These are such a fun cookie to make and they they are infused with fresh, bright, lively lemon flavor.  Heart be still 💛  No wonder these are award winning cookies.  A cup of afternoon tea and a few of these cookies and your mood will instantly be as bright as the flavors in these delicious morsels of puckery, lemony goodness.  Try them, you will see what I mean...

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Steps

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheets by covering with parchment paper, using a Silopat or spray baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again.

Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Refrigerate dough for one hour.

Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate, then roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until cookies are cracked on top. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

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Oh my, what a special dessert this is.  This Lemon Creme Brulee is a totally decadently richly lemon infused custard topped off with a crackly torched sugar top and it is beyond delicious.  If you are a fan of creme brulee, this takes it to a whole new level.  I first experienced this at The Cooper House, a wonderful little cafe in New Harmony, Indiana many years ago.  I had gone for a girls lunch with my friend, V, and we both were absolutely swooning over how wonderful this dessert was.

I came home, researched many recipes and adjusted them until I found this one that is just perfection.    It's one of those desserts that I don't make often, and only because of the calories.  This is absolutely sinfully delicious, but oh, it's so worth the calories for a special occasion. 

To ensure the custards cook gently and gradually, place the ramekins in a baking pan lined with a kitchen towel and partially fill the pan with hot water (known as a water bath). This helps insulate the delicate custards from the heat. 

Ingredients:

Juice of 2 lemons
2 cups heavy cream
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup plus 6 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
5 egg yolks 

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 300°F. Line a shallow baking pan with a kitchen towel. Have a pot of boiling water ready.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the lemon juice to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the juice is reduced to about 1 Tbs., 3 to 5 minutes.

In another saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, lemon zest and the 1/2 cup sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until steam rises from the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk together the vanilla and egg yolks until smooth and combined. Slowly add the cream mixture, whisking constantly, then stir in the reduced lemon juice. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and divide among six 3.5-oz. ramekins. Place the ramekins in the prepared baking pan and add boiling water to fill the pan halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake until the custards are just set, about 40 minutes.

Remove the ramekins from the pan and transfer to a wire rack. Let the custards cool to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

Just before serving, sprinkle 1 tsp. sugar evenly over the surface of each custard. Using a kitchen torch according to the manufacturer’s instructions, move the flame continuously in small circles over the surface until the sugar melts and lightly browns. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

#cremebrulee #lemon #lemoncremebrulee #restaurantdessert #yummy #foodie #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx

My favorite cookies are the soft, pillowy ones, not crispy, crunchy cookies.  These are so soft, so buttery, so puckery with lemony flavor.  They're the kind of cookie that make your eyes roll back in your head when you take the first bite.  So, if you're also a fan of soft, tea cake type cookies, you're going to love this recipe.

I make so many recipes with lemons that I always have a bottle of Minute Maid Frozen Lemon Juice in my fridge or freezer, sometimes multiple bottles, just because...  I don't always have fresh lemons and this works just as well and you don't have to squeeze.  Don't confuse this frozen lemon juice with frozen lemonade, two different products.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons lemon zest, you never can get too much lemon zest 
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk together and set aside.

In a small bowl, add granulated sugar and lemon zest. Rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingers, this releases the oil in the lemon and makes the cookies more fragrant.

With electric mixer, beat butter and sugar and lemon mixture together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.

Slowly beat in flour mixture on low speed until blended. Either roll cookies in a ball or drop dough by tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Gently flatten dough with the palm of your hand.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are just set and slightly golden brown. Cool cookies on baking sheet for 2 minutes and transfer to cooking racks. Cool completely.

In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice. Take a spoon and drizzle each cookie with the glaze, or you can turn the cookies upside down and dip in the glaze.

