Lemon Cookies

Here is a sugar cookie recipe that is easy to make and has endless possibilities for variation. The simple sugar cookie base uses lemon zest and sour cream, to create a soft texture and a splash of citrus. To keep with the lemon theme, I have chosen to adorn the cookies with a sweet and tart lemon curd giving it an alluring appeal that most will find truly irresistible.

Lemon Cookies

Yield | about 30 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar; plus more for rolling cookies in
• Zest of one lemon
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2  2/3  cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
• 3/4 cup lemon curd

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar and lemon zest with an electric mixer and beat until light, fluffy and fragrant; about 3 minutes.
2. Add in egg and mix until well combined. Add in vanilla and sour cream; mix until thoroughly incorporated. Mixture may appear curdled, but that’s okay, it will come back together once the dry ingredients are introduced to the mixture.
3. In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.
4. Slowly add the dry mixture to the butter mixture until just combined.
5. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
6. When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Form dough into one inch balls, roll dough balls in sugar and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
8. Bake for 7-8 minutes.
9. As soon as removing cookies from the oven press small indentation into the top of the cookies with the bottom of a measuring teaspoon.
10. Once the cookies have cooled, spoon or pipe lemon curd into the indentation.

Storage: Store cookies in airtight container for up to 3 days.