Lemony Slice and Bake Cookies

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I am not usually a fan of lemon desserts.

There's no reason in particular, I just prefer the creamy sweetness of chocolate or cheesecake to the tart sweetness of lemon.

However.

I participated in a cookie swap at my MOPS group last month.

My favorite cookie from the whole event was a very small cookie drizzled with a thin glaze.

The cookies were sweet and tasted like grapefruit to me, so I was shocked when my friend said they were simple lemon cookies.

She proceeded to explain exactly she made them. Simple indeed.

I have to pause also to say that this friend from my MOPS group is actually a former student. That warps my reality somehow. It's just weird to hang out with my former student who is now a wife and stay at home mom just like me.

Another of my students plays football in the NFL. One owns a modeling agency and jets all over the world. One bought the house next door. Being a former teacher is crazy.

Anyway, on to the cookie recipe from my student turned friend:

Recipe

Lemony Slice and Bake Cookies

5 from 4 votes

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Ingredients

  

• 2 ½ cups flour
• ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 cups unsalted butter room temperature
• ¾ cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest finely grated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 large egg yolk

Instructions

 

• Whisk flour and salt together in a medium bowl.
• In a stand mixer, beat butter, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla on medium-high, occasionally scraping down the sides, until the dough is light and fluffy.
• Add egg yolks, beat just to blend.
• Add flour mixture and beat on low, scraping down the sides, until it is just blended.
• This recipe can be rolled and cut with cookie cutters. If you prefer an easier way, try the Slice and Bake method: Divide the dough in half, and roll each half into a 10-inch-long log that's a little less than 2" across. Wrap dough logs in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least an hour or up to 2 days. To bake, unwrap one dough log. Using a sharp, lightly floured knife, cut the dough log into ¼-inch thick rounds.
• To bake - Arrange racks in lower and upper thirds of the oven. Preheat to 350.
• Place cookies 1-inch apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. (I don't like to bake cookies on my pizza stones, incidentally. I prefer metal cookie sheets.)
• Bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes until cookies are firm, and edges are golden brown. Let cool for one minute, then transfer to wire racks and cool completely.
• Whisk sugar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a small bowl, adding additional juice as needed to achieve desired consistency.
• Spread or drizzle icing over cookies and decorate as desired.
• Let cookies stand until icing sets, at least 10 minutes.

Notes

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

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