Recipe Background
Mildred's Lemon Cookies, with their zesty charm and reliable cheer, are perfect for nerve-wracking meet-the-parents gatherings.
Rolling out these lemon cookies always takes me back to a spontaneous meet-the-parents dinner with their family before my wedding. It was my first time meeting anyone that wasn't my partner, and I wanted to bring a dessert that felt like pure sunshine. As I pulled into the store parking lot, I remembered my trusty baking supply stash back home, complete with a collection of lemons quietly aging in a basket. A quick dash home, a little zest devotion, and soon enough, my kitchen was booming with the bright blend of butter and citrus.
The mixing process itself became a comforting prelude to the upcoming evening. I stood, humming nervously while whisking the eggs into a heavenly light yellow mix of lemon juice and zest. My secret touch? I always let the raw dough rest just a few minutes in the fridge. It helps keep the cookies tender, preventing them from spreading into a glorified lemon pancake. When all was said and done, the tangy aroma that filled my kitchen felt like a reassuring balm.
Walking through their front door with these cookies was like rushing headfirst into a big hug. Placing them on the table alongside a fresh batch of tea, I could almost feel the sense of collective joy. And the frosting, with its ridiculous amount of lemony goodness, was the final touch that brought it all together. For an evening meant to be nerve-wracking, these cookies offered a bright and cheerful break from the intensity. Little did I know, they’d serve as a conversation starter, breaking any ice that dared to form.
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar plus more, to taste
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the lemon frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon milk optional
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease one or two baking sheets.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 3/4 cup of the butter and 1 cup of the sugar and use an electric hand mixer to cream them together.
- Beat the eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon zest into the butter mixture until it is well-combined.
- Beat the flour, the baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt into the dough mixture.
- Roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place them slightly spaced out on the prepared baking sheets.
- Pour the extra sugar in a bowl. Dip the bottom of a glass in the sugar, then gently press down on 1 of the dough balls. Repeat until all the dough balls are flattened and sugary.
- Bake the cookies, in batches, until they are golden-brown on the bottom, about 9-10 minutes.
- Place the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool, about 3-4 minutes.
- Place the cookies on the wire rack and let them sit until they are completely cooled. Repeat the baking and cooling process until all of the cookies are baked and cooled.
- In a bowl, add the remaining butter, the powdered sugar, the extra salt, the remaining lemon zest, and the remaining lemon juice and beat with an electric hand mixer until creamy. If it is too thick, add the milk, then beat until creamy.
- Frost the tops of the cooled cookies with the lemon frosting.
- Serve.
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