Citrus Sunshine

With Adam in class tonight, I'm on my own for the evening.

Friends, you know what that means: Sweatpants. Grey's Anatomy re-runs. And lots of singing in the kitchen.

Did I forget to mention baking? We'd better add "Citrus Glitter Cookies" to the list.

Given the gloomy skies, endless rain, and my husband's intense love for lemon-heavy desserts, it seems only natural that I would pick this recipe for tonight. And let's be honest: I do feel a pang of guilt for feeling so enthusiastic about my sweatpants-clad, Derek Shepherd-obsessed self having a night alone to indulge in all things girlie. Baking the man cookies will make up for it, right?

Plus, I figured we could all use a break from my endless and intensely Fall-themed recipes. We need a little citrus sunshine in our lives tonight.

Citrus Glitters remind me of a to-die-for sugar cookie infused with lemon. While the recipe is designed to be vegan, I was out of our vegan shortening tonight, leaving me to use real butter instead (only use vegan substitutes or the real thing--no hydrogenated margarines, friends!).

These dense little cookies are the perfect reminder that, despite our frantic obsession with pumpkin right now, sometimes a pinch of summery citrus is the only solution for a rainy day.

And the whole sweatpants and Grey's Anatomy piece don't hurt either :)

What's your favorite way to spend a night on your own?

Lemon "Citrus" Glitters

(recipe courtesy of my current cookie bible: Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero)

Wow. Butter cookie meets a little bit of lemon heaven. Super tasty. Super Simple. Super Citrus Sunshine :)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 TBSP finely grated lemon zest (or more if you're craving it!)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
• 2 TBSP cornmeal
• 1 TBSP cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Yellow or golden decorator's sugar (or sprinkles)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray.

2) Using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about a minute and a half. Beat in the milk, lemon zest, and vanilla.

3) Add all remaining ingredients and mix on medium speed until well-combined.

4) Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls. Flatten and shape into circles, place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with decorator sugar. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges (mine took 10 minutes exactly). Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.