Lemon Pepper Cornmeal Cookies

Pepper doesn't really turn up in many desserts, but if these cookies are any indication it certainly should.  Initially people thought these were shortbread, but soon couldn't get enough of their unique, lemony-with-a-hint-of-spice taste.  Despite their deliciousness, they're very easy to make and you probably already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen.  

The first step is to zest all three of your lemons.  Be sure you're using your grater or zester to only remove the bright yellow outer skin of the lemon.  Going any deeper into the skin will be bitter and not give the bright lemony flavour you're looking for. 

Mix lemon zest with sugar in a small bowl. 

Use your fingers to squish the lemon zest and sugar together to release the oils from the lemons. 

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer  beat the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually bean in the sugar-zest mixture. Add the egg and egg yolk, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. I was worried about over-mixing these cookies however I gave them a good mix after each addition and they turned out just fine. 

Grind your peppercorns in preparation to mix with the other dry ingredients   Here I am using a four peppercorn blend but using just black pepper would be fine. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, pepper, and salt.  Add dry ingredients to the wet a little at a time, beating with electric mixer until combined. 

 Once your dough is well mixed, turn out on to a floured counter. 

Roll into two cylinders and wrap in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least three hours or until firm enough to easily cut.  If you don't have time to let them chill you could easily form these into one inch balls and press down with a fork and bake as normal.  

Preheat over to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Remove dough from fridge and slice into rounds about a quarter of an inch thick.  These cookies will not spread so you can fit a lot of each cookie sheet.  Bake for ten to fifteen minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned and tops are set.  Allow to cool for about ten minutes on the pan then remove and place and baking rack to cool completely. 

Lemon Pepper Cornmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper (freshly ground)
• ½  salt
• Zest of 3 lemons
• 1 cup  granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, very soft
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Adapted from: Baking Obsession