Lemon Cookies
You know when you’re craving something sweet but not quite sure what? For me, these cookies by Sally McKenney satisfy exactly that feeling. They’re sweet, soft, have just the right amount of zest. Sallys website sallysbakingaddiction.com is full of so many wonderful recipes, many of which aren’t too difficult, and so I’d definitely recommend taking a look. If it’s just the cookies you’re after, I’ve shared the recipe below. I love these so much that I’m thinking of adapting the recipe slightly for some easter baking, so will share that in a few weeks too. Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (225g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup (60ml) fresh or bottled lemon juice, at room temperature*
1 Tablespoon lemon zest* (packed Tablespoon, it’s a lot of zest!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Rolling
3 Tablespoons (35g) granulated sugar
1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
Recipe
Whisk Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 1 minute. Add the egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Mixture will appear curdled and that’s ok. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Dough is thick, creamy, and sticky.
Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this sticky cookie dough.
Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. If the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. This makes the chilled cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Roll in sugar: Scoop and roll balls of dough, about 1 Tablespoon of dough each, into balls. (Each dough ball should weigh about 20g.) Some readers have had trouble with the confectioners’ sugar melting/absorbing into the cookie dough balls, so to prevent that, you can roll the balls in the granulated sugar first. And then roll each ball very generously in the confectioners’ sugar. If you want lots of confectioners’ sugar to show on the baked cookies, roll 2-3x in sugar! Place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
Bake the cookies for 12–13 minutes or until the edges appear set and the centers still look soft.
Cool cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies will slightly deflate as they cool.
Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.