These Super Soft Lemon Cookies are simple, lemony and incredibly tender. The secret? Cream cheese! Once baked top with a dusting of powdered sugar and prepare to fall in love.
Course Desserts & Sweet Treats
Cuisine American
Keyword baking, citrus, cookies, cream cheese, lemon, lemony cookies
Prep Time 20 minutesmins
Cook Time 20 minutesmins
Chill Time 1 hourhr
Total Time 1 hourhr40 minutesmins
Servings 27cookies
Calories 108
Author Laurie McNamara
Ingredients
1¾cupunbleached all-purpose flour
1/2teaspoonfine sea salt
1/2teaspoonbaking powder
1/2teaspooncream of tartar
1cupgranulated sugar
1lemonzested
1/2cupunsalted butter (1 stick) softened
1/2cupcream cheese(4 ounces) softened
1largeegg
1egg yolk
1teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2teaspoonlemon extract
1/2lemonjuiced (about 2 tablespoons)
powdered sugarfor dusting
Instructions
In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and cream of tartar. Set aside.
Combine lemon zest with granulated sugar. Use your fingers to massage the sugar into the zest. Stop once the sugar resembles wet sand.
In a larger bowl, add softened cream cheese, unsalted butter and lemon sugar. Mix until light and fluffy.
Next add in the whole egg plus an egg yolk, vanilla, lemon extract and juice of 1/2 a lemon. Mix until incorporated.
Gradually add in the flour mixture. Mix until the flour is just combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as you go.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Once chilled, preheat your oven to 375°
Use a metal scoop to measure out the cookie dough. Place 12 scoops of cookie dough 2-inches or so apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.Keep unused dough refrigerated between batches, otherwise the cookies will spread more while baking.
Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan halfway through baking.
Remove and let cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completley.