It’s been a little over a week since I made a new post, because I had some fun things going on. We went to Blizzcon again this year, making it our 5th trip to Anaheim for the big event. What set this year apart from the others was the fact that a total of 10 people from my WoW raiding group were able to go. The day before we left for the airport I started preparations for goodie bags to give to everyone. In each bag I included jalapeno cheddar crackers, garlic rosemary crackers, chocolate chip cookies, and the recipe I am sharing here today – lemon cream cheese cookies. Everyone that tried them and reported back to me really enjoyed them. I enjoyed how easy they were to make!
I love it whenever I experiment with baking and get awesome results like these. I had originally intended to create a pecan pie fudge to pack in the treat bags, but I realized I didn’t want to fiddle around with candy making so close to a trip. There were a couple of small lemons on my counter and I decided to do something with them instead. On a whim I asked Jah to stop on the way home to buy me a tub of cream cheese, even though I had no idea how adding cream cheese to a cookie dough would affect it. The resulting texture is a tender and cake-like with a delicate lemony sweetness. The lemon flavor is enhanced with an easy-to-prepare lemon zest glaze that each cookie gets dipped into.
These cookies went halfway across the US by plane and arrived in good shape. The glaze on top also kept them soft and fresh tasting for several days. If packaged carefully I think they will be perfect for mailing out at Christmas time. I know this is the time of year for pie, warm spices, and pumpkin everything – but these cookies are a refreshing change from the winter norms. I think we can all appreciate tasting a little bit of sunshine in the middle of November :)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (this is about the amount I got from a small lemon)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons egg replacer powder mixed with 2 tablespoons of water (or 1 egg)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 8oz plain cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon whipping cream or milk
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Beat softened butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. I did everything in my food processor, which made it quick and easy.
- Add lemon zest, lemon juice, egg replacement, vanilla, and baking powder. Pulse until combined.
- Add cream cheese and mix until smooth.
- Gradually add in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, combining well after each addition.
- Using a melon baller, cookie scoop, or heaping tablespoon, place balls of dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. I fit about a dozen per sheet.
- Bake for about 16 minutes or until the edges are just barely golden.
- Allow cookies to rest on the sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely before icing.
- In a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and whipping cream until smooth. If you prefer the glaze a little thinner you can add more whipping cream, or more lemon juice if you prefer a tarter glaze.
- Dip the top of each cookie into the glaze, shake off the excess, and place back onto the cooling rack. I recommend laying a sheet of wax paper under the rack to catch any glaze that drips through. It makes cleanup much easier.
- Allow the glaze to harden (about 30 minutes) before packing the cookies away.
- 96
great recipe! I just made this yesterday, I love how the cookies are super soft. I do have a question about the glaze though, mine came out super runny and didn’t actually harden till this morning. I didn’t have any whipping cream so I used nonfat milk instead, do you think that would have been the reason for the runny glaze?
hey evelyn! i’m really glad to hear you enjoyed the cookies. i haven’t tried making the glaze with nonfat milk but i don’t -think- that would be the cause of it not setting. i’ve made this glaze a few times with the whipping cream though and haven’t had any trouble. i find mine tends to be completely hard within 20 minutes, definitely no more than 30 or 40. my initial thought would be to add a little more powdered sugar to thicken it up. maybe the nonfat milk is thin enough that it’s affecting the texture of the glaze. maybe 2% or whole milk would work better if you don’t have the cream, or just the extra sugar as i mentioned. :)
So tasty! Thanks for sharing.