Let me start by saying that I love sour candy. Sour Patch Kids. Sour Skittles. Sour S’ghetti. Sour everything, get in my mouth. I used to eat Sour Skittles until my mouth was raw. Unfortunately, it seems like Sour Skittles have disappeared. I can find them occasionally in small bags, but other than that… they’re gone.

Ok, so maybe that’s a good thing. I don’t think that eating candy until my mouth screams in pain is all that great for my body.

So, I guess it should be no surprise that I love lemons. Plain lemon wedges to suck on, lemon slices in my water, you know the drill. I also love cookies (duh, who doesn’t). But lemon cookies? Most lemon cookies I’ve tried just aren’t lemony enough for me. They’re more a sugar cookie with a touch of lemon. These, however, are an in-your-face lemon cookie. So dang good.

Lemon Cookies
heavily adapted from Anna Olson on Food Network, makes 3 dozen

for the cookie:
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon zest, about 2 lemons
1/4 cup lemon juice, about 1 1/2 lemons
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour

for the glaze:
1/4 cup lemon juice, about 1 1/2 lemons
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, plus more for dusting (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. For the cookies: Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, and mix until well combined. Mix in lemon juice and lemon zest.
3. Whisk together salt, baking powder, and flour in a large bowl. Add to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. Scoop batter using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop onto baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake for 12 minutes, or until cookies are just set. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before moving to rack to cool completely before glazing.
5. For the glaze: whisk together lemon juice and powdered sugar until well blended. Drizzle over cooled cookies and let set. Once glaze is set, dust with powdered sugar before serving.