Sunshine & Lemon Shortbread Cookies (vegan)

Hmmm, I love lemon. I squeeze lemon in my water almost daily and as a child I used to ask for my birthday cake to be lemon with lemon frosting. Lemonheads and lemondrop candies were some of my childhood favorites as well. These days I enjoy stevia sweetened lemonade and squeezing fresh lemon into stews, breads and cookies. These lemony fresh cookies are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I couldn't be happier with this new lemony creation, but the only problem was that I didn't know what to call them. Just plain lemon cookies...or maybe lemon shortbread...perhaps lemon meltaways or maybe lemon snap cookies...all of the above would do, but it just seems so boring for a special cookie like these. So I added some "sunshine" and that seemed to more accurately describe these gems. Or should I say the lemons added the sunshine...

Perhaps you're not as big as a lemon fan as I. But friend, let me just tell you about the greatness of lemons. They always bring a fresh taste to a dish that may seem original or without flair. They bring charm, life and brightness wherever they go and they do not give up on making you healthier and happier. They clean up your insides and give it more hope for tomorrow, so dearest, don't be so quick to dismiss the lovely lemon. It has life and smiles awaiting you. Don't shy away, the lemon will make your body want to clean up and make digestion smoother and even enjoyable. Lemons are your friends- full of contagious alkaline power and cheer!

Besides all of their healing charm, lemons remind me of sweet warm places where sunshine sparkles and sweet scents permeate the air. Which is especially wonderful this time of year when we haven't seen pretty green grass in months. So as I ponder their magic and stay cozy inside my snow-globe house, I'll slip another tasty lemon cookie to melt in my mouth.

Lemon Shortbread Cookie Recipe (vegan)
1 1/4 cup of freshly ground buckwheat flour
1/2 cup of tapioca flour
1/2 cup of millet flour
1 ts. of baking powder
1 ts. of baking soda
1/2 ts. of sea salt
2/3 cup of sucanat (or coconut palm sugar)
1/2 cup of organic coconut oil
3 lemons (1/2 cup) of freshly squeezed lemon juice (meyer lemons give the best flavor!)
zest of 1 lemon

First, grind your buckwheat groats in a magic bullet or high powered blender (Vitamix). Blend 1 cup of groats to get 1 1/4 cup of flour. Then mix the rest of the flours and dry ingredients in a bowl. Then add the coconut oil and mix well with a fork, then pour in the lemon juice and mix well. Let sit for a minute for all the moisture to be soaked in equally. 

Then you can either add some fresh lemon zest to the cookie dough or the tops of the cookies. Roll out 1 TB sized cookie dough balls in the palm of your hand and then press slightly on a parchment papered cookie sheet. I then sprinkled with some lemon zest and baked in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12-14 minutes until spread and golden and crisp. Pull from oven and to avoid crumbles you must let sit for at least 10 minutes before moving to a plate. This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies. 

These cookies are very very simple to make. You just need to try and make it with some fresh ground buckwheat flour to really taste how wonderful they are. It really makes all the difference for the soft and crunchy flavor and allows the cookie to stick together quite nicely. No need for eggs either, they are a super simple gluten-free-vegan treat. I have fallen in love for the ground buckwheat and have also made a great ginger snap cookie that I will post soon. Something about this cookie base has me dreaming up many more good cookie recipes and baking fun. Not to mention that buckwheat is also packed full of nutrients that you just can't find in white flour baked gluten-free baked goods.

Hope you are all having a great weekend! Much love to you!