Iced Lemon Cookies Recipe

Iced Lemon Cookies Recipe | Rachael Ray

Difficulty: Intermediate

Makes: About 36 cookies (1-inch each)

Nutrition (per cookie): Calories 242; Total Fat 11g; Saturated Fat 7g; Carbs 35g; Fiber 1g; Sugar 22g; Protein 2g; Cholesterol 47mg; Sodium 115mg

Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins (Prep 30 mins; Chill 1 hr 30 mins; Bake 15 mins)

Ingredients

• 4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup finely grated lemon zest (from about 68 lemons)
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces and kept cold
• 5 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Lemon Icing

• 1 pound (2 cups) powdered sugar
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Place the sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor and blend about 20 seconds until the zest is fully incorporated into the sugar. Transfer to a large bowl and reserve 1/2 cup of the lemon-sugar for rolling the cookies later.
3. In the food processor, pulse together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with no large butter pieces (about 10 brief pulses). Pour the flour-butter mixture into the lemon-sugar bowl.
4. Whisk the egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon juice in a separate bowl.
5. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, mix the lemon-sugar and flour-butter briefly (about 15 seconds). While mixing, gradually add the egg yolklemon juice mixture and continue until the dough comes together and cleans the sides of the bowl (1530 seconds).
6. Transfer the dough to a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate until chilled but still pliable, about 30 minutes.
7. Use an ice-cream scoop to form dough into balls and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Roll the tops of the balls in the reserved lemon-sugar. Gently press each cookie with the flat bottom of a glass to about 1/4-inch thick.
8. Bake until the edges are just turning golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies (on the parchment) to a cooling rack and let them cool completely, about 1 hour.
9. When cookies are fully cool, top with Lemon Icing (recipe below) and let the icing set about 1 hour before serving.

Lemon Icing Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and glossy. Spoon or spread over cooled cookies, smoothing with the back of a spoon for even coverage. This yields enough icing for approximately 3 dozen cookies.