Hello, bakers! I’m Emma from Emma’s Cake Studio, and today I have a recipe for some really good lemon cookies that have got a lot of zest and will make your taste buds dance. Soft, tangy treats, adorned with creamy frosting, are just what one needs to brighten the day.
It’s just something about that fresh, citrusy burst of lemon that so gets one’s spirits elevated. Such desserts generally tend to just bring a bit more brightness to an event, and these Zesty Lemon Frosted Cookies are really no exception. Soft, cooling, and oh-so-lemony, with a nice big dollop of frosting on top for creaminess and tang, these are little nibbles of sunshine that beg for repeat bites.
A Slice of Sunshine in Every Bite
I can remember that first time when I decided to bake some lemon cookies; it was one overcast, rainy afternoon when I needed the perfect thing to cheer myself up on the depressing day. When I needed a quick pick-me-up as a child, lemon was always my favourite flavour: ice-cold lemonade in the really scorching summer or fantastic lemon cake during the happy holidays. And thus, when I stumbled upon a lemon cookie recipe, I knew I had found one I would want to try without another thought.
The bright lemons of the kitchen filled it with aroma as I grated them and squeezed carefully; the zest cut through the general drabness of that day outside. The cookies come out soft but chewy, the frosting itself is that perfect balance of sweet and tangy. Zesty Lemon Frosted Cookies have since found their appreciated niche in my home. They are the hit of any party and can always be guaranteed to make anyone smile after tasting them.
Let’s get baking, shall we?
Zesty Lemon Frosted Cookies: A Tangy Delight to Brighten Your Day
Course: Cake Ideas24
servings20
minutes12
minutes180
kcalIngredients
- For the Cookies:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
- For the Lemon Frosting:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional, for consistency)
Steps
- For the Cookies:
- Preheat your oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice until fully combined.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until a dough forms.
- Shape the cookies: Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball slightly with your fingers or the bottom of a glass.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. The centers may appear soft, but they will firm up as they cool. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the Lemon Frosting:
- Prepare the frosting: In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the lemon zest and fresh lemon juice until smooth and creamy. If the frosting is too thick, add heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
- Frost the cookies: Once the cookies have cooled completely, spread or pipe the lemon frosting onto each cookie. Top with a sprinkle of extra lemon zest for garnish, if desired.
Serving Information
- Servings: Makes about 24 cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Calories: Approximately 180 calories per cookie
Nutritional Information
Each cookie contains approximately 180 calories, 9g fat, 24g carbohydrates, and 2g protein. But let’s be honest – we’re not eating these for their nutritional value, are we?
Emma’s Tips
Each cookie will have around 180 calories, 9 g of fat, 24 g of carbohydrates, and 2 g of protein. But let’s be real here; we’re not baking these for nutrition.
Balance is the key to get that right texture. Too much flour makes cookies dry and crumbly; too much syrup and they will spread out in a flat puddle. Go ahead and measure your ingredients carefully; if feeling extra fancy, go ahead and use a kitchen scale.
If your cookies spread too much, experiment with chilling the dough longer or adding just that small touch more of flour. If they’re spreading too little, on the other hand, try to flatten the balls of dough just a little bit before baking.
Use Fresh Lemons: The trick is to extract the purest lemon flavor, where the zests and juices of lemons must be fresh. The zest imparts a dense flavor of lemon, while the juice is tangy and refreshing.
Avoid Overbaking: When you take them out of the oven, they are slightly underbaked, but they will finish cooking on the baking sheet as they cool. Otherwise, if you overbake them a bit, they will be dry and ruin the cookie of your intent-to-have soft and chewy.
Cooling the Dough: If the dough feels too soft for you, then refrigerate the dough for 15 to 20 minutes. It really makes it a lot easier to handle and shape into balls.
Serving Suggestions
They are perfect for brunch, high tea, or even for a lunch dessert. They just pop a little bright spot in there with a steaming cup of tea, a cold glass of cold milk, or even a fizzy glass of lemonade. They are great boxed up in a pretty box or tin to give as a gift; just be sure to keep them cool so the frosting doesn’t melt.
Better still, it could be said that baking such cookies as Zesty Lemon Frosted is like catching a fragment of the sun in one’s kitchen. Lively and tangy, they will never disappoint any person who got the chance to taste them. Be it comfortably seated home alone on a quiet afternoon or in the company of friends and family, these cookies give a subtle hint that sometimes it takes just a bit of added zest to make your day a little brighter. I would love to hear about your experience with the zest in these cookies. Did you make any variations? Perhaps you went so far as to spike the frosting with a splash of limoncello. I won’t tell if you won’t. Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out. Remember, baking is meant to be fun and to make yummy things. So, if your cookies are not picture perfect, that’s okay; it’s still going to taste fantastic. Now go out there and spread some lemony joy!
