When life gives you lemons...

If life gives you lemons, you might as well make lemon Viennese and lemonade! During these times, I try to stick to stocking up on fruits that have a longer shelf life so I get a chance to use them before they go bad. Lemons, limes and oranges are perfect for summer, and also stay fresh in the fridge much longer than most other fruits! This recipe is super easy to make, it's my go-to when I have leftover egg whites on hand.

Although it's quite a classic, I've made a couple tinkers to the original recipe to make them a little extra special!

Depending on the size that you pipe these, this recipe will yield 2-3 dozen cookies.

Lemon Viennese Flowers:

130 g unsalted butter.

The better the butter quality, the better the cookie if you ask me. Just sayin'.

50g powdered sugar.

4 g salt.

a dash of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste; lemon essential oil would be great here too.

This can certainly be omitted, but, why? ;)

zest of two lemons.

Make sure you wash and dry the lemons well before zesting. Did you know that lemons and many other fruits are covered with wax before you buy them? It's considered safe to eat, but I like to hold myself to a higher standard if I can. :)

20 g egg whites

My first choice is always to use organic eggs, but it will not really change the outcome of this recipe.

155 g unbleached all purpose flour.

Use unbleached flour if you can, it's as simple as that. Bleach isn't for food.

powdered sugar for dusting.

Bake these little lemony delights at 300-350 degrees Fahrenheit until light golden brown, about 12-15 minutes depending on your oven.

Yes, this recipe is in weight. Almost all of the recipes that I have refined over the years are in weight measurements, and work best when reproduced that way. If you are a firm believer in volume measurements, please send me a message in the contact tab and I will convert it and post an update.

The creaming method will yield the best results here (cream butter and sugar, add egg whites and extract/flavorings, then the dry ingredients, do not over mix). One tip when piping onto parchment to bake, the rosettes I did here are done from the inside out for the flower-like dimension. It's a simple switch from the typical piping motion for icing a cupcake from the outside in, but makes a big difference in the final appearance.

These are the perfect cookies for summer. Light, bright, and zesty. I did a couple the classic Viennese piping, but ended up liking the rosette ones the best. I seem to like flowers, go figure. ;)

Don't forget to make some lemonade or lemon simple syrup from your lemon juice once you're done zesting your lemons! Using every part of ingredients and not letting them go to waste is something that I feel very strongly about. And, well, I am in love with lemons. :) Not only are they tasty but they are a wonderful natural cleansing agent for your body!

Happy baking to you all! And of course if baking isn't your thing, these little gems can be shipped directly to your door! Just fill out the form under the contact tab!