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You are here: Home / reviews / cookbooks / Meyer Lemon Thins & A Cookbook Review

Meyer Lemon Thins & A Cookbook Review

January 26, 2011 By Laura 15 Comments

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I am not sure I have given Alice Medrich’s Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies a proper review. I’ve now made 5 cookies from it: these, Extra Chocolatey Biscotti (they did not make it on to the blog because of traveling, but I hope to feature them soon), “Hawaiian” Wedding Cookies, Chocolate Mint Sandwiches, and Coconut & Dried Cherry Oatmeal Cookies, all of which have been flat out fantastic. The collection itself is encyclopedic–I don’t even know how to tell you exactly how many recipes the book contains because most of the recipes come with multiple “upgrades” or alternative ways of preparing them. They are broken down by texture, which I think is a wonderful way to sort cookies. I know what kind of cookie I want is frequently determined by whether I am craving something light and crisp, dry and crunchy, rich and chewy, etc. I like to call successful recipes run don’t walk recipes–well this is a run don’t walk cookbook. If you like cookie cookbooks, you want this cookbook.


So about these particular cookies. Alice Medrich refers to them as Maya’s Lemon Thins as her friend Maya Klein invented them, but I changed the name a bit because I specifically used all Meyer lemons when making the cookies. Because Meyer lemons are less acidic and less sour, I adjusted the recipe a bit to make the cookies even more lemony.

I served the cookies at a “formal” tea that I threw for my daughters and 2 of their friends, another set of sisters. They all got dressed up and I served mint tea with gingerbread cakes and lemon cookies. It was a total hoot–and the cookies were perfect. They are also good keepers and would make fabulous sandwich cookies with either a vanilla or citrus based filling.


Meyer Lemon Thins & A Cookbook Review
 
Print
Adapted from Alice Medrich
Author: TheSpicedLife
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Cookies
Ingredients
  • ½ cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
  • 12 T (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into several pieces
  • 2½ cups (11.25 oz) AP flour
  • ¼ t baking soda
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 cup (7 oz) sugar
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • ¼ t salt
Instructions
  1. Heat the lemon juice in a small, nonreactive pan over high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium, and let the lemon juice boil until it reduces to approximately 1 tablespoon of lemon syrup. Watch it closely near the end so it does not burn. Add the butter and stir until melted. Set aside.
  2. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt and whisk together. Set aside.
  3. Place the egg, egg yolk, and sugar into a large bowl and mix with a rubber spatula. Mix in the lemon zest and add the lemon-butter mixture. Add the flour mixture and stir just until incorporated. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes--this will make the dough firmer and easier to work with.
  4. Medrich calls for rolling out this dough and using cookie cutters, but I chose to roll the dough into 2 logs with a circle of about 2.5-inch diameter. Then chill the logs for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days,
  5. Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining them with silicone or parchment (or grease them). Preheat the oven to 400 F.
  6. Slice the dough into rounds--the thinner you can slice them the better. Aim for 1/16-inch. Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheets, 1 inch apart (I got 20 per sheet). Bake for 6-7 minutes, or until lightly browned at the edges. Let the cookies cool for 5 or so minutes on the baking sheets and then transfer them to a cooling rack. Cool completely before storing--tore promptly in airtight contains to maintain crispness.
3.2.2708

 

Affiliate links were used in this post, but only to link to items that would be discussed and linked to in any case.

 

Filed Under: cookbooks, cookies, lemon baked goods, reviews Tagged With: citrus, cookbook review, cookies, lemon, Meyer lemon, slice and bake

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Comments

  1. The Food Hound says

    January 26, 2011 at 7:49 pm

    These look a lot like the orange butter cookies I made for my Gluhwein party! Citrus is such a great flavor for cookies. And kudos for finding a great all-purpose cookbook for cookies!!

    Reply
  2. Joanne says

    January 27, 2011 at 6:24 am

    So what you're saying is that I absolutely definitely HAVE to buy this cookbook? Well…if you're gonna pull my leg about it 😛 I love lemony desserts and these cookies sound fantastic!

    Reply
  3. Lisa @ Tarte du Jour says

    January 27, 2011 at 5:17 pm

    These look so yummy! I have a Meyer lemon tree and am always looking for ways to use them. Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Torviewtoronto says

    January 27, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    yummy cookies looks wonderful

    Reply
  5. Tiffany says

    January 27, 2011 at 5:50 pm

    These look amazing! I bet they would also be great dipped in some dark (or white!) chocolate!

    Reply
  6. All That's Left Are The Crumbs says

    January 27, 2011 at 11:19 pm

    I really do need to look a little harder for some Meyer lemons. I have a small collection to try now, including these cookies.

    Reply
  7. Jill Colonna says

    January 28, 2011 at 5:43 am

    Great review. These look melt-in-the-mouth!
    Bon weekend.

    Reply
  8. Ang says

    January 28, 2011 at 4:24 pm

    This is my kind of cookie on a warm summer afternoon with a couple of girlfriends and some ice tea. Yum!

    Reply
  9. chelsea says

    January 28, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    Oh, Those really looks so yummy! Love this post!

    Windows Server 2008 | Seattle Homes

    Reply
  10. Kate @ Diethood.com says

    January 29, 2011 at 3:44 pm

    Your cookies look fantastic! I really like a cookie with citrus, so I know that this is definitely a winner. Oh, I could also dip it in some tea … yummy!

    Reply
  11. lois says

    May 22, 2011 at 4:46 pm

    hi! i just made these and they are perfect! i couldnt get to grips with the whole rolling into a thing, so i just used a cutter! really good recipe! thanks for posting x

    Reply
    • Barb says

      January 4, 2012 at 2:28 pm

      Do you know why 1/4 t salt is listed twice? What did you use?
      Thanks in advance,
      Barb

      Reply
      • Laura says

        January 4, 2012 at 2:47 pm

        Because I cannot read, clearly! 😀 Sorry about that, I have fixed it and only 1/4 teaspoon should be used.

        Reply
  12. Kelly says

    July 28, 2012 at 11:48 pm

    Thanks for the recipe! I was shooting for the Trader Joe’s Meyer Lemon Cookies, but these are different. Tasty at any rate. My dad tried some and said they reminded him of the lemon cookies he used to get as a kid when his family moved to Honolulu from Kauai. So, I’m glad I found this recipe!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      July 30, 2012 at 12:37 am

      I love stories like this!

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Laura and I am a recovering history major who has re-channeled all of my passion for learning about the history of different countries to learning about their food culture. That doesn’t mean every dish on here is strictly authentic, but it does mean that even my adaptations are not undertaken lightly. My goal is to show you–by doing–that these dishes are possible in your kitchen. Including desserts because I have quite the sweet tooth! Read More…

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