These super lemony cookies are a copycat from Maggiano’s, but they are even better than the original!
Although we don’t go very often, Maggiano’s has a soft place in my heart. The portions are healthy, the food is solid, and their desserts are palatable. At my former job, we’d sometimes order from Maggiano’s for lunch or even go there for a special dinner. That’s where I learned that I liked blue cheese!
One dessert staple that is usually included in these pre-ordered meal packages is a plate of lemon cookies. They are typically shaped like a crescent moon, and they have a layer of lemon-flavored icing on top. I found a recipe eons ago and had it saved on my phone. Nothing ever came of it… until now.
Over the weekend, I attempted to bake the recipe I had saved. Sadly, that turned out to be a hot, hot mess. The cookie dough was too soft, so the cookies spread, and parts of it got burned. Other than that, they were great (sarcasm). I ended up throwing that batch in the trash since they couldn’t be salvaged.
Eventually, I found another recipe to try, and thankfully, this one turned out much better. The cookies kept their shapes, and they tasted even better than the ones at Maggiano’s. I made these extra lemony, and my family and I all enjoyed these very much. In fact, 2 out of the 3 of us (ahem) gave these cookies a perfect 5 out of 5 score.
So if that’s not enough to convince you to try these, I don’t know what else to do! 🙂
Husband’s rating: 5 out of 5 (yay for a perfect score!)
Addie’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
My rating: 5 out of 5 (another perfect score here!)
Copycat Maggiano's lemon cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup (2 sticks or 16 Tablespoons) unsalted butter softened, but still a little cool
- 1 and ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest I used the zest of a large lemon and probably got more than 1 Tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup corn starch
- 2 and ¾ cup all-purpose flour
Lemon glaze
- 1 and ½ cups powdered sugar you might need more
- 3-4 Tablespoons lemon juice I used the juice from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
Instructions
Make the cookies
- Preheat your oven to 325℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the powdered sugar (be careful not to add much at once unless you want to clean up the mess you're going to make on the floor!).
- Add the egg, lemon zest, and lemon extract. Mix well. Add the baking powder and mix.
- Slowly add in the flour and the corn starch. Mix until everything comes together.
- Transfer the dough to a very lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about ½ an inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes (or, if you don't own cookie cutters, you can use the rim of a glass to cut a circular shape). If desired, you can cut out crescent moons like Maggiano's does.
- Transfer the cut out cookies to your prepared baking sheets. Leave about 2 inches in between each cookie (unless you are making the crescent shapes... then you can leave about an inch in between).
- You can re-roll the dough and keep cutting out cookies until no more dough remains.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 9-10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cookies have fully cooled, you can make the glaze.
Make the glaze
- In a large measuring cup, mix all the ingredients together. Gently dip the cookies into the glaze and set it back on the wire rack and allow the glaze to set (you should put a tray underneath so extra glaze can drip onto something other than your kitchen counter). Alternatively, you can pour on some glaze and use a butter knife or spatula to spread it out.
- Serve and enjoy!