Lemon Verbena Cookies Food

LEMON VERBENA COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine flour, lemon verbena leaves, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Add half of the flour mixture. Beat until combined. Stir in remaining flour mixture with a wooden spoon until combined.
• Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks and cool. Makes 36.

OLD FASHIONED SUGAR COOKIES WITH LEMON VERBENA

Steps:

• Combine flour, lemon verbena leaves, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.
• Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until well combined.
• Add half of the flour mixture. Beat until combined.
• Stir in remaining flour mixture with a wooden spoon until combined.
• Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake in a 350 degree F (180 degree C ) oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
• Remove to wire racks and cool.
• Makes 36. Store in an airtight tin for up to 5 days.

LEMON VERBENA POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Blend all ingredients by hand until moistened, then mix for 3 minutes at medium speed.
• Pour batter into two greased and floured 4 1/2 by 8 1/2 inch loaf pans and put in pre-heated 325 degree oven.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool on rack before removing from pan.
• Alternatively, bake in 5 small loaf pans for about 30 minutes.

LEMON VERBENA JELLY

Steps:

• Put the lemon verbena leaves, lemon zest and water into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate to high heat, then turn the heat to simmer and cover the pan. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and allow to stand, covered, for several hours.
• Pour the infusion through a strainer into a large, deep saucepan. Press on the leaves to extract all flavor, then discard the leaves and zest. Stir in the lemon juice and sugar and bring to a full rolling boil over high heat. Add food coloring. Stir in the pectin and return to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for two minutes, stirring constantly.
• Remove from the heat and skim the foam, if necessary. Ladle the jelly into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Seal with new lids and metal rings.
• Process for 5 minutes in a hot water bath. Makes about five 6-ounce jars.
• This subtly flavored jelly is good with scones or toasted brioche, or in the center of thumbprint butter cookies.

LEMON VERBENA BLUEBERRY SCONES

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
• Stir the egg and cream together in a small bowl.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl add the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon verbena leaves. Rub everything together with your fingers to bring out the lemon flavor.
• Stir lemon mixture into the flour mixture. Add the butter to the flour/lemon sugar mixture. Using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You will have some little butter clumps and some larger clumps-the size of peas.
• Pour the egg and cream over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork just until the dough comes together. It will be sticky. Don't over mix. Still in the bowl, gently knead the dough by hand, 8 to 10 times.
• Gently fold in the blueberries.
• Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Divide it in half. Working with one piece at a time, pat the dough into a rough circle that's about 5 inches in diameter, cut it into wedges or use a round cookie cutter and cut out the scones.
• Brush the scones with cream and sprinkle Turbinado sugar on top.
• Bake the scones for 20 to 22 minutes, or until their tops are golden brown. Transfer them to a rack and cool.
• Glaze with my lemon glaze recipe #411928, if desired.
• These are best eaten warm and on the day they are made.

LEMON VERBENA BREAD

Steps:

• For the bread cream butter with verbena leaves in a mixer or food processor.
• Add sugar,eggs and milk and beat well.
• Add remaining ingredients and pulse a few times until blended.
• Grease loaf pans (1 large,2 small or 4 mini) and pour in batter.
• Bake at 350º for 30-45 minutes, depending on pan size, or until toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean.
• Leave loaf in pan and pour glaze over loaf while still hot.
• Let sit several hours.
• Remove loaf from pan.
• Wrap in foil to ripen overnight if you like, or serve when cool.
• You can also freeze this bread for later use.
• GLAZE: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tbsp fresh lemon verbena leaves,finely chopped, with the juice of one lemon.

LEMON VERBENA BUTTER

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth and ingredients are incorporated.
• Transfer butter to a covered container approximately 2 hours or until firm. Note: be sure the butter is covered well or it will absorb any odors from the refrigerator.