One of the many thoughtful gifts my sister gave me this past weekend was April Carters ‘s trEATs. While every recipe in the book looks amazing, one in particular jumped out at me. These lemon cookies with a faux meringue icing are just what I needed to help me get through the scorching hot days we’re having. The cookie itself is light and refreshing, and tastes just like a summer’s day spent by the pool. The icing is hassle free and gives the same fun appearance and sweet topping as meringue, but takes half the time to make. This cookbook is a new favorite of mine – expect many more recipes from it soon!
Ingredients
For cookies:
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 c caster sugar
1 egg yolk
zest of one grated lemon
1 c flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
For royal icing:
2 c powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp meringue powder
4 tbsp warm water
Recipe
Preheat oven to 340 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in egg yolk and mix completely. Add in lemon zest and beat for another minute.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat until just combined.
Transfer dough to floured surface and roll out until 1/4″ thick. Move to parchment paper and place in freezer for 10 minutes.
Remove from freezer, and cut into desired shape. Place cut-outs back on parchment paper and place in freezer for another 10 minutes (this will help the shape hold in the oven).
Bake for 8 minutes until baked through but not quite golden brown. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.
Beat all royal sugar icing ingredients together on high for about 8 minutes, until well combined. Place into piping bag. Once cookies are completely cool, pipe a single peak onto cookies, and sprinkle with desired toppings.
