Description
These Lemon Blueberry Cookies combine a soft, zesty lemon cookie base with a creamy blueberry frosting for a delightful treat bursting with fresh citrus and berry flavors. Perfectly soft and slightly underbaked centers create a tender texture, while the tangy frosting adds a vibrant twist.
Ingredients
Scale
Lemon Cookies:
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon (15g/ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Blueberry Frosting:
- 1/2 cup (about 15g) freeze-dried blueberries
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat block-style cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 and 1/2 cups (300g) confectioners’ sugar
- pinch of salt, to taste
- optional: lemon slices and fresh blueberries for garnish
Instructions
- Make the dry mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and fresh lemon zest together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add wet ingredients: Beat in the egg, fresh lemon juice, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl sides and beat again if needed; the mixture may look curdled but that is normal.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients: Slowly add the dry flour mixture on low speed until fully incorporated, forming a thick and sticky dough. Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven: Set your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If the dough was chilled longer than 2 hours, allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Shape cookies: Using about 1.5 tablespoons (30g) of dough per cookie, scoop and roll into balls. Place the dough balls 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake cookies: Bake for 13 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned but the centers remain soft and slightly underbaked to ensure a tender texture. Avoid over-baking.
- Cool cookies: Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare blueberry frosting: Using a food processor or blender, pulverize freeze-dried blueberries into a fine powder, then sift through a fine mesh sieve to remove larger pieces, yielding about 2 tablespoons (10g) of powder.
- Mix frosting: Beat together softened cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, blueberry powder, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat starting on low for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed for 2 minutes. Taste and add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
- Frost cookies: Spread or pipe the blueberry frosting onto cooled cookies. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh blueberries if desired.
- Store: Keep unfrosted cookies covered tightly at room temperature up to 1 week. Store frosted cookies covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- For freezing cookie dough: Portion dough into balls and freeze on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a sealed container and bake from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to baking time.
- Ensure butter and egg are at room temperature for optimal creaming and cookie texture.
- Do not over-bake cookies to maintain softness; centers should look slightly underbaked when removed from oven.
- Use fresh lemon zest and juice for the best flavor impact in cookies and frosting.
- Freeze-dried blueberries add intense blueberry flavor without extra moisture; substitute with finely ground dried blueberries if needed.
- Allow frosted cookies to chill in the fridge to set the frosting before serving.
