These lemon cookies are what I picture little girls with pigtails and white dresses eating on a picnic table on a perfect summer day. They’d sip milk out of tea cups and talk to their stuffed animals then run and play on a swing-set. I guess that is my best at the happiest the world could be because these cookies just make me happy. They are light and refreshing and taste heavenly right out of the oven or a couple hours later cooled to room temperature. It’d be easy to eat all the cookie dough and not even make it to the cookies if you are that kind of person.
My mom used to make a cookie like this and I’ve been searching my whole life to find a recipe to replicate my childhood memories and I found this on one of my favorite websites. These are great gluten-free, just substitute Mama’s Almond flour for the all-purpose flour and add 1 teaspoon of xantham gum to the dry ingredients.
I’m a believer in keeping cookie dough in the fridge for 24 hours before making cookies because it makes the cookie richer in flavor, so plan accordingly.
1 cup butter, softened
2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 teaspoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar
In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer add the softened butter and sugar. Mix on medium for a few minutes or until the butter and sugar is very soft. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing to fully incorporate the egg each time. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. In another medium sized bowl stir the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and all-purpose flour. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low until combined. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and mix on low until combined. Place the dough in the fridge for 12-24 hours. When you are ready to cook the dough, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Roll the ball in a bowl filled with the powdered sugar. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet and cook for until the bottom of the cookie is just barely beginning to brown, about 9 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and let cool. You can move the cookies to a cooling rack after a few minutes. Serve warm or cooled with a glass of milk.
Recipe adapted from Your Homebased Mom. I added additional lemon juice and zest.
This recipe is linked to Gluten-Free Wednesdays
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 teaspoons lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer add the softened butter and sugar. Mix on medium for a few minutes or until the butter and sugar is very soft. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing to fully incorporate the egg each time. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. In another medium sized bowl stir the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and all-purpose flour. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low until combined. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and mix on low until combined. Place the dough in the fridge for 12-24 hours. When you are ready to cook the dough, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Roll the ball in a bowl filled with the powdered sugar. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet and cook for until the bottom of the cookie is just barely beginning to brown, about 9 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and let cool. You can move the cookies to a cooling rack after a few minutes. Serve warm or cooled with a glass of milk.