Lemon Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled
1 1/4 cups sugar
Grated peel of 2 lemons, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt


1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 3 large cookie sheets with silpats or parchment paper; set aside. Using an electric mixer, combine the butter, 1 cup sugar, the lemon peel and juice until fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and combine.

2. Chill the dough until firm enough to handle. Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Roll heaping teaspoons of dough into balls, then roll in the sugar. Place on the prepared cookie sheets a few inches apart. Bake until golden around the edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookie sheets to racks to cool completely.

Some notes: I found this recipe on the food forum and it evidently had been published in the Rachael Ray food magazine. The original recipe didn't call for vanilla, but in tasting the dough before baking it was definitely flat. Also make the cookies smaller than you think. The 1st tray I made the same size as I usually do snickerdoodles and they spread into each other. Also parchment only works marginally.. Silpats are much better. It also doesn't say to chill the dough but I found it was too soft to roll in sugar without chilling.