Simple Lemon Cookies

It’s the baking season! I made tons of cookies yesterday. Other than the normal chocolate chip cookies, I also made many simple lemon cookies. These cookies were delicious. They  had the shortbread texture, but with a lemony taste. I love adding crystal sugar on top of the cookies to give some extra crunch. These cookies are beautiful and easy to make. They are perfect homemade gifts for your friends and neighbors.

Simple Lemon Cookies (Adapted from Bon Appétit Magazine)

62 – 68 cookies

Ingredients:

–   2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

–   1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)

–   ¾ cup sugar

–   4 large egg yolks

–   2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (4 lemons)

–   1 teaspoon vanilla extract

–   ½ teaspoon salt

–   sugar crystal (optional)

Lemon icing:

–   1 cup powdered sugar

–   2 – 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt together.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla until light and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes. Scrap down the sides occasionally. Add egg yolks and beat until just blend. Add flour mixture and beat just to blend. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 9½-inch long log. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Arrange racks in lower and upper thirds of the oven.
4. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment papers. Unwrap 1 dough log. Cut log into ¼-inch rounds with a sharp knife. Transfer to prepared sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.
5. Bake until cookies are firm and golden grown around edges, about 14 – 17 minutes. Take out the baking sheets and let the cookies cool for 1 minute. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks and let cool completely.
6. Repeat with the remaining dough log using cooled baking sheets and new parchment papers.
7. For the icing, whisk sugar and 1½ tablespoon juice in a small bowl. Test the icing thickness with a fork until the icing to reach a drizzling consistency. Add more juice if the icing is too thick. Drizzle the icing over the cookies. Decorate as desired. Let stand until icing sets, about 30 minutes.

Tips:

1. Make sure the icing is not too runny. If not, it will be hard to set on the cookies.
2. For storage, put the cookies in a tightly sealed container. They can be store up to 4 days.

Source: Read