Making the Cookies

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the all-purpose flour (1.5 cups), kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon), and baking powder (1/2 teaspoon). Whisk until fully combined, about 1 minute. These are your “dry ingredients.”
2. In a separate medium-sized bowl, add the granulated sugar (3/4 cup) and lemon zest (2 Tablespoons). Using a fork or your fingers, mix them together, making sure the zest gets evenly dispersed through the sugar and the oils from the lemon zest start to mix with the sugar. It should be quite fragrant once it’s combined.
3. Add the melted butter (8 Tablespoons) to the lemon sugar and whisk until there are no dry sugar patches left.
4. Add the egg (1), vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), lemon extract (1 teaspoon), and lemon juice (1 Tablespoon) to the bowl of sugar and butter and whisk together until everything is combined and there are no shiny egg streaks.
   These are your “wet ingredients.”
5. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and gently stir with a stiff spatula or wooden spoon until there are no dry patches in the dough. The dough will be quite soft, but it will firm up as it rests.
6. Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes.
7. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the dough and place the portions on a plate or tray lined with parchment paper and store covered in the fridge for 12-24 hours.

Bake the Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 325 Fahrenheit (yes that feels low, but trust the process).
2. Place the chilled cookie dough on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper, about two inches apart. If you need to bake the cookies in batches, keep any extra dough covered in the fridge until it’s ready to go into the oven.
3. Bake for 12-15 minutes. The cookies will be pretty soft when the come out of the oven, but will firm up as they cool.

Optional Glaze

1. Allow the cookies to cool completely before making and adding the glaze.
2. Add the powdered sugar (3/4 cup), lemon juice (4 Tablespoons), and kosher salt (2 three-finger pinches) to a small bowl (small, but about 2-3 inches wider than your widest cookie) and stir to combine. It will separate as it sits, so just give it a little stir whenever you see this happening.
3. Dip the top of each cookie in the glaze and allow the cookies to rest until the glaze settles into the cookie. You’ll know they’re done when the tops are no longer shiny and the top of the cookie is not sticky to the touch.
4. Enjoy 🙂

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