Iced Lemon Rounds
These small, round cookies have a cake-like texture, rich butter and lemon flavor, and are topped with smooth icing.
Ingredients
all-purpose flour
3 cups
baking powder
1 teaspoon
salt
½ teaspoon
unsalted butter (softened)
16 tablespoons (2 sticks)
granulated sugar
½ cup
confectioners' sugar
½ cup
large eggs
2
lemon zest (finely grated (from about 2 lemons))
2 tablespoons
fresh lemon juice
¼ cup
pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon
confectioners' sugar (for LEMON ICING)
1 cup
fresh lemon juice (for LEMON ICING)
1 tablespoon
milk (for LEMON ICING)
2 teaspoons
Instructions
1
PREHEAT
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2
WHISK
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
3
USING
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until creamy. Add the granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs, then add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat the flour mixture in on low speed until just incorporated. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky.
4
DROP
Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Use your fingers to gently flatten each dough mound to about 1/2 inch thick. Bake for about 13 minutes, until the tops are pale and the bottoms are golden. The cookies should feel set but still soft inside. (If using 2 baking sheets, rotate them top-to-bottom and front-to-back halfway through baking.) Transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely.
5
FOR THE ICING
Stir the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and milk in a small bowl. Use a small offset spatula or butter knife to spread the icing over the tops of the cookies. Let the cookies sit on the racks until the icing sets.
