These soft and chewy cookies are packed with big lemon flavour thanks to the addition of fresh lemon juice and zest. It’s important to chill the cookie dough before baking to prevent the cookies from spreading to much as they bake and maintaining their chewy texture. The lemon glaze adds another layer of bright citrus flavour, but these cookies are just as delicious without it!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• zest and juice from one large lemon
• 1/2 cup white sugar, for rolling

Icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3-4 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This should take about two minutes.
4. Add the egg, vanilla extract, lemon zest and juice. Mix until fully combined.
5. Next, reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients.
6. Use a small ice cream scoop to roll the dough into balls. Roll each ball into the granulated sugar and place on prepared baking sheets.
7. Place the entire baking pan into the fridge for 15 minutes to chill. This will prevent the cookies from spreading too much as they bake and help keep them soft and chewy.
8. Bake chilled cookies dough for 10 minutes, until just lightly golden on the edges. Cool cookies on wire rack before icing.
9. For the icing: whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until fully incorporated. If the icing is too thin, add a little more sugar. If it’s too thick, use a bit more lemon juice to thin it out. Drizzle icing on completely cooked cookies.

* Yield: approximately 24 cookies.