Lemon is a quintessential refreshing summer flavor. I like lemon in everything from drinks to desserts. And nothing makes me smile more than a lemon cookie.
Today’s recipe was the result of a day of experimenting in the test kitchen for the best lemon cookie we could make. You’d think, with as many versions as we made and as many versions as we ate, we would have been sick of lemons by the end of the day, but we weren’t. Or maybe it was just the sugar high we were on by that time!
The old saying goes, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” We say make these easy and refreshing lemon cookies instead.
Lemon Cookies
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cornstarch
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1¼ cups sugar
Zest of 2 lemons (about 1½ tbsp.)
1 large egg
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze (recipe follows)
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together butter, sugar and lemon zest on medium-high speed until mixture is well-blended. Add egg, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Mix to incorporate. Add in dry ingredients by the cupful and mix just until combined.
Divide dough into 2 “patties;” wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Work with one dough patty at a time, keeping the remainder cold. Pinch off a quarter-size piece of dough and roll into a small ball. Place onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart, 1 dozen at a time.
Bake in preheated oven 15 to 16 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle cooled cookies with Lemon Glaze (recipe follows). Store in a single layer in an airtight container.
Makes about 4 dozen.
Lemon Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1½ to 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and enough lemon juice to reach a drizzly consistency. Pour mixture into a zipper-top bag; seal bag and cut a small tip off one corner. Drizzle glaze over cookies. Allow glaze to set at room temperature.
Each cookie with glaze has about 59 calories, 3 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 12 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram protein, 7.2 grams carbohydrates, .2 grams dietary fiber, 46 milligrams sodium.
Alicia Ross is the co-author of three cookbooks. Contact her c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106, tellus@kitchenscoop.com, or http://kitchenscoop.com.