Lemon Cookies

Yet another lemon-flavoured recipe. But no complaints here.

I tried making this batch of lemon cookies for the first time in the summer, and they served as a refreshing, zesty dessert in such warm weather.

They only take about 15 minutes to prep and a quick 10 minutes to bake. The longest step is refrigerating them for at least 3 hours to ensure they stay thick while they bake and don’t flatten.

Feel free to eat the cookies as is, without the lemon glaze. They’re definitely not as sweet without it. But if you’re looking for an extra taste of sweetness to put these treats over the top, I’d go with the lemon glaze.

Plus, they stayed soft for up to 5 days after I baked them. Just be sure to keep them in a tightly sealed container — no refrigeration required.

Prep time | 15 mins. (+ a min. 3-hour chill time)
Bake time | 15 mins.
Yields | 12 cookies

INGREDIENTS

Cookies:

  •  1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  •  3/4 cup granulated sugar
  •  2 tbsp light brown sugar, packed
  •  1 large egg
  •  2 tbsp lemon zest, grated
  •  2 cups flour
  •  2 tsp cornstarch
  •  1 pinch salt
  •  1 tsp baking soda
  •  3 tbsp lemon juice

Glaze:

  •  1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Combine the butter, sugars and egg. Beat on medium-high speed until creamed, light, fluffy, and well combined, about 4 minutes.
  2. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the lemon zest and continue beating on medium-high speed until well combined for about 2 minutes.
  3. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda.
  4. Add the lemon juice directly on top of the baking soda. Beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
  5. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl.Use a large spoon or ice cream scooper to form 12 equal-sized mounds of dough. Roll into balls and flatten slightly.
  6. Place mounds of dough on a large plate or tray and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before baking (or overnight). Try not to bake with unchilled dough, as the cookies will bake thinner, flatter and will be prone to spreading.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray the paper with anti-stick spray.
  9. Transfer the mounds of dough from the plate to the baking sheet. When the oven is ready, add the cookies to the oven for 10 minutes.
  10. The cookies should be golden in colour when they’re ready and still soft in the centre. They will harden slightly as they cool.
  11. Let cool for 10 minutes. While they cool, make the glaze in a bowl by adding the powdered sugar and lemon zest. Mix the two ingredients until well combined.
  12. Spread the glaze on each cooled cookie and enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea!