MAKES 12 TO 16 COOKIES
As we mentioned before, our uncle Frankie was nuts (more on this on here). He had a million cats and was always screamin’ at them, callin’ ’em all kinds of names that we couldn’t print here. But it’s because of him that our great-grandfather’s pastries live on in our family. Uncle Frankie, crazy as he mighta been, re-created a lot of Great-Grandpa Gregory’s delicious recipes, especially these “S” cookies.
These are a little sweet and a little dry, makin’ ’em perfect for dippin’ into coffee. When Uncle Frankie made them, they always had cat hair in ’em, and maybe that was the secret ingredient, but we wouldn’t recommend it.
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
2½ cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, melted
1½ tablespoons vanilla extract
Juice of ½ lemon
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar until well combined.
Add the eggs, butter, vanilla, and lemon juice and blend until the batter is evenly mixed.
Transfer the batter to a large piping bag fitted with a large plain tip. Pipe out 3-inch-long “S” shapes onto a large nonstick baking sheet.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet before serving.
MAKES 24 COOKIES
This was one of the biggest sellers at our great-grandfather’s shop, and it was something that was always on the table. If you were havin’ company, you got a box of lemon drops and put them out with dessert and coffee. When you go to Court Pastry, they have these in abundance, and we highly recommend you try theirs or make your own. Even though our great-grandfather would never use a mix, we found it’s an easy way to get a great product if you don’t have a lot of baking experience.
1 box lemon cake mix
2 large eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, oil, and lemon zest until well blended.
Place the confectioners’ sugar in a wide bowl. Using a tablespoon, drop the batter in tablespoon-size dollops into the sugar and roll them around gently with your hand or a spoon to coat generously.
Transfer the sugar-coated dollops to a large nonstick baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 3 tablespoons water until the mixture has the consistency of pancake batter. Add a little more water if necessary.
When the cookies have cooled, submerge them in the glaze and lay them on waxed paper until the glaze hardens.