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Mother’s Day was upon us, and I wanted to prepare a special treat for my mom since we could not take her out to eat or gather as a family.

I started my search through recipes I’ve saved over the years, looking for either something with key lime or lemon since those are mom’s favorite dessert flavors.

When I spotted this recipe for glazed lemon cookies, I knew it would be perfect.

I’d torn the recipe from a recent issue of Winchester Living magazine.

 

Glazed Lemon Cookies

INGREDIENTS

— 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

— 3/4 cup granulated sugar

— 1 egg

— 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest

— 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

— 1 teaspoon lemon extract

— 2 cups all-purpose flour

— 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

— 1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

— 2 cups powdered sugar

— 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest

— 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix well. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and lemon extract; beat until combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly beat dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Beat until combined.

Spoon out dough and roll into balls. Place on parchment paper one inch apart, and lightly press with fingers to slightly flatten dough.

Bake 15 minutes, or until edges start to brown.

Transfer cookies to wire rack to completely cool.

To make glaze: whisk powdered sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice until smooth.

Dip top sides of cookies into glaze for full coverage.

 

Saturday afternoon, with yard work behind us, I went in the house, and got started preparing supper (heating up a pot of vegetable soup).

While the soup was reheating, I began gathering the ingredients for the cookies.

I’d set the butter out earlier in the day, and it was soft.

I zested a large lemon then juiced it, just enough of both for the cookie dough.

I turned on both ovens, and then lined two cookie sheet pans with Silpat mats (instead of parchment paper).

I put the softened butter and sugar in the bowl, and used my hand mixer to combine the two until they were fluffy.

I added the egg, mixed well, and then poured in the lemon zest, juice and extract, again mixing well to combine all the ingredients.

I combined the flour, baking soda and salt, and used a whisk to incorporate the three, then slowly added the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, beating until well mixed.

The dough was sticky, but I was able to scoop it and roll into balls.

After washing my sticky hands, I gently flattened each cookie dough ball, and placed the two pans into my ovens.

I set the timer for 15 minutes, and when it sounded, they looked slightly brown around the edges. I assumed they were done.

They cooled on the pans for a few minutes. I removed them and placed them on a cooling rack to complete the cooling process.

I had enough dough to bake a few more cookies, and repeated the process.

After supper, the cookies were completely cooled and ready to be glazed.

Since there were only 31 cookies, I decided I’d prepare half of the glaze called for. I zested and juiced another lemon and added a tablespoon of the zest and two tablespoons of the juice to a cup of powdered sugar. I used a tiny whisk that was Brad’s moms to combine the glaze until there were no lumps.

Brad came into the kitchen, and looked at the baked cookies. One didn’t look very pretty, so I told him he could try it, but he had to have a bite without the glaze and then save the rest so he could try it with glaze. He said the cookie bite was pretty good.

Dipping the tops into the glaze was a snap. After dipping each one, I placed it back on the wire cooling rack so the glaze could firm up. The last cookie to be dipped was the one Brad had tasted.

Once the glaze set up, I handed him the cookie, and he said “they’re lemony.”

When I was certain the glaze was completely set up, I placed the majority of the cookies in a container to take to my mom.

While cleaning up the kitchen, I lifted the cooling rack from the counter, and there was glaze that had dripped off the cookies all over the counter. I recommend placing wax paper under your cooling rack if you make these cookies to hasten the clean up process.

On Sunday, I headed to my mom’s with her gifts and the cookies. She didn’t try them while I was there, but the next day when I visited her, she said they were really good, she’d eaten two for breakfast.

I tried one, and thought they were like Lay’s potato chips — you can’t eat just one. I was glad these cookies weren’t at my house because if they had been, I would not have been able to hold myself back from eating them.

I mentioned that to Mom, and she agreed.

Rachel said she really liked the lemon glaze.

I like this recipe not only because the cookies were tasty, but since it only made about two-and-a-half dozen, you didn’t spend an eternity in the kitchen baking.

I suppose you could make the cookies bigger and you would spend even less time in the kitchen making them.

Sarah Condley is an amateur baker and chef who is compiling a cookbook of her favorite recipes.