Lemon Ginger Cookies

Who doesn't love a nice, cozy cup of hot tea on a chilly evening...  with cookies, please.

You're not just getting my recipe today!  These lovely ladies are also sharing goodies!

Beverly | Across the Blvd
Gail | Purple Hues and Me
Carol | Comfort Spring
Joanne | Slices of Life

Check out all the yumminess at the end of my post!

If you've read my blog for a very long time, you may already know that I dabble with traditional herbal healing.  There is a blog page dedicated to this hobby.  It's pretty amazing all the things hard working little herbs can help!  A quick way to add them to your daily routine is by tipping contents of tea bags into simple recipes.  In case you haven't done this before, here are a few tips:

Before purchasing tea bags, check the ingredients to be sure there are actually herbs, not just flavorings, included.  While flavorings are not a "bad" thing, they usually don't have any healing properties.

Shake tea leaves to bottom of bag and snip along the top with your clean kitchen scissors.

You can use loose tea, however, the leaves may not be chopped as finely as the leaves in tea bags.  If you try loose tea, just give it a good crumble with your fingers.

Let's get started!

Lemon Ginger Cookies

Both lemon and ginger aid in digestion.  Here's a simple, delicious recipe for you and your family to enjoy, especially if any members are having tummy troubles.  All Mary Poppins fans know "A Spoonful of Sugar helps the Medicine go Down."  ;-)

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest from one lemon

contents of 2 bags lemon ginger tea

about 2 cups all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar until smooth.  Add vanilla and lemon zest, mix again.  Cut open tea bags and add contents to your mixture.  Stir in flour and tea until well combined.  (Be careful to not over mix or cookies won't crumble nicely.)  Humidity plays a role in how much flour is needed.  You want the dough sticking to itself, but not the bowl.  Let rest for at least ten minutes.  On floured surface, working in batches, roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness and play with your favorite cookie cutters.  Use whatever shapes make you smile!  This little daisy is one of my favorites, but I also love a classic circle.

If you're not in the mood for cookie cutters, the dough can be rolled into a log and cut in 1/2 inch slices.

Bake in preheated oven of 325 for about 20 minutes.  "Low and slow" baking will give you crisp, melt in your mouth cookies!  I prefer to use either a silicone mat or parchment paper on my baking sheet.  This keeps the cookies from sticking without adding additional oil.  When you pull the cookies from your oven, leave them on the cookie sheet for 10 more minutes.  This gently browns the bottoms.  

If your family is not a fan of frosting.  Stop right here and enjoy your efforts!

Lemon Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

optional food coloring

optional sprinkles

Choose a bowl large enough for your hand to fit inside as we are dipping the tops of the cookies.  Mix first two ingredients until all lumps of powdered sugar are gone.  The icing needs to be pretty runny, and again, humidity plays a role in exact measurements.  If you would like to add color, do so now and stir again.  I chose two drops of yellow food coloring.  Once cookies are cool, dip just the tops into the icing.  Your fingertips will be messy.  ;-)  Let excess drip back into your bowl as you sort of twirl the cookie above it.  Twirling helps the icing to settle evenly across the top.  Set cookie, bottom side down on a plate.  Add sprinkles or colored sugar if they make you happy.  This icing will harden, which makes the cookies easy to transport.  Around here, they disappear quickly!

I hope you will give this recipe a try.  Your family will love these cookies and won't even know you've helped them be a little healthier!

What have you been cooking?

;-)  -Marci