Snow Day Cookies

Lush lemony shortbread that melt in your mouth, not on your sidewalk.

It has finally snowed here in New Jersey, which make Bosco and I inordinately happy. It’s a quiet, mild storm, unlike much of the rest of the country has experienced, so we can focus on cookies (me) and nosing out dog biscuits buried in piles of snow (Bosco).

Today’s recipe is a lemony shortbread, which thanks to snowdrift-worthy amounts of confectioners’ sugar on top, start to melt in your mouth from the moment your lips touch them. Cornstarch and more confectioners’ sugar in the cookie dough ensures the cookie dissolves into a lemony puddle when you eat it.

I just tried another cookie to ensure I was describing them correctly. Mmmmmm. Yes. Yes, I am. Also: they are buttery and kissed with lemon. Kissed I tell you!

These are a cinch to whip up. They are slice-and-bake, too, which means you can enjoy some now and stash the other roll in the freezer for later, if you like to do that sort of thing.

Notes:

• Obviously you can substitute lime, meyer lemon or orange zest and juice.

• You can boost the citrus flavor by adding 1/4 teaspoon of lemon oil or extract.

• I used a stand mixer. A food processor would also be a great option. If you use a food processor, pulse the mixture 5 to 7 times to combine the ingredients, then run the machine until the dough just begins to come together

  

Lemony Melting Shortbread: Printable Recipe

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Lemony Melting Shortbread

What You’ll Need:

For the cookie dough:

1 1/4 cup (150 grams) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (169 grams) butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup cornstarch (60 grams)

1/3 cup (43 grams) confectioners’ sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 generous teaspoons lemon zest

For the sugar coating:

about 2 to 3 cups (256 grams to 384 grams) confectioners’ sugar

What You’ll Do:

1. Combine all the ingredients for the cookie dough in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low speed until the flour begins to disappear. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, raise the speed to medium and continue to beat until dough begins to form.

2. Roll half the dough into a long log shape, 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Refrigerate until firm, about an hour.

3. When ready to bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. With a large serrated knife—such as a bread knife— slice cookies into 1/4-inch slices. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until set. That means if you gently touch a cookie with your finger it will not leave an indentation. These cookies should remain pale and interesting.

4. Let cool for 5 minutes, then, while still warm, toss the cookies in 2 to 3 cups of confectioners’ sugar.

A thought or three on the release of the Dominion depositions

No, I wasn’t surprised by the details in the legal deposition released from the Dominion defamation case yesterday.

Nor was I shocked to hear that basically all of Fox from the tippy top slyest fox of all, Rupert M., down to Tucker Carlson’s bow-tie steamer, willfully/gleefully lied about the election results.

I wasn’t surprised to hear Rupert let Jared see Biden’s 2020 ads before they even aired.

I was even sort of amused with Rupert’s little bon mot when asked why he allowed Fox darlings such as Mike Lindell to spread election lies. “It is not red or blue, it is green,” said ol’ Rupe, who I’ve heard flies a thousand-dollar bill over his mansion instead of the American flag.

However, I am concerned about the job we’ll have as a country going forward if true justice isn’t meted upon Fox. I am concerned that the company’s personalities, who’ve become inordinately rich peddling lies, oh, and upending DEMOCRACY, might get to continue in their jobs without severe penalties. I’m concerned that 61% of Republicans in a Monmouth University poll said they still believe the election was stolen.

Therapy Dog Break: Deep breaths.

And for all who argue it doesn’t really matter because Fox only reaches a few million viewers a day—it’s not so much that as where it’s being shown. Sure, I worry about your dad in his La-Z-Boy soaking up Fox like it was the Old Time Gospel Hour. But I worry more that Fox is aired in facilities for American soldiers, in the Pentagon and in adjacent sports bars where service members go for a pint. Even if people aren’t watching Fox, its news fills right-wing internet silos like so much Iowa corn. You don’t have to watch Fox to find out what it’s purporting. For Fox News does not report, it purports.

Purporting 101 isn’t taught in any J-school.

As an adjunct professor who teaches journalism, over the past few years I’ve tried to be very careful to avoid showing bias against Fox. Instead, I point out how bias can creep into all reporting and how journalists have to actively avoid its insidious nature. But with this deposition now in public view, I have to teach my students the story of Fox, greed and what happens when basically an entire organization agrees to lie. I will undoubtedly offend some kids who come from diehard Fox News homes, but I also have to do my job as a professor and a journalist and teach the truth.

Calvin: Substack helper and palate cleanser

Do you think the $1.6 billion Dominion has asked in its lawsuit is punishment enough for Fox? Do you think it’s too much? If you were judge (and hey, jury too!) in this case, how would you decide this case? Is there a fair punishment? What can we do to keep this from happening again, anywhere that news and $$$ mix?

For less than the cost of the Dominion settlement, you can sway me! To win my forever gratitude, you can become a monthly or yearly paid subscriber! Help pay for my grocery bill for recipe testing so I can continue to create new and interesting cookies and other delights and support my life as a freelance writer. If you’re not rich like Mike Lindell, you can continue to subscribe for free. Consider instead sharing this newsletter with a friend or ten and help me get more cookies into more people’s homes. Thank you all for your support!