These shaped cookies contain a refreshing lemon flavor to brighten your day, no matter what time of year you make them! The etched pattern will be subtle once the glaze is on, but is still worthwhile. Modified from Allrecipes Magazine.
Course: Dessert
Keyword: cookies, lemon
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
zester
juicer
parchment paper
Rolling Pin
plastic wrap
2-inch cookie cutter
skewer or chopstick
pastry brush
Ingredients
Dough
1cupunsalted butter (2 sticks) cut into thin slices
1/2cupwhite sugar
1lemon
1teaspoonkosher salt
1/2teaspoonvanilla extract
1/2teaspoonlemon extract
2 1/4cupsall-purpose flour plus more for surface
Glaze
1cupconfectioners' sugar
2 to 3Tablespoonslemon juice
Instructions
Zest the lemon. Cut lemon in half and squeeze out juice. Set aside zest and juice.
Preheat oven at 300-degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Place butter, white sugar, lemon zest, salt, and vanilla in a bowl, stirring together until the butter starts to soften and the ingredients come together. Add flour, mixing until buttery crumbs form. Use hands to press dough together into a ball.
Lightly flour a flat work surface. Set the dough there and press it into a 1/2-inch thick disk. Place a long stretch of plastic wrap on top and roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with cookie cutter, placing rounds slightly spaced out on prepared sheet. Reroll dough scraps cut out more rounds until it's all basically shaped.
If desired, etch a lemon-like effect. Use a sharp knife to form decorative lines atop cookies, pressing in the blade to form 8 triangular wedges on each; make sure to only press into the top of the dough, not all the way through. Use a skewer or chopstick to add decorative holes near the tip of each wedge, creating an effect like a lemon seed.
Bake cookies until they are light brown around the wedges, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely, but reserve the parchment and pan for the glazing.
Return cookies to cooled pan. Mix together the confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice, adding more if needed to form a thick but spreadable glaze. Use a pastry brush to apply a layer of glaze to each cookie, adding an extra layer, if desired, with any leftover glaze after the initial coat. Let cookies stand for 30 minutes to an hour, until glaze is set. Pack cookies into a sealed container. Store at room temperature.