Valentine’s Day Happy Heart Lemon Cookies

Must love lemon! The secret to these lightly puckery, tender cookies is lemon peel. There’s a bit in the cookie dough plus some in the glaze. But fear not, there’s enough sugar and butter involved to mellow the tartness. (And didja know adding a bit of confectioner’s sugar makes a cookie tender rather than super crispy?)

Like most recipes, this one comes with a story and lots of memories. What’s your favorite recipe and its story?

Happy Heart Lemon Sugar Cookies

About 3 dozen 2- to 3-inch cookies

Beat until creamy:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons powdered sugar (it adds a light texture)

1 to 2 tsp. lemon peel (I use a Microplane to remove the lemon peel in fine shreds)

1/4 tsp. salt

Add and beat until combined:

1 egg

1  tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Add and beat on low (or stir with a wooden spoon) until combined:

2 1/2 cups flour

Divide dough into thirds, flatten into disks, and wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Using 1 part of dough at a time, roll dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Use a 2- to 3-inch cutter to cut out cookies. Place on cookie sheet about 1-inch apart.

Repeat with remaining dough. Pat dough scraps together and roll and cut.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges get a hint of brown. Do not over bake. Remove to a cooling rack. When cool, frost with Lemon Glaze. Add little red hearts or pink and red sprinkles, if desired. (I used Wilton’s Jumbo Heart Sprinkles and a few random jimmies.)

Lemon Glaze: Whisk together 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, 2 to 3 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp. lemon peel, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract.

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