This post is full of declarations and an accusation.
Declaration number 1 (made by my friend Tenille from my fruit mince pies adventures): ‘These buttermilk cookies are the best cookies you’ve ever made.’
I loved them too. But she said that as much as she loves the chocolate chip cookies, if presented with both, she would take the buttermilk cookie.
Declaration number 2: Food blogs are better for getting recipes than recipe books. This is my declaration, from my experience, and I’m sticking to it. The pictures and instructions are better and they’re more honest.
This recipe come from another food blogger, the awesomely named Cake or Death.
If you don’t know where that reference comes from, you must watch the Eddie Izzard skit ‘cake or death’. It. will. make. you. giggle.
The suggestion that I make these cookies also came from another awesome food blogger, Kristy, from Our Family Food Adventures. She made the comment last time I was talking about buttermilk after making buttermilk scones.
Kristy and her family pick different countries from around the world and then all make some food from that country together. At the moment they’ve been exploring Australian cuisine, which I’ve really enjoyed. Now I’ve told you how awesome food bloggers are, this leads me to my big accusation….
ACCUSATION: I don’t think (most) editors or writers of recipe books sufficiently test their recipes. I have very few recipe failures from other food bloggers. Most of the time when something goes completely awry it’s from a recipe book. So there.
Anyways, eat buttermilk cookies. Tenille loves them. Kristy recommends them. Liz from Cake or Death and I have both made them. That’s more than any recipe book would give you.
Ingredients
For cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
170 grams (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
For glaze:
1 1/2 cups icing (confectioners) sugar
3 tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Line two large baking trays with baking paper.
- Whisk together flour, zest, baking soda, and salt.
- Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla.
- Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in batches at low speed, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until smooth.
- Drop level tablespoons of dough about 1 1/2 inches apart onto baking sheets. I was very rough about this.
- Bake, one sheet at a time, turning half way through cooking time, until cookies are puffed and edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes per batch.
- Cool cookies on sheets for one minute, then transfer cookies to racks.
- To glaze the cookies: Whisk together all glaze ingredients and brush onto tops of warm cookies. They MUST still be warm, or it won’t give you that glazed look. I made that mistake and had to heat ‘em back up…
- Let stand until cookies are completely cooled and glaze is set.
Makes: 25 cookies
Healthy? 190 calories
Storage: Store in an airtight container. Mine lasted fine for a week, and then there were none left so I can’t tell you about after that.
Source: Cake or death buttermilk cookies.
