Let me say right now we are off to a late start. It is now the first of February and I just completed my Lemon Drops. I wonder why Southern Living chose Lemon Drops for January, but far be it from me to question the revered handbook.

Any baker worth their salt, knows how to work with meringue. You cannot create an acceptable meringue in humid conditions. If it is raining or snowing, I don’t even try. If your home is humid, use a dehumidifier before trying. Historically, I have made this confection, but only with pies and puddings. I have never worked with it as a component of cookies or candy as I have never been fond of it that way. So, it was with some hesitancy I commenced with the recipe, which can be found here. 

Let’s Get Going

I gathered all of my tools and ingredients. I let the eggs come to room temperature. I started mixing the egg whites then started the candy syrup. Once the meringue was finished it was time to pipe the cookies onto the cookie sheet. I used Wilton’s Golden Yellow gel color to paint the sides of the piping bag. 

It looked orange. I checked the container again and yes, it was yellow, but it still looked orange. I piped the cookies according to the directions. 

The cookies looked striped with orange. I found the more piping I did, the orange began to fade and looked yellow. I surmised I had just saturated the striping. 

Oh my. I have piped so many times I couldn’t count on cakes and desserts, but never have I ever piped cookies like this. 

The Results

They came out in every size and shape possible. Some were tall like chess pieces and others looked like two nickels stacked together. It was probably after piping 30 or more that I found a few that could pass for decent, photo-worthy cookies. As for the taste and consistency, I likened it to dust. Biting into a cookie turned it instantly to dust, and dust with no taste. I realized I had left the cookies in the oven too long and they dried out too much. My cookies were very small, so I should have accounted for the size versus drying time. 

The Presentation

Now, this is where I shine! Pretending those cookies were edible, I created a beautiful dessert presentation. When thinking of lemons, yellow naturally comes to mind. When I think of yellow, my mind goes to blue. I used a tall clear glass cake stand with a blue and white delftware layered with a white plate. I used small delftware saucers and tiny pickle forks for individual servings. My delftware dessert plates were too large for the cookie size, so I used saucers. I chose lemon napkins with blue and green to tie in the blue and white plates and the greenery used to accompany the setting. The napkin rings were silver to give the setting an elevated presentation. Two lead crystal candle holders with a touch of yellow candles completed the look. It was perfect for a small setting such as a dessert cart/tray. 

Heavens, I hope you had better success than I.  For me, January’s Lemon Drops defines this Cookie Challenge to a “T,” a challenge. Here’s looking at February’s recipe!

Let me know how you did with this month’s challenge. Be sure to tag @southernfamilydecor on social media if you post. I’d love to see your pics! If you would like to join us on this challenge, you can do so, here.