Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Wish You Were Here!

I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but I've been super busy, baking up a storm for the last month. I'm not complaining, mind you. There aren't many things I'd rather do with my time. But I do miss writing about it.


Things are starting to settle into a nice rhythm again, so I thought I'd share my breakfast with you. No, I didn't make it and there was absolutely no baking involved on my part. But it's still worth sharing.


Once a week, my mom and I make a buying trip to the Roanoke Sam's Club. I go through 50+ pounds of flour and an unmentionable amount of butter in 7 days or less, which makes the trip necessary. This spring, we fell into a lovely routine of stopping at a local spot, Hale's Restaurant, for either breakfast or lunch, depending on how our day was going. Their exact address is 7643 Roanoke Road, Shawsville, Virginia, but we locals think of it as being on old Route 11 - a pretty, scenic byway, still dotted with these:


Now, over the years, I've gotten respectably good at cooking eggs. I've even learned how I like them - over medium, please, with some runny yolk but never, ever any liquid in the white. And being Southern girls, I like gravy with my biscuits and my mom likes slices of tomato on her plate.
Hale's has all this - the absolutely perfect fried egg you see above - as well as engaging staff, potatoes with onions chopped by humans and not machines, sunny window seating, a menu that doesn't quit, and mountain views (you already know I like mountains). Even on a rainy day, look how pretty they are.
Speaking of pretty, this is my breakfast companion and seasoned traveler, Barbara.
She knows what's good and she survived raising four of us. That deserves a good breakfast, IMHO.


Of course, I never gave her any trouble. And was definitely her favorite.


If you're close enough to the Blue Ridge and find yourself needing sustenance, give Hale's a try. Their burgers and fries at lunch are also killer and they have beans and cornbread on the menu.


And if you're looking for a swell vacay spot, just down the road apiece (7 miles, to be exact) is one of the best attractions you'll ever want to visit - Dixie Caverns. I kind of like how everything looks pretty much the way it did when I went there for a field trip in fourth grade.
On days like today when it's about 100 degrees outside, you should know that cavern temperature hovers at 30 degrees cooler. Tempting, no?


You can also replenish your stock of giant pencils while there.
And get a few of these for the kids:
And maybe a few of these:
Go here for information about their exact location and hours: http://www.dixiecaverns.com/. They also have a pottery shop and campground. That field trip remains a highlight of my school career where the rock formations were like living geological history and crack-open geodes from the gift shop prolong the memory.


Now that I've had a good breakfast and stocked up on flour, you'll have to excuse me because it's time to get baking again. This summer, I hope you find your way to Hale's or a good meal by a window in your neck of the woods, and have some fun in a cave, a river or wherever you like to make happy memories with your peeps.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Eat the Market

I confess.  I've been AWOL for a few weeks.  But I have really good reasons - like Springtime and fresh produce and baking up a storm and meeting really great folks who know what to do with good bread.


This past winter was a long one and I don't know about you, but when the first tulips pushed their way up and out in the open, the world suddenly seemed full of light again.  And now that the farmer's markets have reopened, fresh produce from not-too-far-away is available and a bargain.


This year, I'm fortunate to be a vendor at a new local market inside the Draper Mercantile, a lovingly restored spot near Claytor Lake, in the rolling mountains of Virginia.  Check it out at www.DraperMerc.com.  The structure is possibly pre-civil war era (there are varying accounts) and has a rich history of providing local residents a venue for buying and selling their staples. Walking through the big blue front doors, there's a sense of being at two stops along the space-time continuum at once.
There's a wide front porch with rockers, polished wood counters, heartbreakingly good music, local fresh produce and seriously, the nicest people you'll ever want to meet.
And, did I mention, European-inspired bakery?
Recognize those happy ciabatta?  Here's the recipe if you want to make some - http://cafeblueridge.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love.html - 
or just hit me up at the market and I'll save you the work.


