Cookie duel: Hull’s Lemon Shandy and Libby’s Pignoli Cookies or John Meyer Lemon frost coconut oatmeal
Our group had our second cookbook party. (everyone cooks a dish from the same book and has a big pot luck) This time it was Skinnytaste fast and slow, a book full of healthy recipes for the slow cooker or a quick meal. We had a ton of great food, lots of veggies and light summery fare.
We have done a few brew duels in the past; testing 2 beers to see what goes best with a cookie. This time we couldn’t decide what would work best with a fun summer Lemon Shandy from Hulls brewing company, so we had our first cookie duel. We poured some Shandy, passed out some cookies, and listened to see what people thought.
Which cookie will win the affection of this perfectly lemon summer shandy?
The Beer: This is the second offering from the rebranded Hull’s Brewing Company after its release of their Export Lager. They brewed a lighter version of their lager and then blended it with 100% all natural squeezed lemon juice from Ripe craft juice, no concentrates, nothing fake, straight lemon juice. The Shandy is light, refreshing and delicious. I could crush this drink. It isn’t sweet like some shandys can be and I could imagine it being awesome as a beer cocktail with some iced tea flavored vodka.
Cookie #1: Libbys Italian pastry Shop is a place we’ve talked about before, it’s a New Haven staple. They offer lemon ice, that is out of this world, which is featured on the can of Shandy as its inspiration. When I was thinking about what Libby’s cookie to pair with this, I thought immediately about their pignoli cookies. These are traditional Italian cookies made with almond paste and pine nuts. They are soft and chewy cookies with a little meringue like crunch in a crescent shape rolled in nuts to finish. Because of the cost of the two main ingredients these can be pretty pricey little sweets, which is the reason my aunts always pick them out of cookie assortments at weddings.
Cookie #2: John made his coconut oatmeal cookies with citrus frosting again, similar to the orange cookies he made a while back, but this time he used Meyer lemons. They looked beautiful and tasted so incredibly good. These are tied for the lead for the best cookies we have made for this project to date. The coconut in the oatmeal cookie base punches up a simple recipe and the bright citrus zest in the frosting cuts through, making these anything but bland.
The Pairing: I had a feeling that the coconut oatmeal was going to blow away the pignoli cookies, I mean the cookie by its self is so great, however I was thrown for a bit of loop when the citrus frosting didn’t really compliment the beer at all. Sipping the Shandy solo, it has a nice mild tart finish that isn’t too overwhelming, akin to a cold lemonade that isn’t over sweetened. The citrus in the frosting brought out a borderline unpleasant sour and bitter finish that wasn’t there before, a real disappointment because by themselves they both rock.
To everyone’s joy, the pignoli cookies were an excellent match for the beer. The big almond flavor and the lingering pine nuts are very simple tasting and the acidity of the Lemon Shandy cut through it and wash it down in a very pleasant blending. We talked about how lemon almond tarts are a very popular Italian pastry too. These two flavors go way back and for good reason. This summer if you want to really show up to a picnic with something special grab some of this Shandy and a half pound of pignoli cookies and you, and everyone else, will most definitely win the day. Cheers!
The winner of our first cookie duel was clear.
