Eggless Lemon & Lime Cookies with Palm Sugar

I love a certain brand of lemon cookies that are handed out in specific airlines. Needless to say, my husband is also a big fan of citrus based desserts and sweets. So, this is actually long overdue.

I have been trying to bake with sugar substitutes like splenda or truvia, so that everyone can enjoy the baked treats. But, it's been a challenge to use these substitutes and get an end-product that is satisfying and not a complete compromise. My mom had been asking me about the availability of palm sugar here, and I was clueless. A quick visit to the organic section of our grocery store revealed the presence of several brands of palm sugar (coconut palm sugar), so I picked up a packet. And what a wonderful discovery! Palm sugar tastes wonderful - it is slightly less sweeter than regular white sugar, but with amazing smokey caramel undertones. I also read that palm sugar can be comfortably substituted for white sugar (measure to measure) while baking. So, I used palm sugar to bake these cookies and they turned out fantastic, probably even better than regular sugar!

Palm sugar is called pana vellam (in Tamil) and is commonly available and used in India and rest of Asia. It has a low glycemic index (that is, it doesn't cause blood sugar spikes) and is rich in nutrients, so it is ideal for both people with diabetes as well as those that are trying to cut down on white sugar. Yes, it is definitely more expensive than regular sugar (outside of India/Asia, at least), so it's not economical to splurge on desserts with palm sugar alone. But, for special occasions, everyone can enjoy desserts made with palm sugar without much guilt.

These cookies are so lemony and chewy and fragrant, they are refreshing and yummy! Plus, because of the addition of palm sugar, the cookies have a slight caramel flavor and they are chewy and soft. And of course, they are not too sweet, so one can munch on a few too many without realizing how many have gone in! Palm sugar is similar to brown sugar in that, while used in baking cookies, they make the cookies soft and chewy. White sugar makes the cookies crisp. So, a mix of brown and white sugars ensures a chewy middle and crisp exterior, like Nestle Tollhouse cookies!

Anyway, I think my excitement at finding a good white-sugar alternative is palpable! I will stop now and go onto the recipe.

Ingredients (30 cookies):

1. 1 1/3 sticks of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2. 3/4 cup palm sugar / brown sugar (or use regular white sugar for crispy cookies); if using palm sugar, add more for a sweeter version
3. 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest (from 2 limes)
4. 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1.5 lemons)
5. 1 tablespoon yogurt
6. 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
7. 6 drops of lemon essential oil (or 1 teaspoon lemon extract)
8. 2 cups all-purpose flour / maida
9. 1.5 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

Preparation:

1. Cream butter until soft and creamy. Add palm sugar and cream together until fluffy. 
2. Throw in lime zest, lemon zest, vanilla extract and lemon essential oil (or lemon extract) and beat to incorporate. 
3. Add yogurt and beat to mix it in. 
4. Add all-purpose flour (1 cup at a time) and gently beat until flour is just mixed. Do not over beat
5. Finally add lemon/lime juice and beat gently to just mix
6. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease two cookie sheets. Roll out 1 inch balls of the dough and line them on the sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-13 minutes until the bottom is browned. 
7. Remove and cool on the tray for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling and rack and cool completely. 

 
Enjoy as a tea-time snack! Store the cookies in an air-tight container and keep them at room temperature for a few days. 

Variations:
You can just as easily use orange zest to make orange flavored cookies!