. :D

[heather]

Agreed. Sure an ingredients list of everything I enjoy is enticing, but it's the photos that ultimately draw me into a recipe. Especially if it's something unfamiliar, or you can't quite picture what the final product will look like from the recipe, a simple photo speaks volumes. As for the cookies, I am happy that they are from Eating Well. I'm a Dietitian and am very familiar with the magazine (actually didn't know there was a cookbook). Always in search of a "healthier" cookie -- these look promising and sound delicious! Love the flecks of lemon zest.

Cheers and thanks for posting,

*Heather*

[Amanda]

I never would have made these without your pictures, but now I think they look like the perfect cookie to have out next Sunday to serve with afternoon tea. I love lemon, but lemon squares seem so decadent. I could eat these with less guilt, I think. ;)

[Allie]

These look delicious! And I'm a pictures snob as well. If I buy a cookbook with only a middle section with a few pictures--I find that I make those recipes first, if I even get around to the others. I have a cookie cookbook in which a third of the recipes have pictures--I've made every single one of those and none of the others. That said, my favorite cookbook is The Veganomicon, which is short on images.

[PattyR]

I completely agree with your comments about the cookbooks! I love to see the visual of what each recipe should look like.. and if it doesn't, then I'll work on it until it's pretty close. So therefore, cookbooks with limited pictures are a huge turnoff for me.

Great lemon thins recipe, by the way. Can't wait to try them!

[alyce]

These look amazing!

[Emily @ eat.drink.run.]

i am the same way! pictures are what draw me to recipes, and when i come across a recipe that sounds great and doesn't have a picture i usually hesitate (or skip making it). these cookies look perfect!

[Kate]

These look delish! I love a lemon cookie and your pictures make it look like it would go perfectly with an afternoon coffee or tea!

[Terris]

Oh, I'm downright suspicious if a cookbook doesn't have enough photos! I definitely want to KNOW what the author's end result is with a recipe. For instance, the photos in this post make me want to cozy down with some of those cookies and a cup of steaming Lavender tea. Beautiful.

[Anna]

o dear, these look incredible! so light and fluffy and mmm...lemon is one of my absolute favorite flavors, i appreciate the recipe! and congrats on making top 9! :)

[Kristin G.]

I can't argue with you about the pictures.

[Shell]

I just made them, and I wondered if they're supposed to taste bready? Admittedly I substitued Tapioca Starch for corn starch,
is that why they're not crisp?

[Kristin Rosenau]

Shell-- That might be the culprit. These cookies are more soft than crisp (and stay relatively soft over time), but they certainly do not have a bread-like texture. Since I haven't tried tapioca starch before, I can't say for sure if that's what went wrong, but that would be my best guess.

[Sabina]

Ohh, I made these and they came out puffy and tasting so good, kind of soft yes but not too much! Just perfect, lemon-scented and such a good taste :) thanks, I'm keeping this recipe for good

[Amanda Thompson]

My husband teases me that I lack imagination but I HAVE to have lots of pictures in my cookbooks. Gorgeous photos, like your pretty cookies, inspire me to get into the kitchen!

[Tara]

Love this reciepe.. I made these last weekend and were a big hit! Goes so well with tea.. Will be making these often..

[donna]

these look so light and delicious! There's something about lemon that makes it so mellow and light and perfect for pastries!

[Alexandra]

These look incredible! I'm thinking these could be our New Years Eve treats :)

[Monica]

These are in the oven right now!

[Meaghan]

First half of the batch are in the oven- they smell incredible. I think they're going to be worth the absolute mess I made with the cornstarch.

[sigal]

the texture of these cookies is amazing!