Lemon Cookies

I don’t care that schools are starting in a week or that vacations are coming to an end.
It is still very much summer in my world. I’m finding too many conversations about the fall, school, Halloween, Christmas…. It’s still August!

Luscious lemon cloud cookies are my attempt at relishing the goodness of summer.  I still want to think about sunshine, leisurely walks, open windows, fresh flowers and lemons.
Sweet and tarty, lemons have summer warmth written all over them. These cookies are a nice tribute to all lemon flavors and an extra special shout-out to gluten-free baking!

They are extra enticing because their gluten-free base is naturally sweet, ultra soft and delicious. Using a gluten-free flour and applesauce added to their delightful texture and made them even more healthy. Even though they contain some butter, coconut oil and applesauce allows us to cut down on the bad fat and the amount of cookies this recipe yields makes it all worth it. Buttery, lemony cookies are definitely worth it! Finish these cookies off with a sweet glaze. This glaze intensifies the lemon flavor so do not skip! It also enhances these cookies moist texture and sprinkles of xylitol give a sparkling finish. It’s a lemon (summer) dream and you need to be apart of it.

Lemon Cookies (gluten free)

Lemon Cookies:
1 cup salted Butter, at room temperature
4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil or Grape seed Oil
4 Tablespoons Applesauce
1 cup Powdered Honey
1/2 cup Xylitol
2 Large Eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
6 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
3 Tablespoons Milk of choice, (I used coconut)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
4 cups Brown Rice Flour

Lemon Glaze:
1/2 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
5 Tablespoons Xylitol

Beat butter, applesauce, powdered honey and xylitol together until combined. Blend in the eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the milk and mix well. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum and flour.  Stir just until combined, you don’t want these to be over mixed. The dough will be a bit too sticky to roll out. If the dough is not at this consistency, you can add more milk as needed. Spoon rounded teaspoons of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, for about a minute or two, then drizzle the lemon glaze over the tops of the cookie. Allow to cool for another 5 minutes and enjoy!

Yields 35-45 cookies