The bodega was an anchor of DC pastry chef Paola Velez’s life growing up as the daughter of a Dominican immigrant in the Bronx. It was her happy place for majarete (corn pudding) and ice pops as a kid and the lifeline spotting her a dollar for a toasted roll with Muenster cheese as a broke line cook. Now the corner store is the inspiration for her forthcoming cookbook, Bodega Bakes (out October 1), which draws on the flavors of her Caribbean and New York City roots.

“Every bodega I’ve ever lived next to, they actually cared about the people that were coming in through their doors,” says Velez, who was previously pastry chef at Maydan and Kith and Kin and cofounded the social-justice collective Bakers Against Racism. “That kindness shaped the way that I see the world.”

Velez’s lemon cookies bring the acidic punch of the ultra-sour Warhead candies she used to pick up for a nickel. The secret ingredient is citric acid, which you can usually find alongside grocery-store canning supplies. It brings a zing that lemon zest and juice alone can’t, and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt further supercharges their flavor. “It’s my family’s absolute favorite cookie,” Velez says. “At one point, the kids in my family, they didn’t know my name. I was just known as ‘Cookie Lady.’ ”

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-low until fluffy and pale yellow, 3 to 4 minutes. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix on low until incorporated, light, and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the sugar and butter are combined and there are no visible clumps.

3. With the mixer on low, add egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and citric acid and mix until incorporated.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and pulse the mixer on and off, almost as if jump-starting a car, so the flour gets gradually incorporated. When mostly combined, mix on low until dry ingredients are well incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Using a 1¼-ounce cookie scoop (or spoon–your portions should be 2½ tablespoons), scoop dough onto baking sheets, leaving at least 1½ inches between cookies and ½ inch between cookies and edges of the pan. With damp fingers, press down the tops of the cookies and sprinkle with Maldon salt. (If you don’t want to bake them all at once, freeze some of the dough.)

6. Bake 14 to 16 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through, till lightly golden with a very fragrant lemon aroma. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

This article appears in the September 2024 issue of Washingtonian.