Hibiscus Sugar Cookies
Perfectly sweet hibiscus sugar cookies hinted with vanilla, lemon and hibiscus. They're buttery, chewy and filled the perfect amount of chocolate chips!
Servings: 23 cookies
Calories: 215kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon finely ground dried hibiscus
- 1⅓ cup granulated sugar plus more for coating
- ¼ cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest optional
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips or 3.5 ounces of chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
- Finely grind the hibiscus in a spice grinder, small food processor or mortar and pestle.
- Pour the hibiscus into a medium saucepan with the butter. Set pan uncovered over medium heat. Stir occasionally as the butter melts. Heat until butter just begins to bubble around the edges of the pan. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.
- Pour the hibiscus butter into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugars and lemon zest (if using). Mix with a hand held mixer (or use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) for 30 seconds or until well combined. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed or use a spatula to stir together until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate. Do not overmix.
- Use a medium sized, 2-tablespoon cookie scoop or a measuring spoon to portion out the dough. Place dough balls side by side on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (You don't need to leave a space between dough balls, since you won't be baking the cookies on this baking sheet). Cover with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, or until completely chilled and hard.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour about 1/4 cup of granulated sugar in a shallow dish or small bowl, set aside.
- Roll each ball in a little granulated sugar. Place each dough ball 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I usually bake about six cookies at a time. Leave the remaining cookie dough balls in the fridge so they stay chilled.
- Bake for about 12 minutes or until they are just barely lightly golden brown around the edges and the cookies are puffed up in the middle.
- Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer cookies to a baking rack to cool. Cookies will flatten a bit and firm up more once they've cooled.
Notes
Chocolate chips: Chocolate chips are optional.
Lemon zest: Use orange zest as a substitute.
Storage: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for a few weeks.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 272IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
