Sweet and buttery, these lemon biscuits (of the cookie variety) are soft and melty and have a gorgeous lemon zing. Easy to make and a scrumptious snack.
1cupcaster sugar or white granulated sugar (200g/7oz)
1large eggroom temp
1 ½teaspoonsvanilla extract
355gplain flour (all-purp flour) (2 ¾ cups)
⅓cuplemon zest, not packed (4 medium lemons or 3 large)
½teaspoonbaking powder
FOR THE ROYAL ICING
2cupsicing sugar (powdered sugar)(260g/9.2oz)
2-2½tablespoonslemon juice(notes 1)
2teaspoonsmeringue powderoptional
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
stand mixer or electric handheld beater
cookie cutters
Rolling Pin
Baking sheets.
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, use your fingertips to press the sugar and lemon zest together until it’s like wet sand.
Add the butter and beat with the paddle attachment on medium for 3-4 minutes until it looks creamy and fluffy. Scrape down the sides a couple of times during the process.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides if you need to help it come together.
Add the flour and scatter over the baking powder evenly. Pulse until it starts to come together so the flour doesn’t fly up everywhere, then beat on low, until it’s just incorporated. Careful not to overmix or you’ll get tough cookies.
Take the dough out of the mixer and shape into two flat disks, then wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30-60 minutes (or up to 2 days). See notes on freezing some dough for later if you choose.
Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan forced) / 350F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Take the dough out of the fridge and depending on how long it’s been in there, it might need up to 15 minutes to relax a little.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and sprinkle a little flour over the top. Gently roll out the cookie dough to 4-6mm thick (up to ¼ inch) being gentle so you don’t force cracks into the dough if it’s quite firm. If it’s still too firm, just leave it to warm up a little or wrap your hands around it to warm slightly.
Use a 5cm round fluted cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies from each roll as possible before kneading the dough back together and rolling out again. You can use any shape or size cookie cutter.
Transfer the shapes to the lined baking sheets. You can bake straight away as long as the dough hasn’t become too soft but 10 minutes in the fridge will ensure they keep their shape better when baked. Bake for 8-9 minutes until just beginning to turn the palest golden on the edges and underneath. The tops will still be very pale but matt and they’ll firm up a little as they cool.
Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before icing.
FOR THE LEMON ICING: Add the icing sugar and meringue powder (if using) to a medium mixing bowl.
Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and whisk a little. Add more, 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing after each addition, until the mixture has a consistency where it settles smoothly in 10-12 seconds.
Dip the top of each cookie into the icing, scrape a little on the side of the bowl, then turn, icing side up, onto the wire rack. Lift and drop the cookie gently (only about 1cm) to smooth out and level the surface of the icing. You can also just drizzle the icing over the top. Let them set a little before serving.
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Notes
Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
Meringue powder helps the icing to set a bit firmer / drier.
All ovens vary, so I always recommend just baking off 1-2 cookies as a test, then adjust your timing to suit the results.
This recipe makes 48 cookies but if you don’t want to make them all at once, you can freeze some of the batch for later. An easy way to do this is to freeze one half of the dough once it’s made. Or go ahead and cut all the cookies, then freeze half of them. To freeze the already cut cookies, cover a baking tray with baking paper then lay the cookie dough shapes in a single layer on top. Freeze until solid, then transfer to an airtight container or ziplock bag. You can then bake them at will.
You can use any shape or size cookie cutter however the quantity, baking time and nutritional information here is based on getting 48 cookies from the dough each around 21g (¾ oz) each.
You can add sprinkles to the top of each cookie after you’ve added the icing if you like.
Nutrition details are approximate only - scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.