A Beautiful New Home

My cousin and her boyfriend bought a house almost two years ago that quite frankly was a disaster.  It was a foreclosure and the house was in really tough shape.  They got an amazing deal on the house and turned it into quite a beauty.  They did a ton of the work themselves and it has taken them almost two years to do it and there is still some more work to be done.  But they should be so proud of themselves.  The house is amazing and I am amazingly jealous.  It is in a gorgeous neighborhood and it looks like a brand new house.  Well really, it is.  Everything is new inside and I mean everything.  Even the outside is new!  It was quite an accomplishment.

Yesterday they threw a party to show off the house and to thank all those who had a hand in getting the house into tip top shape.  They didn't want it to be a housewarming party but it turned into one.  It was great to see the house filled with family, friends and food.  They thought the day would never come.  But it did and it was a great day in a great house.  My contribution to the house rehab was spackling, sanding, and priming. Super fun stuff.  There was also some floating in their backyard pool if I remember correctly too.  My contribution to the party; lemon drop cookies.  They were so scrumptious and were quite a hit.  I had several inquiries for the recipe.  They were light and easy to eat while strolling through the halls and rooms of a beautiful new home.  Congrats, guys!  You did good.

Lemon Drop Cookies

Adapted from Sugar Plum

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 stick of butter, softened

zest of one medium sized lemon

juice from one lemon

1 tsp almond extract

2 large eggs

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray two large cookie sheets with cooking spray.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.  With a mixer, beat the sugar, butter, and lemon zest together until combined.  The mixture will look a little grainy.  Beat in the lemon juice, almond extract, and eggs until it is all combined.  Add half of the dry ingredients and beat to combine.  Add the rest of the dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place dough in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes to an hour to chill.  If you take the dough out before it is chilled enough, it will stick to your hands and be quite messy.

Once the dough is chilled, scoop teaspoons of it and roll into a ball with your hands.  Place on cookie sheet.  Bake for about 11 minutes or until golden brown.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Once cool, dip the tops of the cookies into the confectioners' sugar.

Note: If you are not going to serve or eat the cookies for a little while, wait to dip into the confectioners' sugar.  Otherwise the confectioners' sugar could "melt" and not be the pretty white topping that it could be.