LEMON SUGAR COOKIES

In honor of National Sugar Cookie Day, I am sharing the recipe for some of my favorite sugar cookies, LEMON SUGAR COOKIES!

 

To me, anything that has sugar, butter and lemon is a hit so I took a basic sugar cookie recipe and made them extra yummy by adding lemon juice, lemon zest and increasing the baking powder.   

 

The reason I love these cookies so much is that even though they are a "sugar" cookie, they do not taste overly sweet. They have a nice buttery, lemon favor and are perfect for any occasion, with or with out frosting.

 

In honor of National Sugar Cookie Day, you  must give these YUMMY cookies a try!  

Happy Cooking Everyone!

 

 

Lemon Sugar Cookies

MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN MEDIUM SIZE COOKIES

Cookie Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3/4 cup softened butter (sweet cream)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of one lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Icing Ingredients:
2 cups powdered sugar
6-8 tablespoons milk
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract



Directions:

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add the lemon zest to the bowl and press/squeeze the zest between your fingers to release the oils from the zest into the flour.


























In the bowl of your stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add egg, vanilla and lemon juice and mix at low speed until combined, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. 

Gradually add the flour mixture at low speed until combined, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. 

Remove the dough from the bowl, shape into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least one hour. 

Place dough on a well floured surface and roll out into 1/4" thickness.  Do not be skimpy with the flour, you will need plenty in order to be able to remove the cookies once they are cut.

Cut into shapes using your favorite cookie cutters.

Place approx. 3" apart on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven for 6-8 minutes.

 



Remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. While cookies are cooling, make the icing.

Mix all of the icing ingredients together in a bowl adding milk one teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. The icing should be thick, but spreadable.

Frost and decorate cookies as desired. Allow frosting to harden before serving/storing.

Store at room temperature in an air tight container for up to 3 days.