Meyer Lemon Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a fancy chocolate chip cookie for special occasions. The first time I made this recipe (source), I thought it was too much work to make again. But then the cookies were so good, I had to make more. And in the meantime, it’s become my boss’ favorite cookie, so there is no end in sight. (Also, it’s not that much work. I just resented adding an extra step to an otherwise classic, easy recipe.)

Meyer lemons are not available year-round as so much of our fruit is nowadays, so this is strictly a winter recipe. Of course, I tried to circumvent this by purchasing a Meyer lemon tree, but I have never owned such a finicky plant! It has produced one edible lemon in over a year’s time, which is pretty good considering it has almost died on multiple occasions. Meyer lemons, bred from a cross of lemons and mandarin oranges, have a different flavor from regular lemons; they are almost piney by comparison. They are also smaller. Apart from finding and candying the lemons, this recipe is just a classic chocolate chip recipe, so most of your prep won’t take very long, but you may want to make the lemons the day before. Your yield should be close to two dozen cookies, depending on size.

Meyer Lemon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

Candied Lemons
2 Meyer lemons
2 C sugar
2 C water

Cookies
½ C butter, softened to room temperature
½ C vegetable shortening
¾ C brown sugar, packed
¼ C sugar
3.4 oz vanilla instant pudding mix (1 box)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
zest from one Meyer lemon
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2¼ C flour
2 tsp fresh lemon thyme or regular thyme (about 4 sprigs)
1½ C chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
sea salt, for sprinkling on top

Directions

1. First, make the candied lemons. Slice lemons approximately a quarter inch thick. Boil the sugar and water in a large skillet until sugar is dissolved. Place lemon slices in pan; try to overlap them as little as possible. Reduce to a simmer and simmer 30 minutes or until lemons are translucent, keeping the pan partly covered with the lid or a piece of parchment paper.

2. Cool the lemons in the syrup, then transfer them to a wire rack to dry. They will drip, so you may want to put some wax paper or something underneath. If you want the lemons to dry faster, you can put them in a warm oven (no warmer than 250ºF) for 15-20 minutes, watching carefully to make sure they don’t toast.

3. When the lemons are dry enough (they will still be sticky), dice them into pieces, and then start the cookie dough. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Cream the butter, shortening, and sugars in a large bowl or stand mixer. Add the pudding mix and combine. Then mix in the eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest.

5. In a small bowl, blend the flour and salt, baking soda, and thyme. Then slowly add the flour mixture to the rest of the dough, using a stand mixer or mixing by hand.

6. Finally, knead in the chocolate chunks/chips and lemon pieces.

7. Spoon dough onto prepared baking sheets, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Upon removing them from the oven, sprinkle a little sea salt over the tops. Let cool for a couple minutes before transferring cookies to wire racks to cool completely.