Lemon Sugar Cookie Lemon Slices are a summery treat full of bright citrus flavor. Lightly lemon flavored cut-out cookies are topped with sweet-tart icing. The easy to create design turns cookies into munchable slices of lemon!
Why you'll love this recipe
I've already created a "Seas the Day" themed box for an adopted sailor. When I stumbled upon "Squeeze the Day" graphics, I immediately started planning this citrus themed care package!
Hot weather is starting in many of the areas where our military are deployed, which requires special consideration when choosing care package recipes.
After this box, I will be using only heat resistant recipes until cooler temperatures return in November. Heat resistant baked goods made with ingredients that are least likely to spoil in transit during the extreme desert heat.
Granulated sugar is the sweetener of choice because it has the lowest moisture content. Moisture promotes mold.
Crisco is the fat of choice because its shelf stable qualities make it the least likely to go rancid. Decorating with icing won’t work because it will melt!
These are my last iced cookies for the next 6 months, but I’ll be sharing more heat resistant decorating ideas. Colored sugar, colored dough, and design imprints are all possibilities!
Lemon Sugar Cookie Lemon Slices can be tucked into care packages or served at home alongside a glass of ice tea. Either way, they are full of refreshing citrus flavor. This recipe makes enough to ship some and nibble on the rest!
Care package decorating and contents
Decorating a care package box is certainly not required, but it does up the smile-inducing factor considerably. Wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, and patterned duct tape work well for lining the box flaps.
For this “Squeeze the Day” care package, I used bright yellow scrap book paper, then I added graphics and clip art.
The box is filled with lemony flavors and lemon yellow packaged candy and cookies, as well as puzzle books, a stuffed animal (as close to yellow colored as I could find), a Rubix cube, and colored pencils.
Cookie instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar just until combined.Mix in eggs and vanilla. Then mix in baking powder and salt. Gradually add flour, 1 cup at a time.
- Roll out on a lightly floured surface to ¼” thick.
- Cut out circles and place on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1” apart.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 6-7 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5-10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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- To make icing: In a medium bowl, stir together confectioner’s sugar, corn syrup, 3 tablespoons water, and lemon extract. Add additional teaspoons of water until the consistency of white glue.
- Spoon half of the icing into a separate bowl and add 2-3 drops of yellow food coloring (or a teaspoon of natural coloring powder).
- Place the white icing and the yellow icing into piping bags with #5 piping tips.
- Outline each cookie with yellow then white icing.
- Use the white icing to draw lines to create 8 segments on each cookie. Allow the icing to set for at least 30 minutes before filling in the segments with yellow icing.
Storage
- Let the iced cookies dry for several hours or overnight before storing or wrapping.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container, with wax paper between layers, for up to 2 weeks.
Tips and variations
- Creating a cookie that looks like a slice of citrus is very simple. Slices of lemons, limes, and oranges can all be made the same way with a tweak to the colors used.
- If these cookies will be eaten within a day or two, lemon juice can be used instead of extract in the icing. However, after a few days, icing made with lemon juice gets spotty. For longer shelf life or for care package use, I recommend using lemon extract.
- This easy design can be made without the use of disposable pastry bags and piping tips, but those tools make a simple task even simpler. I use disposable piping bags fitted with small circle tips (#5). The icing could be put in ziplock bags with a tiny corner snipped for piping.
New lemon cookie recipe
Lemon Biscotti are the new recipe included in this “Squeeze the Day” care package. Lemon Biscotti are crunchy cookies delicious on their own but sturdy enough for dunking. Biscotti are the ultimate care package cookie. They travel well and stay fresh for several weeks.
More lemon recipes
White Chocolate Lemon Bars are deliciously chewy bars that are ideal for picnics and summer care packages.
Italian Lemon Cookies are soft pillowy cookies. Make them with a traditional glaze or heat proof them with a sugar coating instead!
Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies taste just like a poppy seed muffin in the form of a crunchy cookie.
Lemon Peppermint Cooler Cookies are a sweet way to keep cool. So good with a glass of iced tea!
Strawberry Lemonade Bars have chewy layers of pink strawberry and yellow lemon blondie. A summertime classic.
Looking for a tea time treat? These Lemon Biscuits are just what you need! A British favorite.
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Lemon Sugar Cookie Lemon Slices
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 4 or 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Icing
- 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 3 tablespoons corn syrup
- 3 -4 tablespoons water
- ½ - 1 teaspoon lemon extract to taste
- Yellow food coloring
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar just until combined.
- Mix in eggs and vanilla. Then mix in baking powder and salt.
- Gradually add flour, 1 cup at a time. If making the cookies right away, use 4 ½ cups of flour. If refrigerating dough for use in several hours or several days, use only 4 cups of flour.
- Roll out on a lightly floured surface to ¼” thick.
- Cut out circles and place on to prepared baking sheet about 1” apart. Bake for 6-7 minutes.
- Cool on baking sheet for 5-10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorating
- To make icing: In a medium bowl, stir together confectioner’s sugar, corn syrup, 3 tablespoons water, and lemon extract. Add additional teaspoons of water until the consistency of white glue.
- Spoon half of the icing into a separate bowl and add 2-3 drops of yellow food coloring (or a teaspoon of natural coloring powder).
- Place the white icing and the yellow icing into piping bags with #5 piping tips.
- Outline each cookie with yellow then white icing.
- Use the white icing to draw lines to create 8 segments on each cookie. Allow the icing to set for at least 30 minutes before filling in the segments with yellow icing.
- Let the iced cookies dry for several hours or overnight before storing or wrapping.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container, with wax paper between layers, for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Enclose each cookie in a self-sealing cellophane cookie bag or wrap individually in plastic wrap.
- Package wrapped cookies snuggly in a storage container or freezer weight ziplock bag.
Nutrition
First Published: May 12, 2018. Last Updated: May 15, 2022. Updated for additional information and better reader experience.
Shannon @ Love At First Bento
These are so much fun Wendy, and so perfect for summer! Who wouldn't love to receive these in a care package? And, speaking of your care packages, I just LOVE how you decorate them, that is such a good idea and truly adds that extra special touch. I wish I would've had your site back in the day when I was in a long-distance relationship with my boyfriend, as I was always sending him cookies and things - your ideas would've been perfect!
Carlee
What beautiful cookies! I just love all things lemon this time of year, so this theme is perfect!
saltandserenity
I just love your themed boxes. I like to imagine the smiles and joy you are bringing to the recipients. Love these cookies. Just looking at them makes my mouth pucker in anticipation.