This recipe is special to me cause it is fully my own! Using recipes as inspiration, I used my own calculations and heart that put this together a Lemony Sweet Heart Cookie which uses maple syrup (excluding icing if you put that on). I quite like the nutty taste and texture with spelt flour and the way it rolled out. Of course the heart-shape is most appropriate for this week too. Hope you enjoy it.
Lemony Sweet-Heart Cookies
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg
1 1/2 cup whole spelt flour (or your choice of flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
zest of half a lemon (or 4 drops essential lemon oil)
1/4 tsp xanthan gum (needed for spelt flour)
In a large bowl, cream the butter with a hand-mixer. Add
the maple syrup, egg and beat until light and fluffy. Add in the soda, powder, salt vanilla and lemon zest and mix well. Then add the flour and mix until blended. Cover the top of the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate an hour or so. The dough rolls better if it is slightly chilled.
the maple syrup, egg and beat until light and fluffy. Add in the soda, powder, salt vanilla and lemon zest and mix well. Then add the flour and mix until blended. Cover the top of the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate an hour or so. The dough rolls better if it is slightly chilled.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F.
On a clean surface, lightly sprinkle with flour to keep the dough from sticking. Remove about 1/2 of the dough to start with. Sprinkle the top and bottom of the dough with flour and roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch in thickness. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter (or a preferred shape of your choice), cut out the cookies and place on a parchment- lined cookie sheet. Continue to reuse the dough scraps until all the dough is cut up into cookies.
Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake about 6 - 7 minutes or until the edges are just slightly golden.
This makes approx 4 dozen small heart cookies - about 2 inch in size.
Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake about 6 - 7 minutes or until the edges are just slightly golden.
This makes approx 4 dozen small heart cookies - about 2 inch in size.
If you like an icing glaze, I did this lemon glaze with 1 cup icing sugar, 2 tbsp water, a pinch of turmeric for yellow color, and a 2 drops lemon oil (or zest).
For a natural sugar icing, you could mix honey with coconut oil (or butter I suppose). I just don't have time to test it out right now but I will post that once I get to it.
