Our first cookie this week, Lemon Blossoms, is better known as a thumbprint cookie. We made the simple shortbread-like dough (butter, icing sugar, lemon juice, pastry flour) and kept it in the fridge. While that dough was firming up, we started on the next cookie, Peanut Butter Blossoms. The dough was very different in that it had baking powder and soda and an egg. We didn't need to wait for this one to firm up as it was a stiffer dough, so we took chunks of it, rolled them into logs, then cut out pieces to roll into rounds. After baking these in the oven, we pressed Hershey Kisses on to the hot cookies, so the chocolate would adhere.
Back to the lemon blossoms: after spending a relaxing interval chopping walnuts, we took little balls of the chilled dough and rolled them in the nuts. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, we made little indentations in the dough, then filled it with a bit of raspberry jam. Right out of the oven, these cookies were very soft and wet, almost underdone. But the flavour and texture was awesome, lemony and tender. I was surprised by the intense citrus flavour, something I didn't think you could get with lemon juice. But wait, we actually used Realemon which contains lemon oil! Aha. The peanut butter blossoms were alright, but I can't stand those chocolate kisses, they have a vile, phony milk chocolate taste.
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