Frosted Lemon Cookies

This is a cookie that I have been making for years. It was the first recipe I had ever made from the Land O'Lakes website - I never even knew they had a website full of recipes! I'm not sure why, but my cookies never turn out looking like the ones in their picture. Mine are always much flatter. I've tried refrigerating the dough first before baking, but they still flattened out. Regardless, they still taste great :)

This recipe calls for cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is actually a powder that forms as a byproduct of wine making. The crystals that form in wine casks during the fermentation process are purified to produce this acidic powder. It can be used to stabilize egg whites, prevent sugar syrups from crystallizing, reduce discoloration of boiled vegetables, and is sometimes found as the leavening agent in baking powder.

I love this recipe because it is so simple. You just throw all the ingredients together in the bowl, mix thoroughly, and then you're ready to bake! I prefer to drizzle the lemon frosting on my cookies instead of frosting them like they are on the Land O'Lakes website. I find that the lemon flavor is a little overwhelming if it's all concentrated together.

Frosted Lemon Cookies
from Land O'Lakes


Cookie Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted Butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Glaze Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Heat oven to 400°F. Combine all cookie ingredients in large bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Meanwhile, combine all glaze ingredients in small bowl; stir until smooth. Frost warm cookies with glaze. Sprinkle with additional lemon peel, if desired.

Yield: 5 dozen cookies.