Citrus Zest Sugar Cookies Recipes

CITRUS-ZEST SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper; set aside. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and the granulated and brown sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition. Mix in candied orange peel, the zests, and the oils. Reduce mixer speed to low, and slowly add dry ingredients. Beat until fully combined and dough begins to form around paddle.
• Use a 2-inch ice cream scoop to drop cookies onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Flatten cookies with palm of hand. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush tops with water. Sprinkle with more sanding sugar. Transfer to oven, and bake until just beginning to brown at edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

CITRUS SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add sugar, eggs, and lemon zest and process until mixture resembles wet sand.
• Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured surface; knead several times until dough comes together. Divide into 3 portions; flatten each into a disk. Roll each disk to an 1/8-inch thickness between sheets of parchment. Stack dough (still in parchment) on a baking sheet; refrigerate 20 minutes. (To store, wrap in plastic and freeze on sheet, up to 2 weeks. Thaw until pliable before using.)
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with racks in middle and lower thirds. Working with 1 dough sheet at a time, peel off parchment (save for baking). With lightly floured cutters, cut dough into desired shapes and arrange, 1 inch apart, on 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets (reroll scraps, if desired). Sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Bake until cookies are set but still pale, 7 to 9 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool completely. Using a spoon, frost cookies with icing; decorate with sugar, if desired.

GLUTEN-FREE CITRUS SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Make the cookies:
• Arrange the racks in the upper and lower rungs in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Use a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle to grind the psyllium, flax and chia seeds to a fine powder, transfer to a bowl along with the flour mix, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk a few times to combine, and set aside.
• In a separate large bowl, beat the sugar and butter together using an electric mixer. Beat in the yolks and vanilla until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Divide the dough in three equal parts, placing each in a medium bowl. Add one type of zest to each bowl. Mix the zest into the dough until evenly distributed. Form each dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until dough has firmed up a bit, about 15 minutes. Place each piece of dough between two pieces of parchment and roll to a 8-x-6-inch rectangle. Stack the dough sheets and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill until firmed up, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and remove top layers of parchment. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough lengthwise and crosswise to form 1 1/4-inch squares. Arrange the dough squares 2 inches apart on two baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Bake cookies until light golden on the edges, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer the cookies to wire rack set over a parchment-lined baking sheet to cool completely.
• Make the glaze and finish the cookies:
• Sift the confectioners sugar into a large bowl, add the ground cloves, and whisk together to combine. Whisk in the melted butter. Place a third of the mixture into each of three separate small bowls. Whisk one type of juice into each of the separate bowls to make three varieties of citrus glazes.
• Glaze the top of each type of cookie with 1 teaspoon of glaze of the same flavor. Use the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula to spread the glaze over the top of the cookie. Repeat to glaze all of the cookies. Sprinkle the zest of the same citrus over each cookie. Let stand at room temperature until set, about 2 hours.

LEMON SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugars and oil until blended. Beat in eggs and extract. Combine flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; stir into butter mixture (dough will be stiff)., Roll into 1-in. balls; place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press with bottom of a glass dipped in water, then in sugar. Bake 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

LEMON COOKIES FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• Cream sugar, butter, and lemon zest together in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Combine eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a cup; mix using a fork until combined. Beat into egg mixture slowly on low speed.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add to egg mixture slowly on low speed until just combined. Do not overbeat; dough will be sticky. Cover and chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes; it will still be sticky after chilling.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Form dough into balls using a cookie scoop or tablespoon and roll each in powdered sugar. Place onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Lightly smash each ball down using your hand.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the middle of each cookie is just barely set, 11 to 12 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack completely before storing in an airtight container.

MOM'S LEMON SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon zest and extract. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours., Preheat oven to 375°. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, 7-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.