Copy Cat Creations: Lemon Love :)

Happy Friday Everyone! :) Tomorrow is my mommy’s 60^th birthday! So hard to believe!! She is the best mom a girl could ask for and a true role model. Mom and I talk a couple of times a day, every day; she always lends an ear and offers advice when I need it. She really is my best friend and I don’t know what I’d do without her! I already have her gift all packaged and ready to bring but as an extra treat, I thought I would make some lemon cookies. She loves lemon and I think these will be easy to transport and should last in a container for a few days after they’re made. Since I’m currently in the process of making these, I thought I would also write a post about them (and some pictures too)! I found this recipe in a Real Simple magazine (a subscription mom got me as a gift- see, told you how wonderful she is) and I bookmarked it for a later time because lemon cookies are a great summer treat. I tweaked this recipe because they are not originally supposed to be lemony cookies, just lemon icing on top. But, I wanted to give them a little extra citrus kick so I added lemon juice and zest to the dough itself. Can’t wait to see how they turn out!

GLAZED LEMON COOKIES

What you need for the cookies:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (since you’ll need some for the glaze, just juice a whole lemon and split between the cookies and glaze)

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

What you need for the glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (may need a little extra)

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

To make the cookies:

1. With an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy- about 2 minutes.

2. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and salt and beat to combine. Gradually add the flour, switch to a wooden spoon and mix until just incorporated. Squeeze in your tablespoon of lemon juice and lemon zest and mix in. Your dough may be a bit crumbly.

3. Divide the dough in half and shape into 1 1/4-inch-diameter logs. This sounds easy enough but it did take me some time. You have to work with the dough…I shaped them into ovals and then kept pushing the dough down and out (long ways) to make more of a log shape. When I finally had the right width and length, I rolled it on the counter with my palms to get a circular shape. Then, wrap in wax paper and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes (I left mine for a couple of hours). This is what mine looked like after their ‘firming up’ stage.

4. When you’re ready to bake, take your logs out of the fridge and heat oven to 350 F. If they've been in the fridge for a few hours, let them rest a few minutes to get a little warmer.

5. Slice the logs into 3/8-inch-thick pieces and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets (they don't spread so you can put them close to one another). Bake until lightly golden, 16 to 20 minutes. Let the cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze:

In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until it forms a thick but pourable glaze (add more lemon juice or sugar if necessary to get the right consistency). I actually made a bit more than this because my recipe made a lot of cookies!

Pour the glaze or dip the top of each cookie in the glaze and let set, about 15 minutes. My final product-