Lemon Cookies

I'm obsessed with these lemon cookies! But we can't always make it to Maggiano's so here are some recipes I'm hoping to try from Live Fit and Healthy and QueenMotherBlog. 

Recipe 1: 

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

For the cookies

• 4½ cups all-purpose flour
• 4½ tsp. baking powder
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tbsp. Fresh lemon juice

For the frosting

• 5 cups confectioners’ sugar,sifted
• 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• ¼ cup  milk (plus more, as needed)

Directions

1. To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350? F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk together to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.  Blend in the lemon juice.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed.  Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.
2. When you are ready to bake the cookies, scoop a quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball.  Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart.  
3. Bake about 10 minutes or just until set.  
4. Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To frost the cookies

1. Place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl.  
2. Add the melted butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth.
3. Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.  
4. Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies.  (If the frosting begins to thicken as you decorate, just continue to whisk in small amounts of milk to keep it workable.)  

Recipe 2 

Ingredients

3/4 c (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp.
3/4 c granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 t kosher salt
2 cups a/p flour
1 c confectioners’ sugar
2 T fresh lemon juice (more if necessary)
1 t grated lemon zest (zest your lemon before you juice it)

Directions

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and salt and beat to combine. Gradually add the flour, mixing until just incorporated. Divide the dough in half and shape into 1 1/4 inch-diameter logs. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 F. Slice the logs into 3/8″ thick pieces and space them 1 1/2″ inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until lightly golden, 16-20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and zest until it forms a thick but pourable glaze (add more lemon juice if necessary). Dip the top of each cookie into the glaze and let set, about 15 minutes.

Note, instead of refrigerating the dough, freeze the logs for up to 2 months. To bake, follow the recipe instructions, cutting and baking the dough from frozen, and use the upper end of the time range.