So yeah, I not only get to shop the farmer's market but it's how I make my living these days. Or at least part of it.  The really good part.  Here's something I'm making this week.
Oui, French macaron.  I bet you thought those were only available in places with metro stops.


Now, the only problem with all those gorgeous fresh fruits and vegetables and bread is that sometimes after I've stocked up on what I know is good, and good for me, I'm not entirely sure what to do with it.  If you have this dilemma, let's share some ideas.  I've got a few but I'd love to hear yours.


This week, when baby lettuces put in an appearance, I'm mixing up a tangy Italian vinaigrette of red wine vinegar and olive oil - but use your favorite - and serving the salad atop this remarkable rosemary flatbread from www.smittenkitchen.com.  The bread can be the plate, see?  It's handy, like fast food, only your body actually wants you to eat it.


Now, the recipe:

Crisp Rosemary Flatbread
Adapted from Gourmet, July 2008

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary plus 2 (6-inch) sprigs - I used dried needles, broken up in the food processor, which smelled brilliant!
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
sea salt



Preheat oven to 450°F.  They suggest preheating a baking sheet in the oven, for sliding the flatbread onto when it's ready for the heat.  I have stones on one rack of my oven and they worked well, having shaped the bread on parchment and sliding it onto the hot stones to bake.
Stir together flour, chopped rosemary, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough gently on a work surface 4 or 5 times.  Their instructions say to work in 3 pieces, baking one at a time, but as you can see, I just flatted out the whole thing onto one piece of parchment and slid it onto my oven stones.  Lightly brush top with additional oil and scatter small clusters of rosemary leaves on top, pressing in slightly. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Slide the round (still on parchment) onto preheated baking sheet or stone, and bake until pale golden and browned in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer flatbread (discard parchment) to a rack to cool, then make 2 more rounds (1 at a time) on fresh parchment (do not oil or salt until just before baking). Break into pieces.  I would totally top the dough like a pizza and bake, as well.

When I tasted the fresh-baked flatbread, my first thought was, "I'm never buying crackers again."  But you can bake it crisper or softer, depending on your need that day. The sea salt and rosemary are lovely and the finished bread is like a palette, just made for decorating. Today, I used the fresh greens on one piece, and on the others, some leftover red sauce and a bit of pesto that looked longingly at me from the fridge.  And then I ATE IT FOR BREAKFAST. Seriously.
This Saturday, check out what's fresh in your neck of the woods and if you run out of recipes or come up with some new ones, let's chat.  Meanwhile, just remember to eat the market.  Your body will thank you and you'll probably meet some very lovely people along the way.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Throwdown



If you ever find yourself humming, "Gonna make a pie with a heart in the middle," chances are you've seen the movie "Waitress" with Keri Russell.  Besides having everything I desire in a film - Nathan Fillion and pie - the screenplay is sweet and especially poignant and speaks to mothers and daughters everywhere.


I'm incredibly fortunate to have a daughter and as well, one who bakes a pretty mean pie.  For Christmas, she did indeed give family members little pies with hearts cut out in the middle, exposing their rhubarb and strawberry goodness.  When, by New Year's, everyone was raving about those pies, I figured there must be something to this rhubarb, which I confess I had never tried.  In my youth, we had a giant plant in the yard but it seemed like one of those things your grandmother ate - anathema then, but now, it turns out, Grandma knew what was good!


If you know anything about gardening, you know that rhubarb isn't fresh at Christmas time but like most fruit, the frozen kind works very well.  Here's what rhubarb looks like in early Spring - in fact, it's one of the first plants to wake up from Winter.




Now, my daughter and I are not competitive about our baking.  We like to share tips and tricks and truth is, she got me my first job in a bakery.  So when we were invited recently to do a pie throwdown, the competition was very lighthearted.  Doing it at my very favorite local coffee shop, Lucie Monroe's, a bonus.


Curious to know whose pie reigned supreme?  Well, as the wise lady on the left, judge and local Tomato Queen Juliet Roma, remarked, "I'd like to have B's filling in A's crust."




