These simple lemon gumdrop cookies are easy to make and are a staple in our house, especially during the holidays. They are not a particularly festive holiday cookie, but my family loves them so we make them as a special treat throughout the year and during the holidays too. Everyone loves their light lemony flavor and they are perfect to make and share. A boxed lemon cake mix and a few other simple ingredients are all you need to make a batch that the whole family will love. Even though my mouth won’t be meeting any of these cookies in the next few weeks, I hope yours do, because you will love them.
Well the new year is here and I have sworn of treats for a little while! Too many days of indulging in the holiday fun, which always includes too much food, has left me with snug pants and a new motivation to get back to healthy. I was actually to the point where I couldn’t wait to get all of the snacks and treats out of our house and fill the fridge with fruits, veggies, and food worth feeding my family. All things in moderation, and if we have treats in our house (with the exception of holiday time) they are almost always something that the kids and I make together in the kitchen. This is one of our families favorite treat recipes and one that we make often. With that said I left you before the holidays with a great cookie recipe, and you guessed it, I am coming back with yet another! This might be the last sweet indulgent recipe you see for a little while, so I hope you try and enjoy these amazing cookies as much as we do!
This recipe was given to me by my sweet sister-in-law who handed me my first lemon gumdrop cookie. It was love at first sight and a new obsession after the first bite. I begged her for the recipe upon finishing my first cookie and have been making them over and over since. Years later My kids beg for them, and it is a recipe that I love to share because it is simple, fast, and tasty.
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Although this recipe is very quick and easy to throw together, they are not fool proof – there are a couple of little tricks to ensure that they turn out just right! First of all gather all of your ingredients. One 13 oz bag of gumdrops is just right for this recipe. If you can’t find gumdrops at your local grocery store you can use fruit slices or gummy rings too. I have tried all three and they work just fine. Just make sure they are fruit flavored and not spice drops! I use a kitchen scissors to quickly cut my gumdrops into pieces before mixing them into the cookie dough/batter.
It is imperative that you mix the ingredients by hand. Just trust me on this one. Mixing it with a mixer will alter the batter and they will not rise as well and end up too crispy instead of nice and soft.
I spray a light mist of cooking spray over the pan before dropping the cookie dough by the teaspoon 3 inches apart. These really spread out as they cook – so give them ample room on the tray. I use a sweet little cookie dough scoop that gives me perfect even gumdrop cookie balls without any mess.
While baking be sure to keep an eye on the cookies to remove them from the oven before they begin browning. The average cookie time is 6 to 10 minutes but it will vary depending on your oven. Make sure to remove them once they loose their shine. I leave mine on the cookie tray out of the oven to cool which allows you to remove them without them falling apart because they cook a tiny bit more on the warm tray without overcooking. You should be left with nice soft thin lemony cookies with sweet gooey gumdrop mountains in it.
They are pretty when they are all done, and they wont last long at all. I store mine in an airtight container out in the garage during the winter months to keep them fresh longer. Like I said, if I make a single batch they are gone the same night, but during the holidays I make a quadruple batch and store them to enjoy throughout our holiday breaks.
I hope you give these a try and I hope your family loves them! They will blow your mind with a cup of your favorite coffee in the morning and they will have your kids saying goody goody gumdrops, mom made cookies!