Lemon zest-laced cutout cookies iced with colorful buttercream frosting are a festive treat for Spring and Easter!
Prep Time6 hourshrs
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time6 hourshrs10 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Easter cookies, Sugar Cookies, Sugar cookies with butter cream frosting
Servings: 24Servings
Calories: 226kcal
Author: Whitney Reist
Ingredients
For the cookies:
1cup(2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature for 1-2 hours
¾cupgranulated sugar
1largeegg
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1tablespoonfinely grated lemon zest
3cupsall purpose flour
1 ½teaspoonsbaking powder
½teaspoonsalt
For the buttercream frosting:
1cup(2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature for 1-2 hours
3-4cupsof powdered sugar
[Wilton food coloring gels|
Instructions
For the cookies:
Combine the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl if you plan to use a hand mixer). Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until the mixture is pale in color and fluffy; this should take 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest, beating in on medium speed just until incorporated.
In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir with a whisk or fork to make sure all the ingredients are well-combined.
Gradually add the flour mixture in 1 cup increments to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed after each addition and scrape down the sides of bowl as needed. Mix just until the ingredients are fully incorporated and a soft ball of dough has formed.
Divide the dough into 3-4 portions and place each on a sheet of plastic wrap. Press the dough balls down into disks that are ½ inch thick. Wrap each disk in the sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or freeze for later use (thaw in the fridge the night before you need it).
Once the dough is chilled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Have your baking sheets ready and line them with parchment paper or a silpat.
Remove each disk of dough from the refrigerator as you need it. Place the disk on a well floured surface. Roll each disk to a thickness of ¼’’. Use a ruler to measure the thickness if needed. Use cookie cutters to cut the cookies into the desired shapes, then carefully transfer the cut cookie dough to the baking sheets (you may need a wide spatula to do this).
Bake the cookies for 8-12 minutes, depending on the thickness, until the dough is set in teh middle and the edges have started to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies must be completely cooled prior to decorating.