Lemon Thyme Cookies
By: Nikki Gardner
Published: Sunday, December 13, 2009 - 8:54am

Ingredients




1 1/2 cups white spelt flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup almonds (finely ground)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
zest of 1 lemon

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Preparation

1 Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly brush with extra olive oil. 2 Whisk flours, ground almonds, baking powder, chopped thyme leaves, and salt in a large mixing bowl; set aside. 3 Whisk oil, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, zest, and extracts. 4 Combine wet ingredients with dry; mix well. Drop tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheet. 5 Bake cookies for 15 minutes or until edges are golden. 6 This recipe is inspired by Meredith McCarthy's recipe for Lemon Coconut Cornmeal Cookies from Sweet and Natural and by Cynthia Lair's recipe for Lemon Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies from, Feeding the Whole Family).

About


Frost looms in the night air. The herb garden still holds bundles of unpicked basil, garlic chives, oregano, parsley, and sage. A sprawling patch of my favorite herb, wild lemon thyme, covers several feet of the front lawn.
Reality sets in, I can no longer pinch as I cook.
So an hour before dusk on coldest day, I pick the remaining herbs to preserve the bright bouquets through the winter months.
After the last garden harvest, sage bundles hang from their stems inside the dimly light pantry, soon they will season squash and bean soup and bread stuffing.
Bags of traditional basil and parsley walnut pesto store in the freezer for a winter day when their bright green flavors cling to pasta or smear on toast with cheese.
It is the fresh sprigs of lemon thyme that I will miss the most.
Grate some lemon zest with this citrus herb and the two brighten and intensify sweet confections, like these rich melt in your mouth lemon thyme cookies. Just try a batch and see if you're not a wee bit obsessed with this citrus duo afterward too.

Comments:
David Hutson

making these this weekend, and if they are a hit I will be distributing them with the others  this Xmas!