Lemony Sugar Cut-out Cookies

Easter is just around the corner, and we haven't properly celebrated any holidays since Christmas.  It's time we made some festive cut-out cookies here.

I really like the lemon flavor in Panera's sugar cookies, so I added a lot of lemon to this recipe.  The lemon could be left out or substituted with something else like almond extract.  I also try to use fresh, organic, or non-GMO ingredients when possible.

1 cup (2 sticks) room temperature butter (Kerrygold is my go-to)
2/3 cup sugar
1 room temperature egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour (King Arthur All-Purpose is a great choice)
Cookie cutters

Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer.  When it's pale and fluffy, beat in the egg, vanilla extract, lemon extract, and salt.  When that is well combined, mix in 1/2 cup flour at a time, waiting to add more until the flour is thoroughly incorporated.  You should have lovely soft dough that smells buttery and lemony, and pulls together away from the sides of the bowl.  If it doesn't come together from the sides of the bowl, you may need just a bit more flour.  Take your beautiful dough and refrigerate it covered for at least 4 hours or overnight.  You need firm, chilled dough to roll out for cutout cookies.

When you are ready to roll out the dough, gently flour your surface and rolling pin.  I am lucky to have granite countertops, which are good for rolling dough and keeping it chilled.  I also sometimes use a plastic pastry mat for easy clean up.  Turn your dough a quarter turn every couple rolls to keep the size even.  Lightly flour the surface of the dough if your rolling pin is too sticky.  Roll to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.  For best results with your cookie cutter, pile flour in a shallow dish and dip your cutter between every cut.  Cut your cookies straight down with just a little wiggle to release the shape.  I have a handy Wilton cake lifter that is good for scraping up large cutout cookies to transfer to a baking sheet, but a flat metal spatula would work well, too.  I also like to bake cookies on a Silpat or parchment paper.  Silpats are great for nice, even, non-stick baking.  It's one of those things that once you use it, you don't know what you did before you had it.

Bake cookies at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes.  The cookies should be just barely colored from baking when they are done.  If they get too golden, when they cool they will be too hard.  Wait a minute or two after they come out of the oven to transfer to a wire rack to fully cool.  Patience pays off here because intricate cut-out shapes will break if you move them too soon.

Frost your cookies only when they are FULLY cooled.  Warm cookies just melt icing -- it's a total mess.  Any icing will work here.  Colorful icing, sprinkles, colored sugars, the works!

Here's a smooth icing you can whip up quickly:

3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar (lumps are the devil)
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
Optional: food coloring