Miss Lewis mentions buttermilk cookies, which she pairs with ice-cold lemonade, but as far as we know, she never committed a recipe to paper. When we developed one, the big debate was about texture: Soft or crisp? What you see here is the cookie of your dreams, with a tender interior and the slightest bit of crispness around the edge.
Cookies are best the day they're made but can be frozen, wrapped well, up to 1 month.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 1/2 hr
Yield
Makes about 5 1/2 dozen cookies
Ingredients
For cookies
For glaze
Preparation
Make cookies:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter 2 large baking sheets.
Step 2
Whisk together flour, zest, baking soda, and salt.
Step 3
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in batches at low speed, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until smooth.
Step 4
Drop level tablespoons of dough about 1 1/2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until cookies are puffed and edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes per batch. Cool cookies on sheets 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks.
Glaze cookies:
Step 5
Whisk together all glaze ingredients and brush onto tops of warm cookies.
Step 6
Let stand until cookies are completely cooled and glaze is set.
Recipe notes
Back to topSee Related Recipes and Cooking Tips
Edna Lewis Recipes to Add to Your Repertoire
Like “spectacular” breakfast shrimp and a lentil scallion salad.