Note:  I take a baking sheet, put a rack on it to let glazed cookie sit on until the glaze sets.  This prevents messy cleanup in case some of the glaze runs off of the cookies. 🍋
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 #lemon #lemoncookies #glazedcookies #foodie #yummy #yummyfood #homemade #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx #minutemaid #minutemaidlemonjuice

I always start the week with a healthy recipe, and this is an exceptionally good one.   I'm not typically a salmon lover, but I do love lemon and dill, add those ingredients,  combine it with crunch, infuse it with butter and lemon juice and it's a game changer for me.  It really is yummy.  And... it's also good with cod, not telling you to substitute cod, just giving you options in case you struggle with salmon 😉

Ingredients

2 salmon filets
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp. lemon pepper
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs, or you can use Panko crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons dried dill
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Steps

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray shallow baking pan with cooking spray. 

Melt butter and whisk in lemon juice.

Pat salmon dry with paper towel. Place salmon, skin side down, in pan; brush with 1 tablespoon of the butter lemon mixture. Sprinkle with salt.

Mix crumbs, cheese, onions, lemon zest, dill and thyme in small bowl. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Press bread crumb mixture evenly on salmon.

Bake uncovered 15 to 25 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with fork. Serve immediately.  

Optional:  Finish with a drizzle of fresh lemon juice and serve over a bed of wilted spinach
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#salmon #lemon #dillsauce #yummy #yummyfood #healthyfood #healthy #foodie #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx #delicious #sushi #seafood #fishing #instafood 

Southerners love this pie and when I found this recipe on  Cook's Country, I knew I had to make it.  Their recipes never fail and this was no exception,.  This is an easy to make, light, bright lemon pie that has a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and sour. And, because it's easy to make that's a bonus, but I would make this even if it was difficult, it's THAT good.  I did just a couple of adjustments to the original recipe, because that's just the way I roll.  And, okay, I admit it, I used Cool Whip for the topping.  I've aways been a fan of Cool Whip, it's a lot lower in calories and you don't have to whip the cream. 

FOR THE CRUST

6 ounces saltine crackers (about 1 sleeve or 36 crackers)
⅛ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup light corn syrup

FOR THE FILLING:

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14-ounce)
4 large egg yolks
¼ cup heavy cream ~ I use Half and Half
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest plus ½ cup juice ( 3 lemons)

FOR THE TOPPING

½ cup heavy cream, chilled
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

~ or forget whipping the cream and just use Cool Whip ~

Steps

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Add the saltines and salt to the food processor and pulse until you have coarse crumbs (about 15 pulses). Add the melted butter and corn syrup and pulse until the crumbs are about the size of oatmeal (another 15 pulses).

Add the cracker mixture to a greased 9-inch pie plate. Use the bottom of a dry measuring cup or glass and press the crumbs into an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the dish.

Place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake until light golden brown, 17 to 19 minutes.

To make the filling – whisk the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, cream, and lemon zest together in a bowl, add the lemon juice and whisk until well combined.

With the pie plate on the baking sheet still, remove it from the oven and pour in the filling (the crust does not need to be cooled) and place it back in the hot oven. Bake until the edges of the pie are set but the center still jiggles, 15 to 17 minutes. Place the pie on a wire rack and let it cool completely. Refrigerate the pie until completely chilled.

For the topping, use a stand mixer fitted with a whisk and whipped the cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium low until foamy (about a minute). Increase the mixer speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie and serve cold.

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#lemonpie #cracker #crackerpie #northcarolina #northcarolinacrackerpie #yummy #yummyfood #foodie #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx 

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You won't believe how simple this is to prepare and it's really special.  And since I'm all about easy, this is as easy as it gets.  I could give y'all a recipe, prepping the pancake batter, cooking the lemon filling, and if you want to do that, go for it.  But I have a quick alternative and it's so yummy, and it's a show stopper, nobody will realize it isn't all made from scratch.

It's not even much of a recipe, it's just a process, an easy process with amazing results.

Pick up a tub of lemon curd and a box of pancake mix at the grocery store, grab some berries and that's all you need.

Here's The Process

Make pancakes using your favorite mix, Krusteaz, Bisquick, Hungry Jack, whatever floats your boat.  If you're really short on time you could thaw frozen pancakes, but that's taking it a bit far, even for me.  Freshly made is always better.  Notice I didn't say "homemade" because that would entail measuring, mixing, folding, all time consuming things that you may not have time for or want to do.

