Macheesmo

This post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes, Inc. Check out their full line of products including the Land O Lakes® Butter I used for this recipe. Land O’Lakes’ Test Kitchen also just released their newest holiday recipes full of buttery inspiration. Check it out!

During the holiday season, I always try to think of something small I can do for those people who are in my community, but might not always get my full attention for one reason or another! Whether it’s a teacher, daycare worker, coworkers, cleaners, or just those neighbors who you see all the time but aren’t quite sure what their names are.

Sometimes a small gesture can really go a long way to showing appreciation or even starting a new friendship.

Something small, like cookies, is sometimes all you need!

I make these little cookie bundles with various cookies, depending on the year, and hand them out freely and openly to anyone who seems like they need a little pick-me-up!

This year, I used this simple lemon butter cookie recipe. They are light and unassuming cookies, but have a really nice flavor and great texture. The full recipe takes some time to make between chilling the dough and letting the glaze harden, but it can be a fun project and kids can help with the decorating!

Speaking of decorating, I’m far from a pro! I just do my best to make them look fun and inviting. Nothing to fancy is perfect for these.

A cookie (or a bundle of them) can make somebody’s day a little better.

Lemon Butter Cookies

by Nick

Serves:

About 36 cookies

Prep Time:

45 mins

Cook Time:

15 mins

Inactive Time:

9 hrs

Total Time:

10 hrs

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These little bundles of perfect lemon butter cookies will brighten any day. Make them for family, friends, or anyone how needs a pick-me-up!

Adapted from this Land O Lakes® Vanilla Butter Cookie Recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

3 tablespoons milk

1 lemon, zest only

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

2 ½ cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter, softened

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

½ teaspoon vanilla

Decorator candies or sugars

Butcher’s twine, for bundles

Instructions

For cookies:

1) Mix Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter and sugar in a bowl until creamed together and smooth. Add egg and mix on medium speed. Add milk and lemon zest and pulse to combine.

2) In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Then add that to the butter mixture and beat on low, scraping bowl occasionally, until well mixed.

3) Divide dough into two balls and wrap tightly with plastic. Refrigerate for 3 hours (or overnight) until firm.

4) When ready to bake, heat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut with round cookie cutters. Place cookies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies at 400 degrees F. until they are lightly browned around the edges, about 8-10 minutes.

5) Make glaze by combining powdered sugar, lemon juice, butter, corn syrup, and vanilla in a bowl. Beat until smooth at medium speed. Glaze should hold its shape. If it’s too liquid, add more powdered sugar. If it’s dry, add water by the teaspoon until it’s the right consistency.

6) Glaze cookies and decorate. Let stand for 6 hours for glaze to harden. Then wrap with butcher’s twine. You can also wrap first with plastic wrap.

Holiday Cookie Bundles

The real key to these cookies is using a lot of lemon zest! Your whole house will smell like a citrus farm if you zest a full lemon into this dough.

Other than that the dough itself is pretty straightforward. Cream together the sugar and butter and add in the eggs and other ingredients, including the zest. Add the flour last.

Then split the dough into two balls and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. I usually just stick mine in the fridge overnight.

Then roll out the cold dough on a lightly floured surface and punch out your cookies. A 2-3 inch diameter cookie cutter is great. You don’t want them to be too big or they will be hard to wrap later.

You should be able to fit about 15 small cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake these bad boys at 400 degrees F. for 8-10 minutes until they are golden brown on the bottom but still a bit soft in the center.

Meanwhile, beat together the glaze. I love this glaze so much. It’s almost like a frosting but a bit thinner.

Here were my finished cookies. Let them cool before frosting them!

Then slather on that glaze!

As soon as you glaze them, decorate them as you see fit! I used yellow glaze and candies on mine to hint at the lemon flavor.

Let these lemon butter cookies sit at room temperature for about six hours so they can harden. Then you’re ready to wrap!

I’m sure there are fancier ways to wrap cookies, but I like to just use butcher twine to wrap up about four cookies.

Want to make somebody’s day?

Hand them one of these little holiday cookie bundles!