Lemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon Icing is a family favorite. My close friend, Jayne Long, and I developed this recipe. 

Lemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon Icing

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1/2 lemon
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon iodized salt
Lemon icing (See below)

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. With an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar. Beat 3 minutes or until mixture changes color and becomes pale yellow. Add egg and mix briefly. Add vanilla, lemon juice and extract. Stir flour, baking powder and salt together. Gradually add to butter mixture. Cover dough with plastic wrap. Refrigerate two hours or until dough is cold and stiff.

Scoop dough with a 1 and 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop on to prepared pans. Place cookies 3-inches apart. Flatten cookies with the bottom of a wet glass. Bake 7-8 minutes. Do not let cookies become brown (not even around the edges). Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. Ice with Lemon Icing. Tip: If you do not refrigerate the dough, the cookies will spread when baked. Makes 26 cookies. Enjoy!

Lemon Icing

2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest from 1/2 lemon

Sift powdered sugar then measure 2 cups. Stir in remaining ingredients. Ice cookies. Icing will harden as it sets and be shiny. For colored icing: add gel food color to icing. Tip: Icing will get thick as it cools and butter hardens. It will go from shiny to matte and the texture will change. If this happens, microwave icing for 5 to 10 seconds and stir. 

Published in The News and Neighbor on March 31, 2021.