Lemony Sugar Cookies

Fresh lemon juice is what sets these sugar cookies apart from every other cutout recipe in your file. It adds a clean, bright tang that cuts through the butter and sugar, making each bite taste less one-note and more interesting.

The dough uses a whole egg plus an extra yolk, which makes these cookies tender and rich without being cakey. Cream the butter, sugar, and salt until genuinely pale and fluffy before adding the eggs. That aeration is what gives the cookies their fine, even texture after baking.

Chilling the dough for three hours sounds like a long wait, but it’s essential. Warm dough sticks to everything, tears when you roll it, and spreads too much in the oven. Cold dough rolls to a clean ⅛-inch thickness and holds its cutout shapes beautifully.

Bake until you see just a hint of golden brown around the edges. The centers should still look pale. They firm up as they cool.

Colored sugar crystals pressed on before baking give these a festive Christmas sparkle, but they work for any holiday or occasion.

Chef Tips

• Use fresh lemon juice, not bottled. The flavor difference is dramatic in a simple cookie like this.
• Roll between two sheets of parchment to prevent sticking without adding extra flour, which can toughen the dough.
• If the dough gets too warm while cutting shapes, pop it back in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Variations

• Add lemon zest to the dough along with the juice for even more citrus punch.
• Top with a simple lemon glaze (powdered sugar plus lemon juice) instead of colored sugar for a tangy finish.
• Use almond extract in place of vanilla for a lemon-almond flavor combination.