Lemon Cornmeal Cookies

So, I've been busy taking finals, writing papers, and graduating from law school.  Now I'm out in Bozeman, Montana, to study for the bar and then start my new job.  With finals now a thing of the past, I can get back to my favorite hobby: making yummy vegan stuff.  I look forward to sharing more recipes as I come up with them.

I actually made these lemon cornmeal cookies before finals started, but I never had time to post the recipe, which somehow made it to my new kitchen in Montana on a 3" square bit of torn paper.  These are lovely, delicate cookies with an interesting texture from the cornmeal.  They also hold their shape quite well, making them particularly well-suited to showing off your best cookie cutters.

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies

Note: this recipe requires advanced preparation at least an hour before baking.

Ingredients

1 cup flour

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup Earth Balance (or other vegan margarine), room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons egg replacer (like Ener-G Egg Replacer)

2 Tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon zest (or any citrus zest)

1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and baking powder.  Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the Earth Balance and sugar until light and fluffy.  Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, vigorously whip the egg replacer and water together until the mixture is thick and foamy.
4. Add the egg replacer mixture, vanilla, and lemon zest to the Earth Balance mixture, and combine well.
5. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until completely combined.
6. Separate and shape the dough into two disks and wrap each in plastic wrap.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  You can leave the dough overnight or even for a couple of days if you like.
7. When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350ºF, and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.
8. Roll out the chilled cookie dough, one disk at a time, on a lightly floured surface.  Cut the dough into shapes with your favorite cookie cutters, then carefully transfer the cookies to the parchment-lined cookie sheets, placing cookies about an inch apart.
9. Bake for 9-11 minutes, removing cookies when the edges are just slightly golden.  This gives you a softer cookie.  For a crunchy cookie, let the edges brown slightly.
10. Let cookies rest for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.