Lovely lemony cake like cookies that are reminiscent of Starbucks' Lemon Knot Cookies that we used to love.
When Alex was a toddler she fell in love with Starbucks’ lemon knot cookies. Who could blame her? They were thick and chewy, kind of part doughnut and part cookie. The lemon flavor was fresh, but not overpowering. The glaze was perfectly spread on the top, not too sweet, not too thin, and not too thick. They were stored next to the registers in a glass cookie jar that only added to their charm, and her desire to get one every time we paid for my afternoon latte. Sadly, the stores in our area stopped selling them, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that I mourned the loss of those cookies for years.
I’ve written before about how food is more than sustenance, it’s emotional. Food is part of who we are and where we come from. Think about it, you could be minding your own business, and then suddenly you catch a whiff of an aroma that instantly takes you to earlier times. Memories come flooding back, and for a moment you feel like you’ve been transported to the past.
That’s what the fragrance of coffee and lemon do to me.
I had another recipe scheduled for this morning, but I decided to share this one with you instead. Saturday morning I woke up and made some coffee before drinking my usual glass of lemon water. While the coffee was brewing, I cut into a Meyer lemon, and the aroma of those two things combined immediately took me back twenty-three years. Instead of standing in my kitchen, I was standing in Starbucks and Alex was sitting in her mint green stroller. I saw two sweet blonde pigtails, a tiny hand reaching up toward a cookie jar, and the feeling of complete joy as I watched the crumbs of a lemon knot fall into her lap as she smiled at me with a mouth full of cookie. One perfect little memory, all because of food.
After I allowed myself a bit of time to reflect, I snapped out of it and decided to attempt to make my own perfect lemon knot cookies. Alex may not wear pigtails anymore, but she’s still that sweet little blonde beauty that she’s always been, and I knew that if I could figure out a way to bring her favorite cookie back into her life, she’d be the happiest lady ever.
It took me two tries to get the texture and the lemon flavor as I remembered them. Not bad, considering these are not a typical cookie. I used fresh Meyer lemon juice, some lemon extract, aquafaba, vegan butter, flour, sugar, and almond milk to make the dough. They turned out perfectly puffy and light, yet dense and chewy. The lemon flavor was bright and lovely. I was in love, but that wasn't what mattered, the true litmus test was what Alex thought of them.
She and her boyfriend loved them!
The Perfect Valentine’s Day Cookie
When I got two thumbs up from both of them, I decided that I had to share this recipe with you all today. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and what could be better than making your favorite people pretty lemon love knot cookies? There’s nothing better than homemade, and even though these don’t have a hint of red, and they’re not heart shaped, they will bring a smile to that special someone’s face. I promise.
Don’t be intimidated by the look of these little cookies, they’re actually easy to make. All you need to do is mix up the dough and let it chill in the refrigerator for fifteen minutes, then scoop up a tablespoon of dough, roll it into a six-inch log, and twist it into a knot.
Bake them for approximately fifteen minutes and let them cool. When the cookies are completely cool, drizzle the glaze on top and let it dry. The last step is eating them. I dare you to eat just one.
If you were a fan of the lemon knot cookies Starbucks used to sell, you need to make these. I really want to hear what you think. Hopefully you’ll love them as much as Alex and Max do.
Notes:
The dough will be sticky when you begin to roll it. The more you roll it the firmer it will become. If you need to add a bit more flour, go ahead, just don't over do it. These cookies take patience, but they're worth it.
Depending on the humidity, brand of flour, how precise your measuring cups are, etc, the dough will vary in moisture. We make these cookies frequently and occasionally have to add more flour because of certain variables.
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Vegan Lemon Knot Cookies – Egg-Free and Dairy-Free
Equipment
- 1 mixer
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 Oven
- 1 cooling rack
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon finely ground sea salt
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons melted vegan butter
- 4 tablespoons aquafaba liquid from a can of chickpeas
- Juice from one large ¼ cup Meyer lemon
- 2 ½ teaspoons pure lemon extract
- Zest from one lemon
- ½ cup almond milk
For the Glaze:
- ⅓ cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon lemon extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat
- In a medium bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together until well combined
- In a large mixing bowl whip the butter and sugar together until combined. Scrape the sides to make sure that all of the sugar is blended with the butter. Add the aquafaba and blend until just combined. Add the lemon juice, zest, and lemon extract, mix until well blended. Slowly add ⅓ of the flour and ⅓ of the almond milk, one at a time and continue until all of the flour and milk is just combined with the sugar and butter mixture. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. This is an important step. Don't skip it or the dough will be too sticky to roll.
- Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough, on the cookie sheet, roll it (SEE NOTE) into a 6-inch log (pat your hands with flour to make it easier) and take one end and wind it into a circle and tuck the end into the center to form a knot. Continue with the rest of the dough and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until the cookies are puffy and beginning to turn a light golden brown. Let them cool completely on a wire rack.
For the glaze:
- Mix the confectioner’s sugar, water, and lemon extract together until if forms a thick glaze. Dollop on the cookies and let the glaze spread out and run down the cookies.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Yulia says
Can you substitute the almond milk for soy or rice milk?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Yulia, yes you can. Enjoy!
Stephanie says
Hello, Linda! I'm making these cookies at the moment and have a question: when the recipe says 4 tablespoons 1/4 cup butter, do you mean 4 T + 1/4 cup butter, for a total of 1/2 cup butter or just 4T which is the equivalent of 1/4 cup butter? I really don't want to mess up these cookies, they look scrumptious!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Stephanie, So sorry, we changed recipe cards and it shouldn't have added the 1/4 cup. Go with the 4 tbsp of melted vegan butter. Enjoy!
Diane Cynthia Kennedy says
How many does this recipe make? It says one cookie at the top! Or maybe, serves one... with lots of milk, I'm sure.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Dianne, the recipe yields approximately 1 dozen. My recipe plugin should have shown that instead of the serving size. I just switched it, thanks for asking. 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Hi Dianne, the recipe yields approximately 1 dozen. My recipe plugin showed the serving size instead, I fixed that. Thanks for pointing it out. 🙂