Lemon Thyme Cookies

It seems to me I’ve hosted tons of meetings in my home over the years. And always trying to be a gracious hostess, whether the meeting is in the morning or afternoon, I always think it’s nice to serve the coffee or tea with a little something to munch on. Very light, because everyone is always on a diet. (Or say they are.) My favorite is Apricot Nut Cookies ( a previous post) because they are light and not too sweet. The Lemon Thyme Cookies are a recent discovery and could really be called a bar; they are buttery, thin, delicate and unusual. And while I suppose you could have coffee with your Lemon Thyme Cookies- they just seem to go with tea for some reason. Up to you of course...I'm not a good judge as I am not a coffee lover.

Honestly, Giada De Laurentis comes up with some marvelous cookie ideas on her show. Some are ridiculously sweet while others, like the Apricot Nut Cookies previously mentioned, are less sweet and actually have healthy ingredients. In fact, every time she makes a cookie on her show, I sit up and take notice because I have garnered some nifty cookie recipes from her.

What’s different about this recipe is I think it demanded some outside opinions. The flavor is herbal and lemony. So, when I made the cookies, I tasted one, loved it and took the rest to the hair salon where I happened to have an appointment that day. And I got lots of opinions. Four loved them, one did not- women. One loved them, two didn’t- men. (I was surprised men even wanted to try them because they really aren’t a standard looking cookie.)

I think these are to die for- and so good with tea- iced or otherwise. They are not the sort of cookie you sit down with a glass of milk (like chocolate chip cookies) and pig out. This is the kind you savor, wonder at the flavors and nibble away. Tart and refreshing.

Lemon Thyme Cookies
(Adapted from Giada De Laurentis)

Ingredients:
1 stick butter ( 4 ounces), at room temperature
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup powdered sugar

Method:
Put your oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°. Butter and flour an 8 by 8 glass baking dish.
In a small bowl combine flour, thyme and salt. Set aside. Using a paddle attachment beat together the butter and powdered sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Beat in lemon juice and and vanilla. Mix the flour and thyme leaves. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Using damp fingers, press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes until golden. Cool for 30 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk the lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth. Spoon the glaze over the cooled crust. Allow the glaze to harden at room temperature for at least an hour.

Using a metal spatula, remove the crust from the pan and cut into 1 ½ inch squares. Arrange on a platter or store airtight in a plastic container at room temperature.