Lemon Sugar Cookies

Lemon Sugar Cookies - made dough November 8, 2019 from Dorie's Cookies by Dorie Greenspan

This is a really good lemon sugar cookie recipe: not too sweet but not too tart and it's nicely chewy, not cakey. Plus it's easy to mix together. It does spread a little so you might want to mound up the dough balls and bake from frozen dough like I normally do.

This is the kind of cookie I like to include in a sampler or variety pack when I bake my gifts. It's less fancy and more plain looking than its decorative counterparts but, if taste matters to you, this is a nice palate pleaser that can hold its own with the fancy.

2 3/4 cups (374 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
sugar for dredging

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda and baking powder together.
3. Put the granulated sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using your fingertips, mash and run the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Using the paddle attachment, add the butter and salt to the bowl and beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes.
4. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla and lemon juice.
5. Add half of the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until almost incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the remaining dry ingredients. Beat on low speed until combined and dough comes away from sides of bowl.
6. Pour some granulated sugar into a shallow bowl. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out level portions of the dough and form into a ball. Roll in sugar to coat completely. Space evenly on prepared baking sheets.
7. Bake the cookies 8 to 14 minutes, rotating halfway through baking, until they're barely golden around the edges. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.