Luscious Lemon Cookies

I love lemon.  Lemon this and lemon that…lemon meringue pies, tartly frosted lemon squares (my specialty), lemon trifles, lemon pound cakes, and lemon cookies.  I wanted a slightly different cookie this time, so after many tries I came up with a lemon cake-like cookie that completely exceeded my expectations. These soft, lemony drop cookies are packed with luscious lemon flavor. Crunchy sugar on the outside and lightly sweet, melt-in-your-mouth cookie on the inside, frosted with lemon glaze and dried lemon peel.

1. 1. For the cookies: Preheat oven to 177°C (350°F).  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until combined.

3. Mix in the eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 30 ml (2 tablespoons) water. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly add dry ingredients until just combined.

4. Scoop 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of dough and roll into a ball. Roll the ball in sugar. Repeat, placing coated dough balls 5 cm (1 inch) apart on the prepared baking sheet.

5. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Tops of cookies will not darken. Cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.