Lemon Whippersnappers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position;

1 package (approximately 18 ounces) lemon cake mix, the size you can bake in a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan
2 cups Cool Whip
1 large beaten egg (its okay to just whip it up in a glass with a fork)
1/2 cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar in a separate small bowl (you don ’t have to sift it unless it’s got big lumps)

Combine dry cake mix, Cool Whip, and beaten egg in a large bowl. Stir until it’s well mixed.

Drop by teaspoon into the bowl of powdered sugar and roll to coat the cookie dough. Place the coated cookie drops on a greased cookie sheet, 12 cookies to each sheet.

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes. Let them cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes or so, and then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Lovely Lemon Cookie Bar

Preheat oven to 350' F, rack in the middle position.

2 cups flour (no need to sift)
1 cup cold butter (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) 1/2 cup powdered sugar (no need to sift, unless it's got big lumps)

4 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork)
2 cups white sugar
8 tablespoons lemon juice (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon or so of zest (optional) (zest is finely grated lemon peel)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons flour (that’s 1/4 cup-don’t bother to sift)

Cut each stick of butter into eight pieces. Zoop it up with the flour and the powdered sugar in a food processor until it looks like coarse cornmeal (just like the first step in making a piecrust). Spread it out in a greased 9 x13 inch pan (that's a standard sheet cake pan) and pat it down with your hands.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. or until golden around the edges. Remove from oven. (Don’t turn off oven!)

Mix eggs with white sugar. Add lemon juice (and zest, if you want to use it). Add salt and baking powder and mix. Then add flour and mix thoroughly. (This will be runny-it's supposed to be.)

Pour this mixture on top of the pan you just baked and stick it back into the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for another other 30-35 minutes. Then remove from the oven and sprinkle on additional powdered sugar.
Let cool thoroughly and cut into brownie-sized bars.

Old-Fashioned Sugar cookies

Do not preheat oven yet... dough must chill before baking.

2 cups melted butter (4 sticks)
2 cups powdered sugar (not sifted)
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar (critical)
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/4 cups flour (not sifted)

1/2 cup white sugar in a small bowl (for later)

Melt butter. Add sugars and mix. Let cool to room temperature and mix in the eggs, one at a time. Then add the vanilla, lemon zest, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Mix well. Add flour in increments, mixing after each addition.

Chill dough for at least one hour. (overnight is fine.)

When you‘re ready to bake. preheat oven to 325 degrees and place rack in the middle of the oven

Use hands to roll dough In walnut-sized balls. Roll dough balls in a bowl of white sugar. (Mix white sugar 2 to 1 with colored sugar for holidays-green for St. Pat’s Day, red and green for Christmas, multicolored for birthdays.) Place on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Flatten dough balls with a greased spatula.

Bake at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes. (They should have a tinge of gold on the top) cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a rack to finish cooling. They can be decorated with frosting piped from a pastry bag for special occasions or left just as they are.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in middle position

1 Nine-inch baked pie shell

Filling:

3 whole eggs

4 egg yolks (save the whites in a mixing bowl and let them come up to room temperature- you’ll need them for the meringue)

1 cup white sugar (granulated)

½ cup water

¼ cup cornstarch

⅛ cup lime juice

⅓ cup lemon juice

1 to 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon butter

(Using a double boiler makes this recipe foolproof, but if you’re very careful and stir constantly so it doesn’t scorch, you can make the lemon filling in a heavy saucepan directly on the stove over medium heat)

Put water in the bottom of a double boiler and heat it until it simmers (make sure you don’t use too much water - it shouldn’t touch the bottom of the double boiler top.) Off the heat, beat the egg yolks with the whole eggs in the top of the double boiler. Add the ½ cup water and the combined lemon and lime juice. Combine sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir until completely blended. Add this to the egg mixture in the top of the double boiler and blend thoroughly.

Place the top of the double boiler over the simmering water and cook, stirring frequently until the lemon pie filling thickens (5 minutes or so). Lift the top of the double boiler and place it on a cold burner. Add the lemon zest and the butter, and stir thoroughly. Let the filling cool while you make the meringue.

Meringue

(This is a whole lot easier with an electric mixer!)

4 egg whites

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

⅛ teaspoon salt

¼ cup white sugar (granulated)

Add the cream of tartar and salt to the egg whites and mix them in. beat the egg whites on high until they form soft peaks. Continue beating as you sprinkle in the sugar. When the egg whites form firm peaks, stop mixing and tip the bowl to test the meringue. If the egg whites don’t slide down the side, they’re ready.

Put the filling into the baked pie shell, smoothing it with a rubber spatula. Clean and dry your spatula. Spread meringue over the filling with the clean spatula, sealing it to the edges of the crust. When the pie is completely covered with meringue, “dot” the pie with the flat side of the spatula to make points in the meringue. (The meringue will shrink back when it bakes if you don’t seal it to the edges of the crust.)

Bake the pie at 350 degrees F for no more than 10 minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven, let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack, and then refrigerate it if you wish. This pie can be served at room temperature, or chilled

(To keep your knife from sticking to the meringue when you cut the pie, dip it in cold water.)