I wish people threw tea parties these days.

I don’t see why tea parties aren’t a common occurrence! They’re truly the loveliest type of party. Pretty pastel dresses, dainty teacups and saucers, and of course delectable sweets like petit fours, scones, and…

Lemon Powdered Sugar Tea Cookies!

Aren’t they adorable?

Personally, I’m a pretty big lemon fan. Out of all of the fruits that are used in baking, I have to say lemon is my favorite. Lemon squares, lemon cupcakes… I love them all. These cookies have a shortbread-like consistency; they’re on the dry side (perfect for dipping in tea!) and have a light and refreshing lemon flavor. Sometimes, lemon flavored desserts have a way of turning out too tart because bakers think the only way to achieve the flavor is through lemon juice. That’s not true! What makes this recipe so great is the use of fresh lemon zest in the dough in addition to freshly squeezed lemon juice. The zest adds a pop of flavor without making the cookies overly lemony.

(Note: freshly squeezing and grating your lemons is really the way to go. It guarantees tart deliciousness!)

What’s so special about these cookies is their powdered sugar coating. After baking, by rolling the warm cookies in a bowl of powdered sugar, it enhances the lemon flavor and makes each cookie look like a darling little snowball. So, bakers, roll away!

Finally, I wanted to share with you the precious new powdered sugar canister I just got from ModCloth. If you don’t know, ModCloth is an online store that sells vintage-style clothing (dresses especially!) and an assortment of home goods like this. I absolutely love the store and when I saw this container, I fell even more in love with the sweet little spring scene on the front! Anyway, the colors are so bright and happy, and I had to include a picture in this post – it belongs at a tea party!

Without further ado, enjoy the recipe and leave a comment below to let me know how it goes –

and to invite me to your next tea party!

xx

Juliet

Lemon Powdered Sugar Tea Cookies

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Yield: 30 cookies

Cookie Ingredients:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar, plus another cup for rolling
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest (or more, if you’re feeling zesty!)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To Bake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and 1 cup of sugar until the mixture is fluffy and light (about 3 minutes).
3. On a low speed setting, add the egg yolk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla into the mixing bowl and beat until incorporated.
4. Roll the dough into 1 inch large balls and place them slightly apart on the baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 20 minutes, or until very lightly golden brown. They may appear slightly undercooked, but that’s how they should look!
5. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool slightly on the pans. After about ten minutes of cooling, roll the cookies in powdered sugar, coating the whole outside of each one. If the powdered sugar won’t stick, roll the cookies on a damp paper towel first, and then dunk them in the powdered sugar.
6. Place them back on the pans or on a rack to cool completely. They’ll store in an airtight container for up to two weeks! Enjoy!