With their airy texture and bright flavor, these lemon cookies are the perfect warm weather dessert. This recipe is quick and easy, ideal for anyone looking for a tasty treat that encapsulates the vibrant feeling of summer.
As a lifelong lover of all things lemon, I wanted to try my hand at making the classic lemon cookie from scratch. Baking with citrus is a risky undertaking — sharp ingredients like lemon juice and lemon zest, if used in excess, can overpower a cookie’s flavor profile. The success of my recipe, I realized, hinged upon striking a delicate balance between tartness and sweetness.
I achieved this balance by pairing a semi-sweet dough with a tart glaze. The two components complement each other to deliver a cookie with a smooth, citrusy tang. Both the dough and the glaze can be modified to suit personal flavor preferences. Those who like a punch of lemon can add more lemon juice to the dough, while those who find the cookies too tart can add more confectioner’s sugar and a tablespoon or two of water to the glaze.
Prep time: 30 minutes, plus approximately one hour for the dough to chill
Bake time: 13 minutes
Yields: 15 cookies
Ingredients:
Dough
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 egg
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Glaze
- 1¼ cups confectioner’s sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions:
- In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to beat butter and sugar until smooth.
- Add vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Add egg, beating until fully incorporated into dough.
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two equal parts, beating well after each addition. The dough should be soft and sticky.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place dough in the refrigerator. Let chill for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a well-floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough flat, about a quarter of an inch thick.
- Use the rim of a water glass to cut the dough into circles. Each cookie should be about 2½ inches in diameter.
- Place cookies onto a parchment-covered baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown.
- While the cookies cool, whisk the confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, use a table knife to apply a thin, even coat of glaze to the top of each cookie.
Storage: Lemon cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
These lemon cookies make for an excellent snack at any time of day, and the citrus flavor pairs wonderfully with herbal tea. Most of all, these cookies are best enjoyed in good company — nothing brings together friends and family better than a delicious sweet treat.
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