For most people, Easter means it’s time for chocolate bunnies and colored eggs. For me, this season is about all things lemon.
If you want an even bigger burst of lemon, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract to the dough and 1 teaspoon of unsweetened lemonade mix to the powdered sugar used to coat the cookies. You also can add a drop or two of yellow food coloring to make the cookies yellow and more in keeping with Easter colors. If you make them small and oval instead of round, they even look a little like miniature eggs.
The recipe is easy to adapt to other nuts and other flavors — even chocolate (add about 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the dough and substitute orange zest for the lemon). The cookie dough is so easy to make that you could whip up several variations for Easter brunch.
Even easier, serve ham sandwiches and these cookies and call it an Easter tea.
Lemon Wedding Cookies
Start to finish: 1 hour; Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted, divided
1/4 teaspoon fine-grain salt
Zest of 1 very large or 2 small lemons
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 drop yellow food coloring (optional)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup lightly toasted pecans, finely chopped in a food processor or nut chopper
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until fluffy. Add 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar, then beat well. Add the salt, lemon zest and vanilla and beat until creamy. Add the food coloring, if using. A little at a time, beat in the flour just until mixed.