Do you love lemons as much as I do? If so, then these Lemon Cookies are the perfect recipe for you! Sweet, tangy, slightly soft yet chewy, and bursting with fresh citrus flavor. These almost sugar-cookie cookies are a sweet treat that is both clean and delicious!
To make them we’re going to need vital wheat gluten, white whole wheat flour, potato starch, raw organic cane sugar, a stick of butter, an egg, baking soda, vanilla extract, and our lemon trifecta: lemon extract, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice.
To begin we’ll blend the potato starch with the raw sugar. This creates a fine blend that can also be used to replace confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)!
The fine texture of the sugar/potato starch mixture makes it much easier to cream the butter and sugar together.
Once that’s done, add the egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar mixture.
The next step is to combine the white whole wheat flour, vital wheat gluten, salt, and baking soda thoroughly and add it to the creamed butter/sugar/egg mixture.
Now that we’ve made a basic sugar cookie dough, it’s time to infuse it with a vibrant three-pronged burst of lemon by adding lemon juice, lemon extract, and lemon zest.
Using a tablespoon measure, slightly overfill it with the dough to divide it into approximately 20-24 equal portions. Place each portion onto a tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes.
Once the cookies are done, set them on a wire rack to cool. They will be hot so be cautious if you decide to sample one…trust me, I’m talking from experience! 😂
These cookies are seriously good. Just look at that gorgeous cracked and crinkly top!
These cookies are sweet and tangy with a gloriously soft chew. They’re ridiculously addictive so be sure to pace yourself! Also, before you polish off a batch, don’t forget to take some pics! I’d love to see your creations so tag me on social media so that we can rave over our cookies together! 💕
Sweet and Tangy Clean Eat Lemon Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cane sugar
- 1 tbsp potato starch
- 1/2 cup salted butter (room temp)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup stone ground whole wheat pastry flour
- 3/4 tbsp vital wheat gluten
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch Himalayan salt
- 2 tsp lemon extract
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (approx 1 juiced lemon)
- zest of 1 lemon (grated)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Blend the sugar and potato starch together until fine and floury in texture.
- In a large mixing bowl, add butter and blended sugar/potato starch. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture has paled and is creamy.
- Add the vanilla extract and egg, and beat once more until well combined.
- Sift in the flour, vital wheat gluten, salt, and baking soda and mix until a soft dough forms.
- Add the lemon juice, lemon extract, and lemon zest. Mix to incorporate all ingredients into the dough.
- Shape the dough into 20 balls (slightly overfill a tbsp measure) and place onto a parchment lined baking tray. Bake in the preheated oven for approx 12-15 minutes until the edges begin to turn golden. .
- Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 2 minutes before removing and transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely
- Enjoy and store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. To freeze, wrap each cookie or keep them divided by using parchment paper and store in a ziplock bag for up to three months.
Notes
- If your butter is cold, microwave it at half power until softened to room temperature but not melted to liquid form. The butter should remain in it's stick form but be soft enough that it's spreadable.