Small-batch Lemon Sugar Cookies With Strawberry Frosting
These Small-batch Lemon Sugar Cookies With Strawberry Frosting have a smooth and subtle lemon flavor and are topped with sweet and tangy homemade strawberry frosting.
Servings 6 cookies
Calories 330kcal
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- Handheld electric mixer optional but helpful
- Microplane optional but helpful
- Piping bag optional
- Large open-star pastry tip optional
Homemade Strawberry Frosting
- 4 medium strawberries hulled, plus more if needed*
- 1 teaspoon (4g) granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons (2oz) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
Lemon Sugar Cookies
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (105g) all-purpose flour measured by weight or using the spoon and sweep method*
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup (76g) unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg white
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest loosely packed
- 1/3 cup (40g) powdered sugar
Instructions
Start Frosting
- Puree strawberries in a blender or food processor or using the chopper attachment of an immersion blender. Measure out 1/4 cup of puree and add to a small pot. Discard the rest.
- Add granulated sugar to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until reduced to 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool on the counter until completely cool to the touch while you make your cookies.
Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg white and vanilla extract and beat until well-mixed.
- Add lemon zest and beat until mixed.
- Beat in flour mixture until mixed and a slightly sticky down forms.
- Place powdered sugar in a small bowl and drop heaping (about 1 1/2-ounce) spoonfuls of dough into the powdered sugar. Roll to coat and form the dough into a ball before transferring it to your prepared baking sheet. This should make 6 cookies.
- Use a glass or the palm of your hand to smash the dough to 1/2-inch thick.
- Bake for 9 to 12 minutes, just until the cookies look set and bottom edges are very slightly starting to turn golden. Do not overbake.
- Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Finish Strawberry Frosting
- Once your puree and cookies are cool, in a medium bowl, beat softened butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of completely cooled puree, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat for 30 seconds.
- Add 2 more teaspoons of the puree, one at a time, beating well after each. After the final teaspoon, continue to beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. Discard remaining cooked puree.*
- Use a knife or piping bag fitted with an open-star tip to frost cookies. To make a rose shape, start piping at the center of the cookie and spiral outward. (If piping, don't go all the way to the edges of the cookies or you will run out of frosting before finishing). Serve and enjoy!
Notes
*If your blender/food processor is struggling to process this small amount of strawberries, you can add a couple more berries until there is enough volume for the machine to process. Once the strawberries are pureed, measure out the amount needed for the recipe, and you can use the leftover puree in lemonade or discard.
*Correct flour measurement is very important in this recipe. For best results, measure by weight or the Spoon and Sweep Method (stir the flour in your container to fluff it up and then spoon it into your measuring cup, sweep excess off with the flat of a knife).
*Do not add more cooked puree to the frosting than the recipe calls for as this can make your frosting runny. If the frosting is not as pink as you would like, add a couple of drops of food coloring instead.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 330kcal