Soft and Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp grated lemon zest (bright yellow part only, from about 4 medium lemons)
- 1 cup butter, melted and cooled
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar for rolling
- 1/2 cup finely chopped white chocolate and sprinkles for decorating (optional)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the 1 1/2 cups sugar and the grated lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the mixture together until the sugar has become a pale yellow colour and the zest is evenly distributed. Pour in the cooled melted butter and stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Add the whole egg and the additional egg yolk. Continue stirring until the mixture becomes thick and creamy. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla until fully combined.
- In a medium size bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with the spatula until combined and no traces of flour remain in the bottom of the bowl.
- Lay two sheets of plastic wrap on a work surface, one sheet over the other, in a cross shape. Spoon the dough into the centre of the plastic wrap and pat it into a rectangle shape, about 1” thick. Bring up the sides of the plastic wrap to enclose the dough. Transfer the wrapped dough to the fridge and chill the dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Pour 1/3 cup granulated sugar into a shallow bowl. Place the chilled dough on a work surface and unwrap. Cut the dough into 1 Tbsp size pieces and roll each into a ball. Roll each ball in the granulated sugar until coated all over, then place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing the dough balls about 2” apart. You will likely need to bake the cookies in 2 batches. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set and are barely golden on the bottom. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. When the cookies are cool enough to handle but still warm, dip the tops in the granulated sugar again for extra sparkle. Cool completely on a rack before transferring to an airtight container. Cookies can be kept in a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
- Optional: Place the chopped white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 20 second intervals, stirring between, until melted and smooth. Drizzle the cooled cookings with the melted white chocolate. While the chocolate is still wet, dust with sprinkles. Allow the chocolate to cool and set before transferring the cookies to a storage container.