These candy little lemon sugar cookies are formed like a coronary heart… making them excellent for lemon lovers! Made with lemon zest and lemon juice, they pack a ton of lemon taste. No synthetic lemon extract required!
Lemon Sugar Cookie Recipe
Love is within the air! Lemon love, that’s! Lemon is without doubt one of the hottest flavors on the earth, so I’m all the time searching for new methods to include it into my baking. And at the moment’s recipe for elevated sugar cookies would possibly simply be my favourite lemon recipe but!
These cookie hearts are buttery and bursting with lemon taste. And the lemon glaze is nice, creamy, and provides much more luscious lemon taste. A pop of yellow sugar on prime provides pizzazz – and just a bit crunch.
Certainly one of issues I really like most about these cookies? They’re so versatile! They’re fancy sufficient to be served at a bridal bathe or feast. But in addition excellent for Valentine’s Day (make them with the children!), Christmas, or anytime you’re craving lemon sugar cookies and wish to make them additional cute!
Lemon Sugar Cookie Components
- Unsalted Butter: Convey your butter to room temperature earlier than you start baking! In a pinch, chances are you’ll use salted butter. Merely minimize the known as for salt within the recipe in half.
- Granulated Sugar: I don’t advocate altering this ingredient. The sugar sweetens and stabilizes the dough. Even a delicate swap, like utilizing brown sugar, would change this recipe fairly a bit.
- Eggs: You’ll use an entire egg plus 2 egg yolks. Don’t toss these egg whites! You should utilize them in one other baking recipe, an omelet, and even freeze them.
- Lemons: Each zest and juice are used! Seize serval massive, heavy lemons to make sure you have sufficient of each ingredient.
- All-purpose Flour: I can’t counsel a plant-based or gluten-free flour substitute right now. For finest outcomes, weigh your flour on a digital scale or evenly spoon it into the measuring cup the extent it off. By no means pack the flour into the cup!
- Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances the opposite flavors within the recipe.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: For the smoothest icing doable, sift the sugar via a fine-mesh strainer earlier than including it to the glaze.
- Yellow Coloured Sugar: Purely for ornamental functions! In the event you don’t wish to use this, merely omit!
Tips on how to Make Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Make the cookie dough! You’ll want a stand mixer fitted or a handheld electrical mixer for this recipe. You received’t be capable of beat the butter and sugar with out it.
- Knead the dough! Sprinkle somewhat additional flour in your work floor so it doesn’t stick.
- Divide the dough! Use a big knife to divide the dough in half. Kind every half into 6”-inch disc. Wrap every disc after which pop them within the fridge!
Soar to the recipe beneath for the total particulars
Chill the Dough
I do know ready it laborious, however this dough MUST be chilled. For a minimum of 3 hours, or as much as 2 days.
While you’re able to bake, preheat the oven to 350 levels (F). Line two massive baking sheets with parchment paper. Make sure you take away your dough from the fridge a minimum of 20 minutes earlier than you intend on rolling. Chilly dough will crack!
Chopping, Bake, Enhance!
- Roll out the Dough! You’ll want a sturdy rolling pin to roll out the dough. You wish to maintain rolling till the dough is about 1/4-inch in thickness.
- Lower out the Hearts! Use your coronary heart formed cookie cutters to chop out as many cookies as you’ll be able to. Don’t throw away your dough scraps! You’ll be able to re-chill these then roll it out once more.
- Bake the cookies! Fastidiously switch the cookies to the ready baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. If you would like smooth and chewy cookies, you’ll be able to underbake by a minute.
- Cool the cookies! Depart the cookies on the baking sheets for quarter-hour earlier than transferring to a cooling rack to chill utterly.
- Enhance: As soon as the cookies are cool, glaze and enhance!
Tools You’ll Want
- Coronary heart Formed Cookie Cutter: I want a 3-inch cookie cutter, however use what you’ve gotten! You may also make a number of sizes from one batch, like we did! Simply modify the bake time as wanted; small cookies will bake sooner and enormous cookies will want just a few extra minutes.
- Parchment Paper: Line the baking sheet with parchment paper to forestall the bottoms burning and make cleanup a breeze! A silicone baking mat may also be used.
- Baking Sheets: Use lighter coloured baking sheets to keep away from overly darkish cookies.
- Microplane: You’ll wish to very finely grate the lemon zest, which requires a microplane or advantageous grater.
- Piping Bag and Piping Tip: To brighten the cookies! You’ll use the bag to stipulate the cookies first, then “flood” the middle with the frosting. It’s tremendous simple and forgiving!
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Extra Lemon Recipes:
Iced Lemon Sugar Cookie Hearts
These candy little lemon sugar cookies are formed like a coronary heart… making them excellent for lemon lovers! Made with lemon zest and lemon juice, they pack a ton of lemon taste. No synthetic lemon extract required!
Components
For the Lemon Cookies:
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (199g) granulated sugar
- 2 massive egg yolks room temperature
- 1 massive egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest finely grated
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour plus extra for kneading the dough
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Lemon Glaze:
- 2 cups (227g) confectioners’ sugar sifted
- 1/4 cup (57ml) lemon juice freshly squeezed, any extra pulp eliminated
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest finely grated
- 1/4 cup yellow cookie adorning sugar optionally available
Directions
For the Lemon Cookies:
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Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a big bowl utilizing a handheld electrical mixer, mix the butter and sugar and beat on medium-speed till mixed, then enhance to medium-high velocity and proceed beating till pale and fluffy, about 1 minute.
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Cut back to medium-speed, then add within the egg yolks and egg, beating till nicely mixed, and scraping down the edges and backside of the bowl as wanted. Beat within the lemon zest.
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On low velocity, progressively add within the flour and salt, and beat till mixed. Your dough must be stiff.
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Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of flour over a clear work floor. Scrape the cookie dough onto the floor and gently knead it for 30 seconds. Divide the dough in half, (about 443 grams every disc).
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Press every portion of cookie dough right into a 6”-inch disc. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours (or as much as 2 days).
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While you’re able to bake, preheat the oven to 350 levels (F). Line two massive baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Take away the cookie dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for quarter-hour. Working with one disc at a time, unwrap the dough and switch to a evenly floured floor.
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Use a rolling pin to roll the disc out to ¼” thickness. Then use coronary heart formed cookie cutters to chop out as many cookies as you’ll be able to.
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Fastidiously switch the shapes to the ready baking sheet, leaving 1” between cookies.
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Bake for 10 minutes, or simply till the cookies are set and never shiny and moist on prime. You need them baked via, however not overly golden or brown.
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Cool cookies on the baking sheet for quarter-hour earlier than transferring to a cooling rack to chill utterly.
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Repeat with remaining dough. Any dough scraps may be chilled and punctiliously rolled out once more.
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As soon as the cookies are cool, glaze and enhance!
For the Lemon Glaze:
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In a large, shallow bowl, whisk collectively the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest till nicely mixed. You’re searching for a thick however pourable consistency.
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Scrape the combination right into a small piping bag with a advantageous piping tip hooked up and draw an overview across the fringe of the center. Permit this to set for a minute or two, then fill within the coronary heart with icing. Sprinkle it with coloured sugar. Repeat with all cookies.