Frosted Lemon Cookies

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Soft lemon sugar cookies are made with lemon juice and lemon zest than are topped off with a bright lemon glaze.

This recipe originally published in January 2015.

I love making citrus cookies in the winter.   It’s one of those times of year when it’s cold and gray outside and everyone is looking for a little sunshine.

Since it’s been cold and gross outside, I wanted to brighten up my coworkers day.  I had a bag of lemons in the refrigerator so I wanted to try my hand at a new type of lemon cookie.

I’ve made plenty of citrus cookies before. Cranberry Lemon Cookies are sweet and tart and perfect for serving at the holidays.   In the summer my Lemon Rhubarb Cookies are always a hit.   When I want a cookie with a bit of a bit I go for Lemon Ginger Cookies.

I figured I could adapt my favorite sugar cookie recipe to include lemon juice and lemon zest in it.  I could smell the lemon as I was mixing the dough.

How do you zest a lemon?

Lemon zest is the yellow colored portion of the peel.  Because of the natural oils in it the peel and zest hold a ton of citrus flavor in them.

When zesting a lemon make sure you only zest the yellow peel and not the white part under the skin because the white part is bitter.  Using a zester is the easiest way to zest citrus fruit.  To use it you hold the handle in one hand and place the other edge on a hard surface then quickly move the lemon back and forth over the holes in the zester to produce the zest.

If you don’t have a zester you can also use a box grater.   Turn it to the side with the super tiny holes and run the citrus fruit back and forth over it.  You may need to scrape the zest from the inside of the box grater.

After baking the cookies I realized that while they smelled like lemon the flavor was pretty faint.   I decided that a lemon glaze on top would be perfect and quickly whipped one up.

Do I have to put the glaze on the cookies?

You do not need to glaze these cookies.   You can serve them as a lightly lemon flavored sugar cookie and they are delicious.  The glaze just adds big lemon flavor and a bit of additional sweetness.

Ingredients:

• all purpose flour
• baking powder
• salt
• unsalted butter
• granulated sugar
• eggs
• lemons
• powdered sugar
• vanilla extract

To make the cookies preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.  Mix well to combine.

In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar.  Add in the eggs and mix well.   Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest and mix to combine.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until just combined.  Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart.  Slightly flatten each dough ball.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cool, combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla.  Whisk until smooth.  Dip each cookie into the glaze and set back on the wire rack to get the glaze to harden.

These cookie are buttery with a slight lemon flavor.  The lemon frosting really brings a strong lemon flavor to the cookie.

I took them into school last Tuesday and they were gone in minutes.   Apparently everyone needed a cookie to start their day and several teachers came past to tell me that I made their day.

How do you store Lemon Cookies?

Once the glaze has set you can store these cookies in an air tight container.   They will last for 4-5 days.   If you want to freeze the cookies, wrap each cookie then place in a freezer bag.   Do this BEFORE you put the glaze on them.

These cookies will definitely be a favorite in our house.   I love the rich, buttery cookie with the crisp bottom and soft inside topped off with a bright lemon frosting.   They are the perfect cookie to share with anyone to brighten up their day!

Frosted Lemon Cookies

Delicious butter cookies lightly flavored with lemon topped off with a sweet and tart lemon frosting.

4.72 from 7 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 dozen cookies

Author: Hezzi-D

Equipment

• 1 cookie sheet
• 1 Mixing Bowl
• 1 zester

Ingredients

• 2 c. flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 c. butter softened
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Place the flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Mix to combine.
• Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Add in the eggs and mix well. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest and mix to combine.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until just combined.
• Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
• Remove from refrigerator and roll into 1 inch balls. Place on a cookie sheet and slightly flatten.
• Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack.
• Once the cookies are cool, combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
• Dip the tops of the cookies into the frosting and place back on the wire cooling rack so the excess can drip off.

Notes

Slightly Adapted from So Tasty, So Yummy

Luscious Lemon Recipes

• Frosted Lemon Cookies from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Giada’s Lemon Spaghetti from Jen Around the World
• Greek Meatball Soup from Art of Natural Living
• Lemon Chicken with Orzo from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Tuna Steaks with Lemon Caper Sauce from That Recipe

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