Basil Lemon Butter Cookies (Recipe)

A fun cook-off on October 13, plus a yummy cookie recipe for a last blast of summer

By Lynn Hazlewood

Lemon basil cookies: the last taste of summer

The first frost will be here any day now. If you still have some basil left in the garden, here's a way to use up the last of it before it gets blasted. The cookies freeze well, too, so you can have that summery taste on your tongue in the dead of winter.

Lemon Basil Butter Cookies

Makes about 30

2¼ cups of flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest
1 cup basil leaves, chopped fine
¾ cup butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 Tbsp lemon juice
4 or 5 Tbsp sugar for rolling

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a food processor or mixer, mix sugar, lemon zest, basil and butter until fluffy. Mix in the egg and lemon juice.
Gradually add the dry ingredients and blend thoroughly. Cover dough for about an hour until it’s firm.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Shape the dough into one-inch balls and roll in sugar. Place on a cookie sheet 2 to 3 inches apart and flatten slightly. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

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