Lemon Meltaways
Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies flavored with lemon juice and zest, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Equipment
- Oven
- mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- whisk
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Small scoop or spoon
- wire rack
Ingredients
Main
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted, divided (1 cup for dough, 1 cup for dusting)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- zest of 2 lemons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream the softened butter with 1 cup sifted powdered sugar using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Beat in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
- Whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt in a separate bowl.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix just until a soft dough forms, being careful not to overmix.
- Form the dough into small balls using a small scoop or spoon and place them on the prepared baking sheet spaced apart.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once fully cooled, dust the cookies generously with the remaining sifted powdered sugar.
Notes
Use room-temperature butter for best texture and to ensure proper creaming. For uniform cookies, use a small cookie scoop. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze baked cookies for longer storage.