Lemon Thyme Cookies

Frost looms in the night air. The herb garden still holds bundles of unpicked basil, garlic chives, oregano, parsley, and sage. A sprawling patch of my favorite herb, wild lemon thyme, covers several feet of the front lawn.

Reality sets in, I can no longer pinch as I cook.

So an hour before dusk on coldest day, I pick the remaining herbs to preserve the bright bouquets through the winter months.

After the last garden harvest, sage bundles hang from their stems inside the dimly light pantry, soon they will season squash and bean soup and bread stuffing.

Bags of traditional basil and parsley walnut pesto store in the freezer for a winter day when their bright green flavors cling to pasta or smear on toast with cheese.

It is the fresh sprigs of lemon thyme that I will miss the most.

Grate some lemon zest with this citrus herb and the two brighten and intensify sweet confections, like these rich melt in your mouth lemon thyme cookies. Just try a batch and see if you're not a wee bit obsessed with this citrus duo afterward too.