Who doesn’t love a good summer picnic?
And no summer picnic is complete without dessert.
Enter: These soft and sweet lemon zest cookies with a zingy lemon sugared icing that melt in your mouth.
This cookie recipe is my go-to summer recipe for potlucks and get-togethers. I most recently made it for a yoga studio get-together picnic at the park, but also made it a few months ago for a pre-fire-season barbecue for my Type 3 Incident Management Team.
These cookies are incredibly easy to make, and can be made from scratch in about 90 minutes. They look and taste much more impressive than they actually are.
I don’t think I’ve ever taken these cookies anywhere where someone hasn’t asked me for the recipe!
INGREDIENTS:
Quick note: These measurements were crafted with an elevation of 7,000 feet above sea level.
For the cookies:
- 1 cup softened unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 lemon (zest)
- 2 cups flour
For the icing
- Juice of aforementioned lemon
- About 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- Optional: 1 tbsp milk (or milk substitute – I usually use extra creamy oat milk because it’s what I have on hand)
PROCESS:
Start with the cookies: In a stand mixer or bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg. Stir in the lemon zest. Add the salt, baking powder and half a cup of flour, and then slowly add the remainder of the flour until everything is combined.
Chill for 30 minutes to an hour.
Tip: The dough is a little easier to work with if the butter has firmed up a bit and the dough has hardened, but you can skip the chilling if you’re short on time.
Once your dough is chilled, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll your dough into small tablespoon-sized balls, slightly flattened on both sides. Place on a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper to bake.
Bake for about eight minutes — they will expand and rise, but they won’t brown at all. Be careful not to over bake.
Remove from the oven and move to the refrigerator to chill.
While your cookies chill, make your icing. Juice the lemon that you previously zested into a separate bowl, and add the salt. Begin stirring the powdered sugar in using a whisk until you have a thick icing that peaks while stirring, but softens when resting.
Tip: Start with your lemon juice, then add powdered sugar. If you use too much powdered sugar and the icing gets too thick, add the milk or milk alternative a little at a time to thin the icing out.
Once your cookies have cooled, begin to ice them. Dip them face-down into your bowl of icing, scrape off the excess using a spoon or the side of the icing bowl, and set them face-up to set. You can leave them as-is, or dust with some extra lemon zest for a little bit more color.
・・・
Happy baking!
