Strawberry-Lemon Shortcake Cookies

Adapted from the recipe found June 2009 Martha Stewart Living (original is here: click)

aka "What to do with the strawberries that are on the verge of being mush"

Makes 2-3 dozen 

Oven to 375 degrees.

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and diced into 1/4-inch cubes

Juice of one small lemon (for cookies and Lemon Drizzle to go on top)

Zest from one small lemon (not a big lemon, a small lemon)

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

7 Tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

6 Tablespoons cold butter, rough cut into 6-8 pieces

2/3 cup heavy cream

1. In a medium bowl, mix the strawberries, 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 Tablespoons sugar. Set aside.

2. In a larger bowl, whisk together the flour, 7 Tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt. 

3. Using your hands, cut in the butter into the flour blend, working it until the mixture resembles slightly larger than normal bread crumbs. 

4. Begin stirring in the cream into the flour/butter blend. When the dough begins to look like it's almost done being mixed, gently work in the strawberries (I used my hands for this whole process because that's just how I roll). 

5. Drop the dough by the rounded tablespoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until they are precisely golden brown--about 24 minutes. When you are checking to see if they are done, pull the whole pan out of the oven and look at them in good light. What appears to be undercooked in the oven is quite often perfect once you get them into natural light. If you do them a dozen at a time, use new parchment paper each time. I did, anyway. I don't know what would happen if you used the same paper for multiple batches and I'm too scared to try. 

6. Immediately transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Let them cool for a minute or two and then drizzle them with the aptly named Lemon Drizzle (recipe follows). 

7. Gaze upon these darling little bits of awesomeness and do your very best not to eat the entire batch of them before your family and friends have a chance to revel in the greatness that is the Strawberry-Lemon Shortcake Cookie. I am failing miserably with this step. 

Lemon Drizzle

In a small mixing bowl, vigorously stir together about 1 cup powdered sugar, a tiny dribble of vanilla, and just enough lemon juice to make a runny paste. Don't add the lemon juice all at once, as not much is needed to accomplish the task. When the drizzle is smooth, do like it says and just drizzle that drizzle over the tops of the warm (not hot) cookies in a delicately decorative fashion. Let the drizzle set for about ten minutes (or not) and then start munching. 

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These cookies are best served warm, so make sure someone else is around when they're coming out of the oven. Leave off the icing and you've got the perfect mid-morning snack for any baby girls (or boys) who may have worked up a tiny hunger while playing ever-so patiently on the floor of the kitchen while you danced around to Lyle Lovett and created delight with your own two hands. 

delicious.