Before you make your pancakes, warm the lemon curd in the microwave, stir it, then make your pancakes and start to assemble, spreading the pancake with lemon curd, then rolling with the seam tucked underneath.  As you build them,  you can put them in a very low temp oven, 225 degrees, on a baking sheet covered with a slightly damp towel to keep warm while filling and rolling the rest of them.  

Now how easy was that. Scatter around a few blueberries and raspberries, sift a bit of powdered sugar on top and if you feel really ambitious and want to knock it out of the ballpark, make a quick raspberry sauce for the top.  Don't forget the ice cream, that's the best part.

Again, this all about easy, just take a big scoop of raspberry jam, thin it out with some hot water until you get the consistency of syrup, put it in a pretty little serving pitcher,  your guests will never know how easy this was and think you went to a lot of trouble to make them a really special breakfast.

Well, it is really special, it just happens to be really easy.  

And shhhhhhh, it's our secret, I'll never tell. 🤫

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 #pancakes #brunch #lemon #lemoncurd #yummy #yummyfood #delicious #foodie #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx #weekendrecipe

This is my favorite dessert of all time.  This recipe dates back to the 60's and it's positively scrumptious.  Sometimes. you just can't beat old school and nothing compares to this in our family, it's one of those recipes that spans the generations and we will make forever.  It's timeless and it's just sinfully delicious.

Graham Cracker Crust

I make this in the food processor, it's so easy.  No food processor, no worries.  Just put the crumbs in a large baggie and crush with a rolling pin or a glass, then combine with the sugar and melted butter.

1 sleeve of graham crackers broken into pieces
1/3 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of melted butter

Combine all and pulse until combined.  Spray pie pan with cooking spray, and pat in the graham cracker crumbs, using a measuring cup to smooth and get close to the edges.  Homemade crumbs are so good, they are more coarse and gives you more graham cracker flavor.

Bake at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes until it starts to brown.  

Cool before adding filling

Lemon Cream Cheese Filling

8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 can of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk, don't get the low fat, go for it with fully leaded original, it's so much better
1/3 cup lemon juice - can substitute ReaLemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling, chilled

Steps

Beat the cream cheese with a mixer on high until fluffy. Fold in the condensed milk, lemon juice and vanilla by hand, until blended. Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Top with the pie filling, chill thoroughly before serving in pan covered with aluminum foil.  I always place toothpicks vertically in the pie so that the foil doesn't smash the cherries. 

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#cherry #cherrypie #cherrycheesecake #cheesecake #food #foodie #yummy #yummyfood #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx #foodporn #fruit #dessert #delicious #sweets #pioneerwoman

It's so fresh, so delightful,  and SO positively yummy and fast to prepare.  This Chicken Piccata is simply a chicken breast, dredged in flour, browned and topped with a buttery lemon sauce.  It's not complicated to make, but it's always special to serve.

Ingredients

2 large Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts – sliced horizontally into 1/2″ thick cutlets
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 large Lemons – 1/2 sliced thin and 1 1/2 juiced
1 clove Garlic – Chopped fine
1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
3 tbsp Capers – Drained and Rinsed
4 tbsp Butter divided – 2 tbsp for sauce, 2 tbsp for pasta
1 lbs Linguine Noodles

Steps

Pre-heat oven to 225 degrees  and put water on stove to boil for pasta

Slice chicken breasts horizontally or butterly them and flatten to about 1/2″ thickness and slice into cutlets. I've found an easy way to do this is to place them between parchment paper and pound with a cast iron skillet. This is very fast, I usually do this on the concrete patio or garage floor.  Why?  So I don't break the countertop.  Try it, it works great.  

Salt and pepper the chicken on each side and allow to sit for a few minutes. While the chicken is resting, heat a large saute pan to medium heat and add the olive oil.

Dredge the chicken in flour then pan fry for about 3-4 minutes on each side. When fully cooked, place chicken on a dish and place in the warm 225 degree oven on until ready to serve.

