Soft Lemon Cookies from Scratch

These delicious cookies have a kick of lemon flavor, and they're made from scratch rather than a box mix like the majority of recipes out there. This recipe was created because I absolutely love lemon-flavored desserts, but have an allergy to artificial colorants and dyes used in food. Following this recipe as written, you can take comfort in knowing you're not feeding your children any artificial colorings.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 91 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 cup white sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• cooking spray
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest, preferably organic
• ½ cup powdered sugar (Optional)
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for sprinkling (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Step 2

Cream sugar and butter in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, egg, and vanilla extract; mix on low speed to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl to incorporate everything evenly.

Step 3

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Add to the sugar mixture slowly, mixing on low speed until just incorporated. Mix in the remaining 2 tablespoons flour.

Step 4

Place 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl. Scoop out teaspoonfuls of cookie dough, roll in powdered sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheet, 1 to 2 inches apart.

Step 5

Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are light brown on the edges, 9 to 11 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 3 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack and sprinkle with additional powdered sugar.