Monday, January 14, 2013

Gluten Free Lemon Cookie Recipe - Mmmm, My Favorite!

 Gluten-free Lemon (and I mean lemon) Cookies
although they weren't quite that yellow, but almost

I'm not sure what it was that made me crave lemon last Saturday. Maybe it was the post-Christmas wintertime and all that talk about a flu epidemic. Maybe it was my own sudden instinctive attempt to prevent scurvy. Maybe it was the need for a burst of fresh zing-iness after eating a little too much veggie burrito bowl at Chipotle Friday night. Next time, I'm ordering a kid's portion, if there is such a thing. Whatever it was, I hunted high and low for a good gluten-free lemon cookie recipe. 

I didn't want a hint of lemon; I wanted a crispy but tender cookie that would scream lemon. 

I had a couple boxes of Betty Crocker GF yellow cake mix, and looked online to see if Jell-O instant lemon pudding was gluten free. According to my source, Kraft product labels will state that they contain gluten if gluten is present. It didn't. So I could proceed.

 My favorite kitchen appliance
(after the KitchenAid dishwasher, that is)

You've heard by now, I'm sure, about the clever little trick of turning a cake mix into cookies? Well, they say to take a cake mix, add an egg or two, 1/2 c. oil, mix, and Voile! Cookie dough.

Not so fast, hombre.

I tried that and the dough looked more like lemon sand. I realize that working with non-glutenous flours makes a huge difference and requires modifications.  I fiddled around for a while with the recipe, adding a bit of this and a bit of that until I had what resembled actual cookie dough:

Yes, it looks like regular cookie dough, but perhaps a bit softer.

I was ready to drop spoonfuls of the dough onto oiled cookie sheets (non-stick cooking spray). Here's what they looked like at that stage:




So now that I've tweaked this recipe, I can tell you that they turned out great - but it did require a test of at least two cookies to make that determination - and then another one after they'd been frozen to see if freezing affected them adversely in any way. It didn't. It made them even better.

And there's no question that these are LEMON cookies. Just exactly what I had wanted! They are crispy at the edges and tender in the center.

My Favorite Gluten-Free Lemon Cookie Recipe:

Makes 3 1/2 dozen 3+ inch cookies. (I know, those are pretty big.) You could get 7 dozen dainty little tea cookies if you like, but remember that craving I told you about??? I wasn't going to mess about with a dainty taste of lemon.  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put the following ingredients into the mixing bowl and beat on low, then medium until well mixed and it has formed a dough that sticks together and pulls away from the side of the stainless steel bowl.

2 Boxes of Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix
3 eggs (I think they're labeled 'large' on the box, but they're what we used to call medium or small.)
1    3 oz. box Jell-O Instant Lemon Pudding
3/4 c. olive oil
3 T. REAL Wisconsin butter  (I didn't say these were low calorie or cheap. But they are delicious!)
3 T. freshly-squeezed lemon juice.

Drop by spoonfuls onto greased or oiled (non-stick) cookie sheets.

I baked these on my heavy jelly-roll pans that had been sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray. I got a dozen on each pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 11-14 minutes. Check them after 10 minutes because ovens vary. They should be just slightly golden at the edges and not look shiny on the top.

Remove pan from the oven and set the pan on a rack. Don't remove cookies until they are cool.


Gluten-Free Lemony Goodness


P.S. I wonder if it could be considered 'made from scratch' if you're dumping TWO mixes into the bowl, rather than just one.

Okay. I was just asking.

***



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21 comments:

  1. MMMMMMMM.... I adore lemon cookies. And funny, I was craving lemon this weekend too!! Although I didn't have anything in the house to fix that craving and I was too lazy to go to the store!! lol

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  2. I think you can confidently say they are made from scratch!! They look delicious.

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  3. i love lemon anything from cake to pie to cookies. i have never had a lemon cookie... these make me drool even knowing they are gluten free and i have not tasted gluten free. my mothers lemon cake was divine...i also love lemonade, and to just eat a lemon like and orange...lemon pie is my favorite pie and lime sherbet my favorite sherbet..

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  4. I love anything lemon and those look delicious! Might be time to do a little baking around here.

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  5. Yum! Lemon anything is good with me. And stop with the soap already! That one is so pretty. I don't have it yet! And, what about poor Edith. I didn't see that coming. I was devastated for her. (I hate soap operas and can't believe that I'm so into Downton Abbey)

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  6. Great idea!! Never thought of turning a cake mix into a cookie recipe!!

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  7. Happy Monday, I always love it when you share g.f. recipes with us; I'm having grands over on Friday night for a sleep over and think I'll make these. One question though-do you live at altitude? Sometimes that changes things with baking. I'll have to look at the box of cake mix. I can't wait to give it a try. Hugs,
    Noreen

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  8. Such dedication, testing and re-testing those cookies to make sure they were perfect. What a trooper!!! ;)

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  9. Those look and sound so fresh and bright-perfect after all the holiday riches.
    I vote YES, it is from scratch-especially if you need to "scratch" your nose from the puff of dumping in the mixes-LOL

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  10. Never thought of making cookies using a GF cake mix. we have plenty of those around. Can't wait to try these. I might add some icing on top too. Pinning now!

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  11. Too funny. Love lemon cookies. Will try these.
    Woolie hugs
    Trace

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  12. JUDY!! I've missed reading your blog. I'm so sending this post to a friend of mine who is going gluten free!! She will love this! :)

    Thanks for your sweet comment on my last post, God is good and was looking out for me!

    :)
    Rachel

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  13. "Maybe it was my own sudden instinctive attempt to prevent scurvy."

    *snicker*

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  14. This sounds yummy! I love lemon anything. Had to laugh about two mixes qualifying as scratch, LOL.

    Thanks for visiting me and becoming a new follower! I'm now following you back!

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  15. Oh these look soooooo good, and I love lemon cookies! Pinning!

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  16. I saw this recipe at a different party I think,then could not find it again, now I have thank goodness. I really want to try this. I even have a box of cake mix waiting woo hoo
    Janice

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  17. Janice, the original recipe certainly isn't mine - these cake mix cookies recipes are all over blogland. But this recipe with the two Betty Crocker GF mixes and lemon pudding and the specific additions is mine - and those additions make all the difference to get a really lemony cookie that is crisp and tender. Also, I tried a chocolate one once with the original cake mix cookie recipe and they were like really soft drop cookies that fell apart. I like the crispiness of these. Let me know if you try it. :-)

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  18. Yum, I love lemon. Sounds delicious! Thanks so much for sharing at Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop.
    Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above
    Bethany @ Whistle and Ivy

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  19. I'm so excited to try these! We eat gluten free at our house, too. I'm learning to make more things, but baked goods are definitely the hardest! (I need to bake bread today! I almost forgot!)

    I'd love it if you visited me at OneCreativeMommy.com. I post gluten free every Monday.

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  20. Okay Judy - this is right up my alley - I am going to make these for sure. sandie

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