Clearly, Tomato Queens have to be very diplomatic.


But judges' choice and overwhelming crowd favorite in the end was Laura's beautifully filled pie with the hand-fluted crust.  It was sweet and luscious and had just the right consistency when sliced and held up to bite.


My go-to pie is typically more of a rustic galette - French, I believe, for "easy as pie."  I confess, my initial plan to use dandelion syrup as a secret ingredient was not such a wise choice.  There's already almost too much liquid in strawberries and rhubarb.  Hence, following Laura's route with the cornstarch is a good bet.  But I do have a no-fail pie crust, discovered long ago in my Cuisinart food processor cookbook, that's ready in 60 seconds.  In fact, if it takes you longer, you've already messed it up.  Sorry.


Taking a cue from the judge, here's Laura's pie in my crust.  If you want to know more, you'll have to hunt her down at Bollo's in Blacksburg, where she bakes deliciously statuesque scones and muffins, among other things.


In Laura's own words, boil a minute or two until thickened:
2 C fresh/frozen rhubarb
1 pint fresh strawberries
3 T cornstarch
1/4 C honey
1/4 C lemon juice
1-1/4 to 1-1/2 C sugar, to taste
2 tsp rosewater, if available
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon - wish I'd thought of that!
1/2 tsp nutmeg
lemon zest or extract, to taste


"Bake until crust seems done, 30-40 minutes.  But I definitely boiled it then baked it, I think that's crucial, not just boil then pour into an already baked crust.  Also, I boiled the fresh rhubarb from the beginning, then when I realized it sorta disintegrated, I added some frozen at the very end."


Laura and her prize-winning pie, along with judge Nikki who gets to create yummy things with her mother, Dawn, at Lucie Monroe's.  Aren't they adorable?


Donna's crust recipe:


Ingredients:
3 C plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
16 T or 2 sticks of chilled unsalted butter
2 T vegetable shortening
5-8 T ice water


I use the plastic blade of the food processor despite the company's instruction to use the metal one.  Additionally, if you happen to have pastry flour on-hand, it makes for an even more delicate crust.


Otherwise, follow Cuisinart's directions to the letter and you won't be disappointed:  Process the flour, salt and baking powder to sift, 10 seconds. Add the well chilled butter and shortening. Use short rapid pulses until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal and no pieces of butter larger than a “pea” remain visible, 15 to 20 pulses. Sprinkle half the maximum ice water on the flour and butter mixture, then pulse 5 or 6 times. The dough will be crumbly, but should begin to hold together when a small amount is picked up and pressed together. Sprinkle on more water, a teaspoon (two for the two-crust recipe) at a time, with 2 to 3 quick pulses after each addition, adding just enough water for the dough to hold together easily when pressed into a ball. Add the liquid sparingly so that the dough is not sticky. Do not over process or the pastry will be tough, not tender and flaky.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press together into a ball, then flatten into a disk about 6 –inches in diameter (two disks for the two-crust recipe). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before continuing to allow the glutens in the flour to rest. The dough will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days, or may be frozen (double wrapped) for up to a month, thaw at room temperature for an hour before using. 



I used about half this recipe for my contest entry, meaning you can easily get 2 to 3 pies per batch.




Using the technique above, after chilling your disk of dough, roll it out on parchment paper into about a 1-foot circle.  Move the parchment and dough onto a baking sheet and add Laura's delicious filling, mounding up a bit in the middle and spreading out to within 2 inches of the edge.  Fold the edges up around the filling and brush with egg wash, sprinkling with sugar, if desired.  My pie took about 45 minutes at 375 and it's nice that at the higher heat, the crust will bake without becoming soggy, and give that rustic golden finish.




