Southern Lemon Straws Recipes

SOUTHERN LEMON STRAWS

Steps:

• Blend together butter and cream cheese; add sugar and cream thoroughly until fluffy.
• Combine egg, lemon juice, lemon rind and yellow food coloring. Add to butter mixture until well blended.
• Sift the flour and baking powder together; add to creamed mixture. Mix until well blended. Place dough in refrigerator, and chill for about 10 minutes.
• Force 2-inch ribbon strips through cookie press onto ungreased baking sheets and bake at 375 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
• We have dusted these with Powdered sugar.. Also, with crushed lemon drops.. The finer they are crushed,the better they are!!!

LEMON SQUARES

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Mix the flour and confectioners' sugar in a bowl and add the melted butter, mixing until a dough forms. Press the mixture firmly into a 9- by 13- by 2-inch pan. Bake the crust for 25 minutes.
• For the filling: While the crust is baking, with an electric mixer, combine the eggs, lemon juice and zest until smooth. Add the granulated sugar, flour, baking powder and salt, and beat until smooth. Pour the mixture over the baked crust. Bake for 20 minutes more.
• Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool completely. Sprinkle the top with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares and serve.

BEST LEMON SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Process 2 cups flour, butter, and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; press into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the edges of the crust are golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool crust to room temperature.
• Beat white sugar, eggs, 1/4 cup flour, lemon juice, baking powder, and lemon zest together in a bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy; pour onto the cooled crust.
• Bake in the oven until custard is set, 25 to 28 minutes. Cool lemon squares completely; dust the top with more confectioners' sugar.

SOUTHERN CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grate cheese.
• In a food processor, pulse dry ingredients until combined, then add cheese and butter. Process until dough becomes smooth and has the texture of Play-Doh. Alternately, make the dough in a stand mixer by creaming cheese and butter until smooth. Then combine dry ingredients in a bowl and combine with butter mixture at low speed until smooth.
• Shape the dough into a cylinder, wrap with plastic wrap or parchment and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Or store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
• Bring dough to room temperature and pack it into a cookie press fitted with a star disk. Pipe long ribbons of dough across the baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, about an inch apart. Then cut into six-inch lengths. Repeat with remaining dough. Dough may also be hand-rolled into long ropes and cut to size, or shaped into a cylinder and sliced into rounds and baked.
• Bake for about 13 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Store between sheets of parchment or waxed paper in an airtight container. Will keep for up to three weeks.

SOUTHERN-STYLE VANILLA LEMONADE

Steps:

• Cut the lemons in half and scoop the pulp into a blender. Add half of the rinds along with sugar, vanilla extract, and 2 cups of water. Blend until smooth, then strain into a serving pitcher and stir in the remaining water.