Lemon Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Inspired by techniques from King Arthur Baking and NYT Cooking.
These follow the classic cut-out sugar cookie method, with lemon zest rubbed into the sugar for a fragrant dough and a lemon juice glaze in place of milk.
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Method
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Equipment
- 2 large metal baking trays lined with baking paper
- stand mixer or electric hand whisk
- rolling pin
- baking paper for rolling
- 7-8 cm cookie cutters
- wire rack
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 155 kcal |
| Protein | 1.6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 23 g |
| of which sugars | 13.3 g |
| of which free sugars | 13.2 g |
| Fat | 6.4 g |
| of which saturates | 3.9 g |
| Fibre | 0.4 g |
| Salt | 0.17 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 30 servings
Dough
- 225 g unsalted butter, softened (about 18°C)
- 200 g caster sugar
- 4.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¾ tsp
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 6 g finely grated lemon zest (from 2 unwaxed lemons)
- 375 g plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
Glaze
- 200 g icing sugar
- 2½ tbsp fresh lemon juice plus a few drops more if needed
- 1
Rub zest into sugar. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips before creaming, pressing until the sugar looks damp and fragrant. This releases the citrus oils straight into the sugar, so the lemon flavour spreads through the whole dough rather than sitting in isolated specks.
- 2
Cream butter and sugar. Beat the softened butter with the lemon sugar and salt on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until pale, then beat in the egg and vanilla. Good creaming traps air that keeps the baked cookie tender.
- 3
Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour and baking powder on low speed, mixing just until combined. Stop as soon as the flour disappears, since overworking it makes the dough tough to roll.
- 4
Chill the dough. Divide the dough into 2 flat discs, wrap, and chill for 1 hour until firm, so it rolls evenly and holds shapes cleanly.
- 5
Roll out the dough. Roll each disc between two sheets of baking paper to 6mm thick; rolling between paper avoids working in extra flour, which would toughen the dough.
- 6
Cut and chill shapes. Cut out shapes, re-rolling scraps once only, and lay them on the lined metal trays 3cm apart. Chill the cut-outs for 15 minutes so the cold dough holds its edges in the oven.
- 7
Heat the oven. While the shapes chill, heat the oven to 175°C (155°C fan) for at least 20 minutes before baking.
- 8
Bake. Bake one tray at a time for 10-12 minutes, until set and matte with only the edges very lightly golden.
- 9
Cool on a rack. Let the biscuits set on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool fully.
- 10
Glaze with lemon. Whisk the icing sugar with the lemon juice to a thick, smooth, spreadable glaze, adding a few more drops of juice if it's too stiff. Spread or dip the cooled cookies and leave to set for 1 hour; the acidity balances nicely against the sweet dough.
Storage
Once the glaze has set, keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week. Un-iced baked cookies freeze for up to 3 months, and the raw dough discs keep for 3 days in the fridge or 2 months frozen.