A final word about rhubarb - make sure that if someone besides yourself mows your lawn, you tell them what the plants look like.  Or that you have plenty in the freezer if you're planning to enter a pie contest.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Minty Dog Treats



Dogs like treats.
Dogs like people.
Sometimes people do very nice things for each other, and dogs like to be included.
Today is one of those days.  On the campus of nearby Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, AKA the vet school, the American Cancer Society is holding its annual Bark for Life event from 5 to 7:30, to raise money and awareness.  I'm already pretty aware of cancer - way more than I wanted to be - and I definitely love dogs, so I baked these tasty cookies for the hardworking participants.


They've got mint for fresh breath, parsley for joint pain and garlic to support the immune system while making things unpleasant for fleas.  There's whole wheat flour and oats, with just a bit of oil, so they're not going to pack on the pounds or fill your pet up with processed who-knows-what.


Also, they're Gunnar-tested and approved.




Many thanks to the folks at http://www.all-natural-dog-treat.com for the recipe.  I typically use dried mint and parsley, in half the amount their recipe specifies.


Ingredients:
1 T veg. oil
1 C water
2-1/2 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C oatmeal
1 T dried spearmint
2 T parsley flakes
1/4 t minced garlic


Just mix it all up in your mixer or by hand. Turn the oven on 350.  Roll the dough out on a floured surface like you're making Christmas cookies, to the thickness your puppy likes (Gunnar prefers crispy but will not turn his nose up at thicker treats - just not too heavy or they don't dry nicely for storage).  Cut into desired doggy-related shapes and place on lightly sprayed pan to bake for 35 minutes or so.  I usually turn the oven off at this point and let them sit for an hour or more.  Again, the crispier they are, the longer you can store them, up to a month in a container on the shelf or longer in the freezer.  They smell strangely wonderful, too.





Today I doubled the above recipe and got a little over 6 dozen.




OK, I left a cat in the picture.  He was feeling left out.  Here are some more dogs.



Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Cookies and a Movie


As a student of Buddhism, I allow that change is one of life's certainties.  But here's another - a savory, nostalgic, cinematic certainty.  The Star-Lite Drive-In.


Having occupied its niche of the Blue Ridge since 1953, with bright neon sign, bulky metal speakers and retro snack bar standing guard, the Star-Lite is getting ready to start another season.


In support of the upcoming Memorial Day opening weekend, loyal Facebook fans gathered recently for the 2nd annual clean-up day.

Since a previous engagement also known as my paying job prevented me from attending, I baked these cocoa-rich shortbread stars to fuel the volunteer spirit.

The recipe is from Hershey, of course, and has just a few ingredients, being a shortbread cookie.  I had to wonder at their designation of advanced skill level, though. It's definitely easy and could be even simpler by baking in the traditional shortbread round!

Cocoa Star-Lite Cookies

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-3/4 C plain flour
1-1/4 C conf. sugar
1/2 C cocoa

Directions:
Heat oven to 300 degrees.  Cream the butter and add confectioners sugar and vanilla, betting until creamy.  Add cocoa, blending well before gradually adding flour, stirring until smooth.

Roll out onto floured surface, about 1/4" thick and cut into shapes.  The butter in shortbread precludes having to grease the pan.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until firm.  Cool slightly on baking pan before moving to wire rack and cooling completely.  I got 2 dozen stars from this recipe and enough dough into the freezer for an easy round sometime in the future.


Now that clean-up day is done and Memorial Day will be here before you know it, make plans to take your kids, your sweetie or your BFF out for a movie under the stars.  Bake some cookies, pack a picnic, or plan to hit the snack bar for the Best Chili Dog You Will Ever Eat, along with fresh popcorn, hot fries and a soda.  If that doesn't tempt you, look at the prices:

When I was a kid, Mr. Beasley, whose daughter Peggy now operates the Star-Lite, would always greet us at the gate.  He seemed to look over our family of 6 and come up with what he thought was a fair total.  Even in my young mind, his multiplication always landed in our favor. Some years later, my little brother spent a hot summer there, throwing dogs together at an unimaginable pace.  Folks still slip in during the film, just to get supper and be on their way.

