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Italian Lemon Drop Cookies Recipe

Italian Lemon Drop Cookies Recipe
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★★★★★

4.9 from 19 reviews

Italian Lemon Drop Cookies are tender, buttery treats bursting with fresh lemon zest and juice. These soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookies are lightly dusted with powdered sugar for a perfect sweet and tangy finish. Ideal for afternoon tea or a refreshing dessert, they bring a bright citrus flavor to classic cookie dough.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Finishing

  • ½ cup powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
  2. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set this mixture aside for later use.
  3. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, which should take about 3 to 4 minutes.
  4. Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg, lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, and vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture until everything is fully combined and smooth.
  5. Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined to avoid overworking the dough which can make cookies tough.
  6. Form Dough Balls: Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to drop rounded balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, ensuring you space them approximately 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
  7. Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies turn lightly golden. The centers might look slightly underbaked but will firm up as they cool.
  8. Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes to set properly before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. Dust with Powdered Sugar: Once the cookies have cooled completely, dust them generously with powdered sugar before serving to add a sweet, delicate finish.

Notes

  • Make sure the butter is softened but not melted for best creaming results.
  • Lemon zest should be freshly grated for the brightest flavor.
  • Do not overmix once the dry ingredients are added to keep cookies tender.
  • If you prefer a stronger lemon flavor, you can increase the lemon zest to 2 tablespoons.
  • Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
  • For a gluten-free version, substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend.

Nutrition

Keywords: Italian Lemon Drop Cookies, lemon cookies, soft lemon cookies, citrus cookies, lemon sugar cookies

Find it online: https://mixitwitjoe.com/italian-lemon-drop-cookies-recipe/