Lemon Crinkle Cookies

  These Lemon Crinkle Cookies are deliciously tart, not too sweet, and pillow-y soft. 

I have so many wonderful holiday baking memories. It wasn't until I was older, that Mom actually let me help her with all the tons of baking she did. When I was little, I'd sit and watch her work, fascinated at how easy she made it look. When I moved out on my own, my holiday baking tradition became one of re creating the desserts of my childhood. I went many years not being able to spend Christmas with my family, so my tradition was a way to feel closer to my them. After my children were born, I had wonderful plans for holiday traditions. Baking cookies, while the snow was gently falling outside. My children, prim and proper, not making a single mess, decorating cookies until they looked like works of art. Sounds pleasant, doesn't it?

My wake up call came when my son was two. The cookie dough had been chilled and we were set to roll, cut and decorate our cookies. That's when I almost had a nervous breakdown. My Norman Rockwell vision, turned into lopsided, sprinkle laden cookies, which were cut into indistinguishable shapes. Close to tears in frustration, my then hubby pulled me aside and asked me to look at my son and at how much fun he was having. Yes, there was more sprinkles on the floor than the cookies, yes we couldn't tell a tree from an angel, but the pure delight and pride on my son's face made my idea of holiday baking traditions change drastically. It's no longer about the perfect cookies, made by perfect children. It's about giving my children the opportunity to be proud of what they are creating. So yes, a lot of our cookies were lopsided and every inch was covered with sprinkles, but I looked at those cookies and I remembered the fun, joy and pride my children felt, creating them.

These cookies are accompanied by another great memory. Why? Because the first time we ever made these cookies, my kids (then 8 and 5) were the ones to make them, from start to finish. That's right, I let them measure, mix, and form the dough all by themselves and I relished in the pure joy radiating from them as they did so. To this day, the kids make 1 Christmas cookie recipe from start to finish. They love telling friends and relatives that they made the cookies. This recipe is simple enough for children to make, with or without an adult's help.

Lemon Sour Cream Cookies

1 C Softened Butter

1-½ C Granulated Sugar

1 Egg

¼ C Sour Cream

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp lemon extract

2 tsp Lemon Zest

1 Tbs Lemon Juice

¼ tsp Salt

½ tsp Baking Soda

2-¼ C Flour

2/3 C Powdered Sugar

Yellow Food Colouring (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line cookie trays with parchment paper.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and granulated sugar until soft and light yellow. Add in egg, sour cream, vanilla and lemon extract; mix to combine. Add in the lemon zest and juice and mix to combine.

In a separate bowl, mix salt and baking soda with the flour. Add to the wet ingredients and mix well. The dough will be thick but still sticky. Add a little yellow food colouring, for a vibrant colour; if desired. 

Take small spoonfuls and placed them in the icing sugar and roll them into balls. Once they are coated with the powdered sugar placed the cookie dough balls on cookie sheets. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes rotating the trays half way through; until edges just begin to brown. Remove immediately to wire racks to cool.

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