Lemony Slice-and-Bakes
A little lemon in the cookies and their glaze brightens any holiday season
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest
- 1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary or thyme leaves optional
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 large egg yolks
Glaze
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tbs. lemon juice or more as needed
- Food coloring optional
- Sanding sugar optional
Instructions
- Whisk flour and salt in a medium bowl.
- Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, sugar, lemon zest, herbs (if using) and vanilla in a large bowl, occasionally scraping down sides, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add egg yolks; beat just to blend.
- Reduce speed to low: add flour mixture and beat, occasionally scraping down sides, just to blend.
- Divide dough in half; roll each half into a 10-inch log about 1-3/4 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 1 hour (can be made a few days ahead).
- Heat oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Unwrap a dough log. Using a sharp, lightly floured knife, slice log into 1/4-inch rounds. Transfer to baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.
- Bake until cookies are firm and golden brown around the edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool for a minute then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough log.
For Glaze
- Whisk sugar and 2 Tbsp. juice in a small bowl, adding more juice in small amounts if the glaze is too thick. Add food coloring, if desired. Spread or drizzle icing over cookies. Decorate with sugar as desired.
- Let stand at least 10 minutes to let icing set.
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