I decided to do something so bold, so earth shattering this past Valentines Day, I was almost to embarrassed to post about it. I had to wait nearly two months to come out with my big secret, but I summoned up the courage to tell you.
I didn’t make one chocolate recipe for Valentines Day. Not one.
Whew. I’m so glad to get that chocolatey weight off my chest!
Not making anything chocolate on the most chocolatey consumed day of the year went against every chocolaty vein in my body. But I wanted to mix it up a bit, you know? Try something different. Jump into the deep end without my floaties on.
Ok, I don’t have floaties… anymore… but you get what I mean. And let me be clear, I still ate chocolate, I just didn’t prepare any chocolatey dessert like I’ve always done since the dawn of time. I had been gifted a box of chocolates from my grandma, boyfriend and mother, so I was already on chocolate overload. (Did those words just come out of my mouth?) It’s not like I don’t love chocolate (you know that I do) I think I just wanted to go against the grain (a bit) and expand my flavor palate for something lighter (this is crazy talk, I know, but bear with me).
I knew my palate was craving something refreshing and bright, and I knew the only cure would be these Citrus Butter Cookies. Buttery, zesty cookie dough topped with a citrus glaze and sprinkled with fresh lemon, lime and orange zest for beautiful color – if anything is going to break me away from my chocolate daze it’s these bad boys. It’s the perfect season for citrus so I can still get my sweet fix without it being covered in chocolate. However, these are probably really good dipped in chocolate…
It’s hard to resist chocolate, but I swear, these cookies are soo good. I ate a few as they came out of the oven (uhm, HOT), as they cooled on the rack (I had to test if they had cooled enough), and then after I poured delicious citrusy glaze over them (because why stop now). Needless to say, the Pringles, “once you pop you can’t stop” tag line is most certainly applicable to these cookies. And believe me…. I didn’t stop. I may have been caught on the couch… with cookie crumbs all down my shirt…. and citrus glaze on my face…
And ya’ll… it was a good look. I totally pulled it off and you can too!
LET’S GET STARTED!
First things first, get 2 sticks of salted butter and place them on the counter. They need to soften and get to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then bust out these gorgeous beauts.
We will be zesting quite a but, so I like to do it in the beginning so I can quickly add it in whenever I need it. And it makes the kitchen smell amazing
Zest 1 orange, 1 lime and 1 lemon.
Then juice 1/2 of the lime, lemon, and orange into a small bowl. This juice will be poured into the buttery cookie batter to give it great flavor.
Time to give those arms a rest and let the mixer do the work! Place the 2 sticks of softened butter and 3/4 cups of sugar in a mixer . Blend on medium and cream the butter and sugar until combined.
Add in 1 egg yolk. Leave the egg white aside for the icing later.
Add in 2 cups of flour and 1/2 TBS each of lemon, lime and orange zest to the mixer, and mix until combined.
Add in the juice of 1/2 lemon, lime, and orange, a total of 2 TBS of juice. Mix until the dough is just combined.
And stop there! Just grab the largest spoon you have and scoop this buttery, doughy mixture in your mouth. Good right?
I may have possibly, kinda, sorta took a tiny spoonful and perhaps put said spoon in my mouth to taste test it. Hypothetically speaking, the dough tasted phenomenal. Hypothetically speaking, of course.
Using a tablespoon cookie scooper, scoop out tablespoons of dough, rolls them into balls using your hands, and place them on a non-stick baking sheet. Cook for 10-13 minutes.
My cookies were small but I like them to be “bite-sized”. I try and tell myself if they’re smaller then I’ll be less inclined to eat more. Ha…
Now, these cookies are a bit “crispier” on the bottom then I prefer, but when you leave an open bag of flour near a curious cat, you can expect him to casually walk past it like it is a meaningless bag of flour, right? Needless to say, my timer went off, but the bag of flour on the floor had devoured my attention and my cookies were left in the oven a litttttttle too long. But ohhhh man, when I broke one of these bad boys open, they were warm, soft, and buttery on the inside. Phew, that was close! Lesson learned, these cookies brown quickly, and don’t leave a bag of flour open near a curious cat
Once their cooked, remove them from the oven and allow them to set on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes, then move the to cool on a cookie rack. Allow them to cool completely before icing.
Icing! Did I mention these were topped with a delicious zesty, citrus juicy icing?
To make the icing, combine the remaining egg white with 1 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 1 TBS whole milk, 1 TBS of lemon, lime and orange zest, juice of 1/2 a lime, juice of 1/2 a lemon, and a dash of salt. Save some extra zest for a cute topping.
Just whisk it until it forms a smooth consistency.
You can always add more or less powdered sugar per how much “drizzle” effect you want. The thicker the icing the better the drizzle. I went for a consistency in between, I wanted to coat the cookies not just drizzle them.
When the cookies are completely cool, drizzle the icing over the top, allowing it to coat the cookie. Sprinkle some remaining zest on top before the icing sets for a cute finish!
How stinkin’ cute are these! I love these cookies so so much, I think I’ll make them into little egg shapes and serve them for Easter weekend coming up!
Citrus Butter Cookies
Equipment
- Tablespoon Cookie scooper (preferred, but not needed)
Ingredients
- 2 sticks Salted Butter softened
- 3/4 cups Sugar
- 1 Egg separated yolk from white
- 2 cups Flour
- 1/2 TBS each of Lemon Lime and Orange zest (1 1/2 TBS total)
- 2 TBS Lemon Lime, and Orange juice (juice of 1/2 of each)
ICING
- 1 1/2 cup of Powdered Sugar
- 1 TBS Whole Milk
- 1 egg white, separates from earlier
- 1 TBS each of Lemon Lime and Orange zest
- 1/2 Lime Juice
- 1/2 Lemon Juice
- Dash of Salt
- Extra zest for a cute topping
Instructions
- First things first, get 2 sticks of salted butter and place them on the counter. They need to soften and get to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the 2 sticks of softened butter and 3/4 cups of sugar in a mixer . Blend on medium and cream the butter and sugar until combined.
- Add in 1 egg yolk. Leave the egg white aside for the icing later.
- Add in 2 cups of flour and 1/2 TBS each of lemon, lime and orange zest to the mixer, and mix until combined. Add in the juice of 1/2 lemon, lime, and orange, a total of 2 TBS of juice. Mix until the dough is just combined.
- Using a tablespoon cookie scooper, scoop out tablespoons of dough, rolls them into balls using your hands, and place them on a non-stick baking sheet. Cook for 10-13 minutes.
- My cookies were small and I was using new pans, so they are a bit "crispier" on the bottom then I prefer, but still delicious and soft on the inside. You want to take these out right as they start to brown.
- Once their cooked, remove them from the oven and allow them to set on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes, then move the to cool on a cookie rack. Allow them to cool completely before icing.
- To make the icing, combine the remaining egg white with 1 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 1 TBS whole milk, 1 TBS of lemon, lime and orange zest, juice of 1/2 a lime, juice of 1/2 a lemon, and a dash of salt. *Gradually add in the liquids to gauge how thin or thick you want your icing.
- Top with extra zest for a cute topping.
- When the cookies are completely cool, drizzle the icing over the top, allowing it to coat the cookie. Sprinkle some remaining zest on top before the icing sets for a cute finish!
Notes
*This recipe makes perfect mini two bite cookies but you can always make your scoops larger
*This recipe was halved from the original, but you can always double it to feed a crowd!
