Monday, April 16, 2012

Lemon Lemon-Thyme Squares

Gardeners who are lemon-lovers no doubt will have plenty of fresh lemon-thyme growing back perennially each year. I love to just hang out in my garden and crush on the herbs for a little aromatherapy, and lemon thyme is at the top of my list for alfresco aromatherapy sessions!

Now that I have a favorite family treat, made with my precious lemon thyme, I can do something else with it besides aromatherapy and stuffing it into chicken!

This recipe is so easy to make, I've been making it once a week lately! It's a fabulous dessert, and I admit it--I have it for breakfast sometimes too!

LEMON LEMON-THYME SQUARES
In a little bowl, stir together the flour:
  1 cup flour
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  2 tablespoons chopped fresh lemon-thyme leaves

It's easy to just strip the tiny thyme leaves off the stem--they hardly require any chopping, and again, you'll be in heaven with the aroma!

In a mixer combine:
1 stick of unsalted room temperature butter
1/2 cup powered sugar
Mix until creamy, then add:
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Continue mixing until combined, then add the flour mixture and mix for just a short time until it's all combined into a dough. Now, stop right here...because I could eat just this dough! But I'll control myself.
Now, butter a little 8X8 pan, spread the dough into it with wet fingers (very important), and bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees.

After your lemon-thyme creation has cooled, it is time to glaze it!









GLAZE: Simply stir together 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice with 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Now, this is a very light glaze, but it is plenty. I make it light to cut down on carbs, but it also hardens a little more quickly, and then you can cut it into squares, pop them out of the pan and onto your serving dish, or in a nice storage container. We eat them so quickly, I honestly don't know if they keep well for more than a couple of days--but you could try! 



             Enjoy, lemon lovers! If you don't have lemon-thyme in the garden - try it!

Eat what you bake--Write what you live--Dream your future--Stitch your heart out.