Lemon Decorator Cookies Recipes

LEMON SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugars and oil until blended. Beat in eggs and extract. Combine flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; stir into butter mixture (dough will be stiff)., Roll into 1-in. balls; place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press with bottom of a glass dipped in water, then in sugar. Bake 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

LEMON DECORATOR COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix butter and cream cheese in large bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar and the lemon peel. Gradually stir in flour. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm. Make Carrot Press.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten to about 1/4-inch thickness with Carrot Press dipped in sugar. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Carrot Press: Cut 1 1/2-inch-diameter carrot into 2-inch lengths. Cut decorative design about 1/8 inch deep in cut end of carrot, using a small, sharp knife, the tip of a vegetable peeler or another small, sharp kitchen tool.

SOFT LEMON COOKIES RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat and prepare cooking sheets. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat (or lightly grease with non-sticking cooking spray).
• Whisk dry ingredients together. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add remaining wet ingredients. Add egg and beat to combine. Add vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Scrape down bowl as needed.
• Add dry ingredients. Add flour mixture, and mix at low to medium speed just until no flour streaks remain.
• Scoop cookie dough. Using a cookie scoop, or tablespoon to portion into 1 ½ inch balls. Place on prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them.
• Bake and cool the cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The edges will look done, but the center will still look slightly soft. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
• Make icing. In a small mixing bowl, combine icing ingredients. With an offset spatula, ice the top of each cookie.

THE BEST SUGAR COOKIES FOR DECORATING

Steps:

• For the dough: Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat together the egg and vanilla in a small bowl.
• Beat the butter, granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed. Once incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat until slightly creamy, about 3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Reduce the speed to low again and slowly pour in the egg mixture and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture, in 3 additions, increasing the speed as the dough gets thicker to keep the beaters spinning. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters as needed. Once all the flour is just incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is very smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl and bring it together. Divide into 2 even pieces. Shape each piece into a flat square and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours or overnight.
• To roll, cut and bake the cookies: Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Dust another sheet of parchment paper with flour and put 1 piece of the dough on top. Dust with more flour and top with another sheet of parchment. Roll the dough out between the parchment sheets into a square about 1/4-inch thick (about 11-by-9 inches) and place in the freezer for 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining piece of dough.
• From 1 piece of rolled dough, cut out cookies with a 2 1/2-inch cutter and arrange on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Refrigerate while you cut the remaining cookies. Reroll any scraps of dough and repeat the freezing, cutting and refrigerating process until all the dough is used.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheets front to back and bottom to top about halfway through, until golden brown around the edges, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets set on a wire cooling rack, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the royal icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons water and the vanilla and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the icing forms thick and glossy peaks, about 2 minutes (adding up to 1 tablespoon more water, if needed). Tint with a few drops of food coloring as desired.
• Fit a pastry bag with a small round tip and fill it with the icing.
• Pipe royal icing on cookies with the design of your liking and let dry for 30 minutes.

LEMON CAKE MIX COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper.
• In large bowl, beat cookie ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed or mix with spoon. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet.
• Bake 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely.
• In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and enough liqueur until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle icing over cookies.