Slice 1/2 lemon into then slices removing any seeds. Juice the remaining 1 1/2 lemons, you should have 1/4 – 1/3 cup of juice.

Leave the bits from the chicken in the pan and add the chopped garlic to the over medium heat stirring occasionally for about 1 min until fragrant. Add chicken broth and bring to a slow boil, then add lemon slices. Allow to slow boil on medium to medium-low for about 5 mins stirring occasionally. The sauce will reduce and slightly thicken.

At this point, add the pasta to the boiling water.  Linguine will take about 10 mins  If using a different pasta, follow the directions adding to the water in order to time the pasta being al dente just after you complete the sauce.

After the sauce has cooked down add lemon juice and capers and allow to cook another 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add 3 tbsp of butter and stir until fully melted and mixed in. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove pasta pot from heat, drain pasta, return to the pot and add 2 tbsp of butter. Mix throughly.

To serve, add pasta to each plate with 2 cutlets then cover with sauce and a slice or two of lemon (for garnish)

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#lemon #chickenbreast #foodie #food #yummy #yummyfood #chickenpiccata #lemonsauce #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx #lemonchicken #schnitzel #chickenschnitzel #giada #inagarten #pasquale

Every time I go to a bakery, a donut shop, or out to breakfast or a weekend brunch, I'm always searching for blueberry muffins.  There is nothing better than a moist, tender, blueberry muffin, and nothing worse than the disappointment when they are dry and flavorless.  This recipe for lemon blueberry muffins has it all, the tartness of lemon, the sweetness of a moist muffin and the pop of blueberries. Lemon and blueberries, they're a match made in heaven. 👼

This recipe has oil and sour cream, so they are very moist muffins and the combination of lemon and blueberries give them that special zing.  

Ingredients

⅔ cup sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup sour cream, can substitute yogurt
½ cup vegetable oil
⅓ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Turbinado sugar, optional but I like to dust the tops of the muffins with this coarse sugar before putting them in the oven to bake.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375° (190°C) and line 8 muffin cups with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, and in a separate bowl mix together the wet ingredients.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients togetheruntil just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries, Don't overmix and don't use a mixer, do this by hand.  If you are using frozen blueberries, shake them with just a bit of flour, about a tablespoon, so they won't sink to the bottom of the muffins.

Spoon batter into the muffin cups until 3/4 full.

Bake for 25-30 minutes on middle rack in your oven, until a knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Let cool 10-15 minutes before removing.   I love warm muffins, so I usually reheat for a few seconds in the microwave.

I love huge, oversized bakery style muffins and I'm also a fan of what I call fancy muffins, the kind you see in muffin shops with the muffin tucked into a parchment paper tulip cup.  You can take 5x5" parchment paper squares, put them in your muffin tins, then use a measuring cup to press them evenly into the muffin tins, or... you can just buy them on Amazon already formed in the tulip shape.  They're inexpensive, and easy peasy.  

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#muffin #muffins #lemonmuffin #blueberrymuffin #lemonblueberrymuffin #foodie #yummy #yummyfood #foodporn #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx

 

It's Taco Tuesday and how fresh are these fish tacos.  You don't need to go to a restaurant when you can make these at home, they're fast, easy and delicious and the price is right.  You can have these on the table, start to finish, in less than thirty minutes.

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 pound cod fillets

leaf lettuce leaves
3 cups coleslaw mix
1/2 cup cilantro leaves

8 flour soft shell or hard corn taco shells, warmed

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until sizzling. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Add fish; cook 7-10 minutes or until golden brown on both sides and flaky. Remove from skillet.

Add coleslaw and cilantro to skillet; stir until coated and heated through.

Break fish into bite-sized pieces.

Fill each taco shell with coleslaw mixture and fish. Add toppings, if desired.

TOPPINGS

Pico de gallo
Avocado chunks or Guacamole
Sour cream
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#tacotuesday #taco #tacos #fishtacos #cilantro #avocado #guacamole #yummy #yummyfood #foodporn #jancooksrealfood #janspicx #jancancook #foodie #food