That’s why, in the spirit of things that love cookies, we decided to make a batch of bright, light, refreshing, perfectly tangy summer cookies… which gave us these adorable lemon cream cheese cookies.
Lemon is one of our favourite flavours for cooking and baking – there are so many ways to use it! – and lends itself very well to sweets, as it keeps them from being clownish.
The same goes for the surprising addition of cream cheese, as it adds the slightest spicy taste that complements these cookies and makes us want to ask for more. If the idea of lemon and cream cheese doesn’t appeal to you, just look how cute these babies are! Make a batch and watch them disappear… you can never get enough!
INGREDIENTS
Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 large egg, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Icing:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon milk
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
PREPARATION
In a large bowl or mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth, then mix in sugar and beat until creamy.
Mix in egg, then vanilla extract, and beat until fluffy and lightened in color. 5-6 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, lemon zest, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the lemon juice to the cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
Mix until a rough dough comes together. If needed, add a little more flour so the dough isn’t sticky.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap, then refrigerates for 1-2 hours, or until chilled.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350º F.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and use a tablespoon or ice cream scoop to scoop cookie dough. Roll dough between your hands to create balls, then transfer to lined baking sheets.
Place baking sheets in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are just starting to brown and pull away from the baking sheet.
Remove cookies from oven and let cool completely.
To make the icing: whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and lemon juice until smooth. Add more or less powdered sugar depending on how thick you want your icing.
Once cookies are cool, drizzle icing over them and let set before serving.
