Modified Joanne Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup lemon pie filling (okay, so she used Comstock, 15.5 oz, and says it is exactly right...I could only find 21 oz at my store and it was about 2 cups, but this WILL freeze or you can do a quadruple (4) batch and it will be even).
zest of one lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice (I just did one lemon...the lemon above!)
3 1/4 cups flour
crushed corn flakes (okay, this says 2 cups to make 1 cup and that is what you need...I needed more....)
red maraschino cherries or pecan/walnut halves (they used them, I did not)
Place sugar in the mixing bowl and put softened butter on top. Turn on low and mix for one minute. Gradually increase the speed of the mixer to the highest setting, scraping down as necessary and beat at the highest for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Turn the mixer down to low and add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
Continue to mix on low while you add the salt and baking soda. Mix until they are thoroughly incorporated.
Add in pie filling, mixing on low speed. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and mix that in.
Mix in flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition.
Shut off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then give the mixture a final stir by hand. This will be fluffy and fairly sticky.
I just used my regular non-stick cooking spray, but she recommends parchment paper, grease well or Pam.
Crush cornflakes (or have your kids do it...that's what I did!) and place in shallow bowl. Use a teaspoon and drop a rounded teaspoon of cooking dough into the crushed corn flakes and use your fingers to lightly coat it (it is STICKY!) and place on baking sheet. You can top with the cherries or pecan/walnut halves (I didn't). I actually also didn't cover half of them in cornflakes and really liked it better that way! I probably won't use cornflakes next time at all.
Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Take them out of the oven....if you didn't use parchment paper, you'll need to let it sit before moving them.
Makes 4-5 dozen cookies (which I actually got!).