By The corn sprouted. Same as last year but different, because every emergence is different, every year the dirt offers something new and you receive it with the same awe you had the first time because awe, like corn, doesn't diminish with repetition. Jack was on his knees at dawn, face two inches from the soil, watching green shoots push through. He didn't call me this time. He just watched. He's learning that some things don't need an audience. They just need a witness.
I made lemon bars this week — a departure from my usual repertoire, but it's April and April in the kitchen should be bright. Shortbread crust, lemon curd topping, powdered sugar dusted on top. They're tart and sweet and the yellow is so vivid it looks like someone poured sunshine into a baking dish. I brought a pan to the office and a pan to Dad in Grinnell. Dad ate two. He said they were "tart," which from Roger is not a complaint but an observation, delivered with the same neutrality he brings to crop reports. The lemon bars were consumed. The weather has been reviewed.
Kevin's birthday is coming up. He'll be forty. I asked what he wants. He said, "Nothing." I said, "You're turning forty, Kevin." He said, "I'm aware." He wants steak. He wants a quiet dinner. He wants exactly what he always wants, which is food and family and no fuss, and the predictability of Kevin Holloway is not boring, it's a foundation. You build a life on a man who wants steak and quiet. You know where you stand. You stand in the kitchen, cooking steak, and the man is in his chair, and the children are at the table, and the life is right there in front of you, steady and simple and good.
Emma's writing has gotten interesting. She brought home a short story for school that was about a girl who finds a secret garden behind a grocery store, and the garden grows food that tastes like memories. I read it three times. I didn't tell her it was about me. It might not be about me. But the girl in the story puts seeds in the ground and cries when they grow and feeds people the harvest and that girl is someone I recognize in the mirror every morning.
Those lemon bars I brought Dad disappeared in two days, and the batch at the office didn’t last till lunch. So when I found myself craving that same bright, tart-sweet lemon flavor later in the week, I reached for a simpler format — sugar cookies, soft in the center and rolled in powdered sugar, with enough lemon zest to make the whole kitchen smell like April. They’re the kind of thing you can bake while the corn is sprouting and the light is long, and they disappear just as fast as the bars did.
Easy Lemon Sugar Cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Zest of 2 large lemons
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Set oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add wet ingredients. Beat in the egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Combine. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Roll in powdered sugar. Scoop dough into 1 1/2-tablespoon portions and roll into balls. Roll each ball in powdered sugar until evenly coated.
- Bake. Place cookies 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are just set but the centers still look slightly underdone.
- Cool. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with additional powdered sugar before serving if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 168 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 23g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 95mg