Pretty in Pink Lemonade Cookies ~

Aren't these just so pretty?  I fell for them, hook, line and sinker ~

I usually don't use a boxed cake mix, but I threw caution to the wind on these beauties.  Because they looked so pretty and it's May after all, who wouldn't want to try these.  The only change I made was not to roll them in sugar before they baked.  I rolled them in powered sugar after they came out of the oven. 


These look so good sitting in my kitchen window, the light brings out the pink in them. And they are just so easy to make.  You will have to try these for yourself, but to me they were yummy. 
 

The cream cheese in these cookies make them nice and chewy too.  I love chewy cookies, don't understand people who like crisp cookies either.  But that's just me....  the chewier, the better.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 1 whole Large Egg
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Extract
• 1 whole Large Lemon, Zest Grated
• 1 package (18.25 Oz. Size) Pink Lemonade Flavor Cake Mix
• Granulated Sugar, For Rolling (*I did not use)
• Confectioners' Sugar For Rolling

Preparation Instructions

Put the butter into a large mixing bowl. Cream the butter until soft and creamy. Add the cream cheese and beat until mixture is smooth. Beat in the egg, lemon extract and lemon zest until combined. Add the cake mix and beat just until well mixed.
If the dough is too soft to roll into balls, cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours or until it’s easy to handle.
 
Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Place some granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar into separate bowls.
Roll the dough into 1-inch to 1 1/4-inch balls.
Drop each dough ball into the bowl of granulated sugar and roll it in the sugar to coat completely.

I skipped the next part:
 
*Immediately drop the sugared dough ball into the confectioners’ sugar and roll it to coat heavily with the sugar. Rolling the dough balls in the granulated sugar first helps the confectioners’ sugar coating not sink into the baked cookies.

Place the dough balls 2″ apart on ungreased cookie sheets; flatten slightly. Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes. DO NOT overbake. Take the cookies out of the oven when they look a little underdone.
Let the cookies cool on the pan for 1-2 minutes, then remove them from the pans to wire racks and cool completely.

*I rolled them in powdered sugar and set them on a rack to cool for about 10 minutes.

Store the cookies in an airtight container. Makes about 2 1/2-3 dozen.

Adapted from Ceegee's recipe on PW.

Enjoy ~

I am linked to Foodie Friday:


http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/2014/05/foodie-friday-may-2nd.html