Zucchini-Lemon Cookies
Pretty!
We didn't end up using the full zucchini.
Grating the zucchini is surprisingly satisfying.
Creaming together the butter and sugar until creamy and light.
We found that to get 2T of lemon zest, we needed 2 lemons.
We added the flour slowly with the mixer on low. We were wary, but it worked like a charm.
Merrill had an ingenious trick for keeping the parchment on the cookie sheet -- dab a touch of batter on the corners, and press the parchment down on top!
The cookies baked quickly at 375, so after 12 minutes we lowered the temperature to 350. They took 15 minutes in all, and were lovely and golden on the bottoms. The tops of the cookies had...
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Author Notes: This could go in either category - Desserts or Vegetables. My mother-in-law gave me this recipes a few years ago when I confessed to her my addiction to zucchini. She had learned how to make this during a cooking class when she was in college and kept the handwritten recipe in her binder. What she gave me was a list of ingredients in her perfect script and I figured out the rest. I love the refreshing light taste of these cookies, plus they are a great way to use up any surplus of zucchini in my kitchen! - KelseyTheNaptimeChef
Food52 Review: When we first saw this recipe, we knew we had to try it. TheNaptimeChef had come up with a concept we'd never considered before, and we were both intrigued and hopeful. These cookies are delicate and ultra-lemony, the crisp buttery base anchoring a tender, cakey dome. The zucchini is subtle, but every few bites it makes its presence known with a pleasant, vegetal undertone. After our first taste, we agreed that these brought to mind a modern-day English tea cake -- we felt a hankering for a cuppa. The cookies were browning a bit too quickly after the first 12 minutes, so we turned the heat down to 350 degrees for the last 3. If, like we did, you use dark baking sheets, you may want to do the same. The cookies are perfectly cooked when they have a delicate smattering of light brown "freckles" on top. - A&M - A&M
Serves 24
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch coarse salt
- 3/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 Egg
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- Preheat oven to 375.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Combine butter and sugar in a mixer, beat until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and mix until incorporated. Add lemon zest and zucchini, mix until fully combined.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients until all of the flour has been added and is completely mixed in. Do not overbeat.
- Drop by rounded teaspoon onto a prepared cookie sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until edges of cookie are golden.
- Your Best Zucchini or Summer Squash Recipe Contest Winner!
Tags: can be made ahead, doubed easily, savory, snack, Summer, sweet, travels well, Vegetables, Vegetarian
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4 months ago jessm
Yumm! I didn't have any zuccini so tried Homegrown Travel's idea and made the carrot and orange and lemon zest variation. Also added a small amount of vanilla. Turned out wonderfully. Thanks for the beautiful recipe.
11 months ago Latetotheparty
I made these this morning on the spur of the moment. They came together in no time flat and wer puffy, light and airy as promised. I used 1/2 cake flour and did add a little vanilla. The one thing you never mentioned that concerned me was the liquid in the zucchini. I did press as much out as I could before mixing it in. They were delicious. Next time I will cut back a bit on the sugar. Thanks for this great and easy recipe.
about 1 year ago MissCasserole
I substituted 1C of flour with whole wheat flour, added 1/4 tsp vanilla, and used 1/4 of olive oil along with 1 stick, or 1/2 cup of butter. I would make these again and experiment using more zucchini. They are incredibly scrumptious, but I felt as though the rest of the flavors,the bright lemon, the perfect hint of salt, balanced sweetness, overwhelmed what the zucchini could have offered. Thanks for a great cookie to take to Easter Brunch!
over 1 year ago clairenjohn
Just made these, had ran out of all purpose flour so used 1 1/2 cup of gram flour and 1/2 cup of wholemeal flour. They are super yummy, great recipe
over 1 year ago GreasySpoon
I tried this last night and thought perhaps the addition of some vanilla would boost the flavor.
The texture was great,very light and airy but the taste was somewhat flat. I will try this again with some vanilla and then perhaps some ground rosemary.
almost 2 years ago jonahgail
it's a cookie, it's a biscuit, it's a scone....whatever you want to call it, it's delicious ! My anti-green super-picky 8yr old devoured these. I have some lemon basil from this week's CSA box and I'm planning to make another batch adding that to the mix...can't wait !
almost 2 years ago HomegrownTravels
I made this cookie recipe last night, but instead of zucchini I used carrots and instead of lemon zest I used orange zest. My mother-in-law was watching me looking sceptical but they turned out beautifully. We served them with Marscapone Cheese smeared on top and tea. So delicious!
almost 2 years ago KelseyTheNaptimeChef
What a great idea!
almost 2 years ago pjheart
Yum, yum, yum! I JUST pulled these out of the oven took one bight and had to join the blog to comment. They are perfect and fluffy and scrumptious! I used vanilla sugar and am in love with these cookie gems! Amazing recipe.
almost 2 years ago pjheart
I meant bite!
almost 2 years ago KelseyTheNaptimeChef
I am so glad!
almost 2 years ago deedee.mozeleski
Oh, wow! I just made these and it is a good thing I am training for a race, or I would eat them all! Delicious. Perfect, light, fluffy, yummy. I did add a little vanilla to the batter and next time, I may go all out and add some finely chopped dried cranberries. Yes! I am now imaging all of the ways to test out new cookie recipes without looking like I am!
almost 2 years ago KelseyTheNaptimeChef
Yum! Enjoy!
about 2 years ago jgerba
I just baked up a batch. They taste delicious, but are a little flat (well, flatter than the ones in the pictures). Not sure what I can do to make them puff up more, but they are still pretty light...
almost 3 years ago kcg
Don't you just love logging in and finding something as scrumptious as these cookies? I absolutely adore Food52 for this very reason. It is such delight to go skipping through the pages of this site, always on the lookout for the next inspiration.
Thank you Ladies...
almost 3 years ago amanda
Amanda is a co-founder of Food52.
So glad to see your comment -- it's fun for us, too, because we never know what recipes people will upload. Week after week, we're delighted by the creativity of the community. Thanks for being part of it.
almost 3 years ago QueenOfGreen
Made them today with the bumper-crop of zucchini around here - delicious! Thanks!
over 3 years ago Kabocha
Just delicious! Airy and cake-like ... perfect with tea or a latte in the morning, too.
I followed the "finish at 350 for the last 3 minutes" and they came out superb.
over 3 years ago Archie
I'm going to try and make these with gluten-free flour. I will let you know how they turn out! Thanks for sharing....
over 3 years ago kareninharlem
Have you tried Martha Stewart's Lemon-Zucchini Cornmeal Cookies (it's her Cookie of the Day for today)? She uses powdered sugar & adds cornmeal.
over 3 years ago TheWimpyVegetarian
Really great one! I added a little cinnamon and cloves because this time of year I love these spices. And now that they're out of the oven, I'm thinking about making them into cookie sandwiches for a party I'm going to tomorrow night with cream cheese icing with lemon as the filling. Or I might skip dinner and just eat them now. Really great recipe.
over 3 years ago VeggieAnna
Love this one. I did alter the ingredients due to last-minute inspiration. I picked fresh zuke from the garden. I ran out of Meyer lemons from our tree so I used orange peel instead. I also added a dash of Tahitian vanilla extract to the wet mix. I must admit, I ate the whole batch (almost!). Excellent recipe.