Frosted Lemon Sugar Cookies
These lemon sugar cookies are soft and tender, topped with a silky lemon buttercream and sprinkled with lemon zest.
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 404kcal
Ingredients
"Wet" ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 medium lemon zested
- 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh is best
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
"Dry" ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
Lemon buttercream
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar whisked to remove any lumps
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Garnish
- lemon zest optional
Instructions
Prepare
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
"Cream" the butter and sugar
- To a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and granulated sugar. Using a hand mixer, beat on LOW for about 30 seconds (or until the ingredients are starting to stick together), then increase speed to MED and beat for about 1-2 minutes, or until everything is fully combined. **This process is called creaming the fat and sugar, but there is no cream in this recipe**
Add remaining "wet" ingredients
- Add the egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and beat on LOW until combined.
Combine wet and dry ingredients
- To the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and baking soda). Beat on LOW until things are just combined and you don't see any streaks of flour.
Roll and cut the dough
- Turn out the dough onto work surface and roll dough to a thickness of about 1 inch. If you find the dough sticking, flouring the work surface and rolling pin is helpful, as is rolling dough out between 2 pieces of wax or parchment paper.
- Cut into shapes and place cut out dough pieces on prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
Bake
- Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden
Cool
- Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely. While cookies are cooling, make the frosting.
Make the frosting
- Add butter to the mixing bowl and beat on MED speed until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add powdered sugar and lemon juice, and beat until smooth.
- **Adjust if necessary** If the texture is really stiff, add some additional lemon juice (a little at a time), beating together until combined. If the texture is too soft, feel free to add about 1/2 cup more sifted powdered sugar.
Frost, garnish, and serve
- Frost cookies in desired manner (I used a piping bag and decorating tip, but you don't have to do this), and sprinkle with lemon zest. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- The number of fresh lemons required to make 1/2 cup lemon juice (1/4 cup for both the cookies and the frosting) will vary widely depending on their size and how much juice they contain.
- Chill a bit longer if you want to have more precise cut out shapes.
Nutrition
Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 152mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 498IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg