Super Easy Lemon Sugar Cookies

Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 12 mins | Course: Dessert | Serves: 6 

Lemon cookies are a delicious and tart lil cookie with lemon zest, juice and lemon extract. Inspired by Diana Collingwood Butts and Carol V. Wright in their Sugarbakers Cookie Cutter Cookbook as well as Deb Perelman with her unfussy sugar cookies. https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/12/unfussy-sugar-cookies/ 

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 lemon, zested

3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice 

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg, lemon juice, zest, lemon extract and vanilla until combined. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. Stir in the flour mixture with a rubber scraper until well blended, cut dough in half. Wrap each ball of dough in plastic wrap and flatten into a rectangle, chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350*. Roll dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment to a ¼ “ thickness. With a pastry roller cut any rough edges off so all edges are straight, cut into 1 ½ “ strips one way and then the other to create squares. Place parchment on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove cookies from the oven and roll over the lines from your previous cuts. Allow cookies to cool before removing from the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Place cookies on a wire rack to finish drying out. Make Icing.

Royal Icing:  

3 ¾ cups powdered sugar, sifted

3 large egg whites (or an equivalent amount of meringue powder, if desired)

½ tsp cream of tartar

½ tsp lemon extract

Beat all ingredients in a stand mixer for 6-7 minutes for a outline consistency of royal icing. Tint icing color as desired and stir. Cover the container while not using so it doesn’t dry out.

Add 1 Tbsp water or lemon juice and beat for 6-7 minutes for a base consistency of royal icing.

Add 2 Tbsp water or lemon juice and beat for 6-7 minutes for a flow consistency of royal icing.