Lemon Stars are crunchy lemon sugar cookies cut out as stars. They are topped with zigzags of sweet-tart lemon icing and sparkling sugar. These are a beautiful holiday cookie for Hanukkah or Christmas!
Lemon star cut-out cookies with yellow and blue zigzags of lemon icing.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Cut out cookies do take more time than a simple drop cookie, but they definitely have more eye appeal. In the case of these lemon cookies, they have great taste appeal too!
Some recipes for roll out cookies have finicky dough. Not this recipe. It’s perfect for family baking.
The dough is smooth and easy to roll out, just like edible playdoh, and is forgiving of multiple roll outs when little hands don’t make the best use of space while cutting out shapes. Icing the cookies with random squiggles is a skill that even a toddler can master.
Don’t skip the icing. It is perfectly matched to the cookie.
The dough is only mildly lemony and not very sweet. When tasted plain, these cookies are unimpressive.
However, the tart yet sweet icing is a game changer. Both the tender texture and the flavor of these are even better after a day or two!
Crunchy, lemon sugar cookies with a sweet-tart lemon glaze. A cut out cookie for lemon lovers.
Course: DessertCuisine: American, Prep Time: 40minutes minutesCook Time: 20minutes minutesChill time: 1hour hourTotal Time: 2hours hours Servings: 48
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
Icing
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Food coloring
- Decorating sugar large crystal or sanding sugar
Instructions
Cookies
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
Add eggs, lemon juice and zest, until well combined.
Gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture until just blended.
Shape the sugar cookie dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight until firm enough for rolling.
When ready to roll out the dough: Preheat oven to 375˚F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Working with one half of the chilled dough at a time, roll dough out between two sheets of parchment paper to ¼” thickness.
Cut shapes out of dough and place on the prepared cookie sheet 1” apart.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges just begin to brown.
Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
Icing
In a medium bowl, mix confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Divide the icing into small bowls, one for each color of icing desired. Stir in a few drops of food coloring.
Spoon each color of icing into a ziplock sandwich-size bag. Snip off a tiny piece of a bottom corner to pipe the icing.
Pipe one color onto cooled cookies in a random zigzag pattern, then allow the icing to set for about 30 minutes. Pipe the second color onto each cookie and sprinkle with matching decorating sugar.
When all layers of icing have been applied, allow the icing to set for at least 2 hours or overnight, before storing or wrapping for shipping.
Stored at room temperature in an airtight container, Lemon Stars will remain tender and delicious for at least 7 days.
Notes
For the best flavor be sure to use fresh lemon juice and zest rather than lemon extract.
This lemon sugar cookies recipe is a great bake sale item during the holiday season.
A batch of these cookies makes a beautiful gift and is a crowd pleaser on cookie trays.
Packing tips
Double wrap small piles of cookies in plastic wrap, then place snugly in an airtight container or zip lock bag for mailing.
Nutrition
Calories: 82kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 89IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg