Frosted Lemon Sugar Cookies

I intended on making these cookies today as my “something nice” for my older daughter. She loves lemon baked goods. But then I disqualified the act as something nice because, I had the ulterior motive of trying to get my other daughter to taste and enjoy something lemon flavored, and I also thought that it might be something not nice when Uncle Paul sees these from across the country. Which is what my older daughter’s second reaction was when she tasted them. Her first was “Mmmmmm…. just right on the lemon, Mom.” Followed by, “It’s really too bad Uncle Paul isn’t here.”

I based this recipe off of my Christmas Sugar Cookies, but rolled the dough into balls and flattened them a little instead of rolling out in flour and using cookie cutters. I frosted them before I tasted them, and handling them, I was a little sad that they would be harder and dry, but it was a mirage, because these are just right soft and a little crispy on the outside. They aren’t as light and airy as Lemon Crinkle Cookies, not as crispy and buttery as christmas sugar cookies, and not as soft as lofthouse cookies that were big in the internet food blog scene a few months ago.

I told myself to remember to measure out ingredients when I made the frosting so I could report the recipe, but someone put a Laurie Berkner CD on, and I lost myself in the music and forgot. It happens. Especially when it was the first break after four weeks of the Frozen soundtrack on repeat. I put a little lemon zest in the frosting, but I think I’d leave that part out next time.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• zest and juice of one lemon
• 3 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 cups cake flour and 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour just to use up the end of a box of cake flour)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• Lemon   Frosting (below)

Directions

1. Whip up the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix in the lemon zest and lemon juice.
2. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until mixed.
3. Form the dough into a disc, wrap the disc in waxed paper and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for convection), and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
5. Roll out the dough into balls about 1 1/4 inches in diameter for you engineers, or a little smaller than a golf ball for estimaters, or about 2 tablespoons of dough for measurers. You made need to flour your hands. Place the dough balls on prepared cookie sheets a couple inches apart. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten the dough balls to ~1/3 inches thick. You will probably need to dip the glass in flour so the dough doesn’t stick.
   
6. Bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the cookie. Back until the bottoms start to turn golden if you want them a crispy/soft.
7. Cool in a wire rack.
8. Frost your cookies. To make the lemon frosting: Put 3 tablespoons of very soft or melted butter, the juice (and optional zest) of one lemon, about 3 cups of powdered sugar and a few tablespoons of milk into a stand mixer or mixing bowl. Whip. Add more powdered sugar or milk until the desired consistency.