It’s officially citrus season, and I’m officially thrilled about that. I love that citrus season happens in the middle of winter — it’s like a kiss of summer sunshine during the coldest, darkest time of year. And, of course, I love citrus-flavored treats. This Grapefruit Pound Cake and these Mini Lemon Cupcakes are two of my favorites. These Lemon Drop Sugar Cookies are my newest addition to that list.
Sugar Cookies: Wildly Underrated
Sugar cookies don’t get the acclaim that they should in the dessert world. Really, apart from cut out cookies at Christmas, they don’t get much facetime at all. That’s a shame, because when done well, the sugar cookie is one of the best treats out there.
Sure, they’re not that exciting to look at. But one bite of a perfectly-baked, lightly-flavored sugar cookie holds a world of comfort that few desserts do (pound cake and brownies are up there too). And when you add a bit of lemon zest and a tart lemon glaze? Forget it.
The Ideal Sugar Cookie
There are a lot of different types of sugar cookies out there: crisp, soft, crackly, crumbly, sandy…It’s truly a versatile cookie. And it’s hard to pick a favorite. They all have their strengths. These cookies, though, might be my favorite kind: soft, juuust a little bit cakey, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
In fact, I have two other sugar cookie recipes on the blog that have a similar texture:
Both have subtle, yet distinct flavor profiles: the first has a bit of almond extract, and the second is lightly flavored with freshly-grated nutmeg.
But these Lemon Drop Sugar Cookies pack a big lemony punch that makes your mouth pucker a little, just like the candy they’re named for.
Lemon on Lemon
It’s the glaze that does it. These cookies are topped with a light, yet flavor-packed powdered sugar glaze that really brings them over the top. You could leave it off, but if you really want that big lemon flavor, you need the glaze.
The glaze was a last-minute addition when I was recipe testing. I just wasn’t getting the punch of lemon flavor that I wanted, so I decided to try a simple glaze made with powdered sugar and lemon juice. (I used a similar glaze on these Gingerbread Cookies.) And voila! Big, bold lemon flavor that was just tart enough to make me think of lemon drop candies. Perfect.
This is a super simple, easy to make recipe. They’re fairly quick to throw together too — the most time-consuming part is waiting for the glaze to dry before you put them away.
Give them a try for a mid-winter taste of sunshine, and let me know what you think in the comments below!
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Lemon Drop Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Lemon Sugar Cookies
- 1/2 c (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1 c granulated sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 c all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 T vegetable oil
Lemon Icing
- 2 c powdered sugar
- 3-4 T lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
Instructions
Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and lemon zest, rubbing them together with your fingers until fully combined.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and lemon-zested sugar until well combined and beginning to get a bit fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.
- Continue beating on low speed. Add flour mixture a little at a time, alternating with the vegetable oil until both are added and fully incorporated.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Flatten the balls slightly with your hand or the bottom of a glass. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until tops are set and bottom edges are beginning to brown slightly. Let cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then move to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely before adding icing.
Lemon Icing
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice. Icing should be nice and thick: If you drizzle it into the bowl, it should hold its shape a bit before sinking back into the rest of the icing.
- Dip the top of each cookie into the icing, allowing as much of the extra to drip off as possible. Then place the cookies back on the cooling rack. Allow the icing to dry out for about 1 hour*.Once they're dry enough to put in a container, refrigerate them overnight to really set the glaze. Or eat them all right away. It's up to you.