Today, Karen Clark Nagy organizes the Star-Lite Facebook fan page, where you can get showtimes and movie information.  Check it out and I'll see you there this summer.  I might even share my cookies.  But not my hot dog.


Monday, April 11, 2011

Mango Moufflet

Okay, this has to stop.

Just kidding.  It's only the beginning.  Which means one of us is going to be spending a lot more time in her walking shoes.

Mangoes were gorgeous and cheap this week - a sure sign of their juicy readiness.  Two of them got chopped up and stirred them into this happy (i.e. not unhealthy) recipe from Eating Well magazine.  Cinnamon and brown sugar played nicely with the piney sweetness of the tropical fruit, and pecans gave it crunch.

What's that in the middle, you say?  For a dozen muffins, an 8 oz. package of cream cheese got softened with the zest and juice of one lime and sweetened just a bit with powdered sugar.  These moufflets got only one middle layer instead of two because the mango chunks tended to make slicing a bit more challenging.  Again, piping is the easiest way to apply the filling.
Looking at the recipe, I was put off at first by their use of the dry ingredient "mix" but quickly realized it's just all the dry ingredients you'd usually assemble in a separate bowl. - and kind of handy if you're a do-ahead or Once-A-Month-Cooking kind of person.

1 batch of Quick-Bread Dry Mix (below)
2 large eggs
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups diced mango
1/2 cup chopped

Dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, (see Ingredient note) or whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Place papers in a 12-cup muffin tin.
Prepare dry ingredients/mix in one bowl.  Whisk eggs, buttermilk, brown sugar, butter, oil and vanilla in a separate bowl until well combined.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Add mango and pecans. Stir just to combine; do not overmix. Transfer batter to the prepared pan. Top with additional pecans, if desired.  Mine were ready in exactly 22 minutes and I think would bake just as well at 375, depending on your oven.
After cooling for at least 20 minutes, split them and pipe the cream cheese into the middle of your moufflet sandwich.  Then, take yourself outside for a lovely walk because, in case you haven't noticed, it's Spring!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Banana Pecan Moufflet

So, do you love to spread cream cheese on your banana bread too?  Have a bit more fun with it by piping sweetened cream cheese between layers of banana muffin!  I call this a moufflet because some believe that French word is the origin of our word, muffin, AND it reminds me of a muffaletta with all those levels of goodness. The real credit goes to my brother Ben, however, for suggesting the structure. Love ya - mean it!

I use the Williams-Sonoma banana-nut bread recipe, which my dad said reminded him of his mother's banana bread.  That being the family equivalent of a Michelin star, I added only cream cheese whipped in the mixer with lemon juice and sugar.

Later in the year, when my peeps are trying to find homes for their excess zucchini, I'm going to do the same thing.  In the autumn, it's like a mini pumpkin roll, all to yourself.  But more on that later.

Williams-Sonoma Banana-Nut Bread

Ingredients:

6 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 or 3 very ripe bananas (about 1 1⁄2 cups)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1⁄2 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1⁄2 tsp. salt
3⁄4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, pecans
 or hazelnuts- I used some of my stash of southside Virginia pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. I put papers in 15 muffin tin cups.  You can also make this in a loaf pan and bake about an hour.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the bananas and eggs and beat until smooth. Add the buttermilk and beat just until combined.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, salt and nuts. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and beat just until combined. The batter should be slightly lumpy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  FYI, today I used self-rising flour as an experimental shortcut, omitting the leavening agents, and it worked fine.

Pour the batter into the muffin tins, only about 2/3 full, and bake 30 minutes or, as usual, until golden brown.
While the muffins cool for about 20 minutes, I put an 8 ounce package of cream cheese into the mixer and whipped it into creamy goodness.  To that, add about a teaspoon and a half of lemon juice and a 1/2 cup of sugar and whip some more.

