As so many of these stories begin, the hubby needed a treat for a meeting. Cookies were specifically requested so I turned to my cookbooks and found a lovely looking lemon sugar cookie recipe that I tweaked a bit to make my own. From all accounts they turned out quite well; none came home and to me that is a sign of a tasty treat. Like the chocolate sugar cookies I made recently, these are a lovely variation on the classic sugar cookie.
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This particular cookie started out from a recipe in Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. I upped the amount of lemon zest and added a zingy lemon glaze to really pack the citrus punch.
Lemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon Glaze
48 – 60 cookies
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced (1/4 cup will be used for the cookies, 1 TBS in the glaze)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- sugar for rolling
For the Glaze
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 TBS of the lemon juice from the two lemons
- 2 tsp lemon juice powder (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350
- Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the sugar and lemon zest to a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached. Mix on medium low speed until the oils release and it resembles sand. Alternatively add to a medium bowl and press with your fingers untile the same thing happens
- Add the butter and salt and beat on medium until smooth, about two minutes.
- Next add the egg and mix until combined followed by the vanilla and lemon juice. It may look a little curdled at this point. Don’t worry.
- Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low.
- Add the remaining flour and mix until just combined.
- Place about 1/4 cup of sugar to a small bowl
- Using a small cookie scoop, drop the dough into the sugar and roll around to coat.
- Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets 2″ apart
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8 – 14 minutes, rotating the trays halfway between. The cookies are done when they are just starting to brown around the edges.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool
Make the Glaze:
- Add the powdered sugar to a small bowl. Stir in the lemon juice. If using the lemon juice powder stir in and taste. Add more powder if you would like a tarter glaze. Should the glaze be too thick add a few more drops of lemon juice. Alternatively, if it is too thin add a little more powdered sugar.
Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies
How Were the Lemon Sugar Cookies?
Well, I ate one before I created the glaze and felt they needed a little something more. They aren’t bad – not at all. I was just looking for something a little lemonier so I went to work. The lemon juice powder really packs a citrus punch so I love to use it when I want a strong taste of lemon. If you don’t have it, let the lemon juice do the work for you but your glaze might be thinner. It’s a really useful item to have in any baker’s kitchen.
After I added the glaze I had a second cookie and I had the strong lemon flavor I was seeking. The rest of the cookies went into my cake carrier for the hubby to take to his meeting. I was rather sad that they all were eaten. That tells me I will just have to make more.
PrintLemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon Glaze
A lovely lemony cookie with a tart glaze
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 48 - 60 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced (1/4 cup will be used for the cookies, 1 TBS in the glaze)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- sugar for rolling
For the Glaze
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 TBS of the lemon juice from the two lemons
- 2 tsp lemon juice powder (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the sugar and lemon zest to a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached. Mix on medium low speed until the oils release and it resembles sand. Alternatively add to a medium bowl and press with your fingers untile the same thing happens
- Add the butter and salt and beat on medium until smooth, about two minutes.
- Next add the egg and mix until combined followed by the vanilla and lemon juice. It may look a little curdled at this point. Don’t worry.
- Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low.
- Add the remaining flour and mix until just combined.
- Place about 1/4 cup of sugar to a small bowl
- Using a small cookie scoop, drop the dough into the sugar and roll around to coat.
- Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets 2″ apart
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8 – 14 minutes, rotating the trays halfway between. The cookies are done when they are just starting to brown around the edges.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool
Make the Glaze:
- Add the powdered sugar to a small bowl. Stir in the lemon juice. If using the lemon juice powder stir in and taste. If you would like it more tart at a little more powder. If the glaze is too thick add a few more drops of lemon juice. Alternatively, if it is too thin add a little more powdered sugar.
Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies
Notes
Yield is going to depend on the size cookie scoop used.
If you don’t have a cookie scoop just use a tsp or TBS to scoop out the dough and form into a ball
Keywords: cookies, lemon cookies, sugar cookies, lemon sugar cookies
