Saturday, April 30, 2011

My Contribution to Becky's Online Bake Sale: Lemon-White Chocolate Graham Cookies

Happy weekend! I'm so excited to be taking part in an online bake sale even that my friend Becky over at Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves is holding on Monday! All bake sale proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Cancer has touched the lives of several of my family members and friends in the past few years, so I'm always happy to do anything that I can to raise money for cancer research and awareness. Today was the Komen San Antonio Race for the Cure, and I was one of 30,000+ people who took part in a 3K walk this morning. So inspiring to see all those people united for such a great cause!!

Once I signed up for Becky's bake sale, I started searching for a cookie recipe that would taste yummy and ship well, since these cookies could be going anywhere in the United States. I was flipping through a Pillsbury cookbooklet and found a recipe for lime-graham tea cookies. I immediately knew that I'd found what I was looking for! I tweaked the recipe a bit, subbing lemon for lime...and I added white chocolate chips instead of the nuts the original recipe called for. 

These cookies are really nice...they're not overly sweet, and the texture is reminiscent of a sand tart. The graham cracker crumbs give the cookies a slight nutty flavor in the background. The lemon flavor is boosted by adding frozen lemonade concentrate, lemon zest, and a bit of lemon extract to the cookie dough. You simply roll the dough into balls, bake, and then coat them in a bit of powdered sugar. The white chocolate chips added exactly the sweet addition that I was looking for. 

Lemon-White Chocolate Graham Cookies
adapted from Pillsbury


Step 1:  Add two sticks softened butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Bet on medium speed for 3 minutes, until the butter is very fluffy. Add 1 tbs. vanilla, 1/4 cup thawed lemonade concentrate, 1 tbs. lemon zest (about two lemons), and 1/2 tsp. lemon extract. Beat on medium-low until incorporated (about two minutes).


Step 2:  Add 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, and 1/2 tsp. salt. You can grind up 20 graham cracker squares if you want, but I just bought the crumbs in a box for convenience. Beat on low speed, just until combined. Stir in 1 cup white chocolate chips, then refrigerate dough for an hour.


Step 3:  Heat oven to 400. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, and place on a cookie sheet that's lined with parchment. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes, then roll in powdered sugar. 


Step 4:  Let cookies cool completely before eating...about 45 minutes. I rolled them in a little extra powdered sugar once they were cooled, and it gave it a nice coating on top. I couldn't resist taking a bite so you could see what the cookies look like inside.


Want to bid for a chance to win a batch of these lemony cookies direct from The Weekend Gourmet's kitchen in San Antonio? Here's what you need to do: on Monday, Becky will post all of the items that each baker has donated -- there are 27 in all! Each item will have a minimum bid of $15. Once the items are officially posted, interested buyers (bidders) will send their bid to Becky's e-mail, along with the item would like to purchase.  More details about the bake sale can be found here. You'll find a full listing of all items that will be available, as well as specific rules about taking part. I hope you'll all go by and check out this very worthy cause...and bid on my cookies on Monday!

10 comments:

  1. Hi Wendy, What a fantastic flavor profile in these cookies and they look great. I'm excited for Becky's bake sale this Monday...I'm confident your entry will not only raise awareness, but some much needed dough (pun intended) for cancer research too. Good for you for taking part in this morning's 3K walk for the cure!

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  2. Wendy,
    Thank you so much for your donation of these lemony cookies and the huge shout out. The cookies look and sound fabulous. Most of the bakers have their own personal stories, and that is why we are baking for the cause.

    It was wonderful that you could participate in the 3K Walk for the Cure in San Antonio.

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  3. Woah... these look like the most delicious white chocolate pie crust morsels!! Brilliant!!

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  4. I would buy some your lemony cookies if I was there! :) Wonderful recipe ! Will be great as my weekend project! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. YUM! I love the flavor combo of white chocolate and lemon! It is admirable that you participated in such a wonderful cause. :)

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  7. These cookies were a big hit with my family this weekend! The lemon flavor is just enough without being overbearing, and the white chips give it just enough sweetness. I really like them...and I have 6 more cookie balls frozen for when I need a fix later this week!!

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  8. Now I would pay some seriously good money for a bite of those! They look delicious, Wendy, and for a good cause you can't beat that excuse to bid on sweet treats like this! :)

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  9. You're in luck, Georgia...
    The bake sale has been extended for another day, so you have time to go bid. I'd love to whip up a batch of these just for you!

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