Place a muffin on its side and, using a serrated bread knife, cut it into 3 disks, leaving the muffintop as the last third.
For me, piping was the easiest way to apply the cream cheese mixture and avoid crumbs.  Also, it looks kinda pretty from the sides.
  
I might even send some to my little brother.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Honey Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Ever have one of those weeks where you did everything right and things just seemed to come effortlessly together?
Yeah, me neither.

Somehow the planets lined up to include the following in just a handful of my days:  Catering a tea party for 18, starting a new job with lots of techie stuff involved, and my boy getting on a bus to Fort Dix, the jumping off place for soldiers headed to Afghanistan.  I'm not going to lie and say that meditation is making the stress go away.  This is one of those weeks that even baking can't take the edge off.

But I'm fortunate to have friends and family about, and a girl has to eat, so if you've got a minute and you're wondering what's for supper at your house, I'll share this simple, earthy-sweet dish with you.  It comes via Mark F., a friend of the family and former chef for a local winery, who graciously shared the recipe.  I used to drive 45 minutes to lunch there, just thinking about these potatoes.

Recipe for Honey Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
4 medium to large potatoes - leave the peel if it's nice, don't if they're Russets
honey
vegetable oil
fresh or dried rosemary
salt and pepper

First, cut the potatoes into 1-inch or so chunks, then parboil them not longer than 5 minutes.  Drain.  Preheat the oven to 450 while you place the potatoes into a medium glass baking dish.  Drizzle generously with the oil (don't soak them but to keep from drying out, I estimated 3 tablespoons), then honey in about the same measure.

Today, I was fortunate to have some honey my sister had given me when she cleaned out her cabinets before moving far away (told you it was that kind of week).  The honey was pale and floral and made the dish lighter tasting than usual. Lovely.

Don't be stingy with the rosemary.  If you're using dried stems, it might be nice to soak them a bit first.  Either way, I sprinkled in a good tablespoonful.  Salt and pepper to your usual taste - I think potatoes crave a bit of S&P.

Gently fold all the ingredients together and bake for 15 minutes on the high heat.  At this point, I turned my oven to broil for another 10 to 15 minutes to get good caramelization of the honey on the potato edges.
Once, when visiting Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, I noticed potted rosemary plants by the front door.  The guide commented that as ladies' skirts brushed the plants, their lovely fragrance was released into the air.  Right now, my house smells better than that and even though nothing's changed, I've made it through Thursday and I hope you do the same.♥

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Sunny Citrus Cookies

Being of the flexitarian persuasion, I am not automatically drawn to vegan recipes. In fact, some little voice in my head murmurs, "They took something out. And if I liked this recipe before, it can't be as good with something missing."
Well, these cookies are every bit as good without the egg and butter. And they're versatile. Use whatever citrus you have on hand. My favorite is lime but I also love margaritas. Orange is good, lemon is lovely.
As a child, did you like SweeTarts, Sour Bites, Lemon Drops, Spree and Smarties? Well, join the club. These cookies are for grownup us.

The original recipe is Martha Stewart's. The vegan adaptation is mine and grew out of the need to develop such offerings for my bakery employer. But people bought them (and continue to do so) because they're just plain good. In fact, we could hardly keep up with demand.

Glazed Citrus Cookies Recipe (with vegan options)
2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/2 C butter or vegetable margarine like Smart Balance
1 C sugar
1 large egg or, in a 1/4 C measure, place 3 tsp soy milk and fill remainder with vegetable oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda, salt and lemon zest.
In bowl of mixer, cream butter/vegetable margarine and add sugar, beating until fluffy. Add egg or substitute mixture, vanilla and lemon juice and mix until combined. On low speed, add in flour mixture. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto 2 baking sheets - I get 2 dozen of this size.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until  edges begin to brown, rotating pans at the halfway point. The vegan version will be slightly flatter, with butter, a bit taller. Cool for 2 minutes and transfer to wire rack. When cool to the touch, mix glaze below and brush or drizzle over.

1 C powdered sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon
Happy Spring!