This post is sponsored by Rodelle.

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These lemon vanilla slice and bake cookies are the perfect grain-free treat to share with family and friends this holiday season or anytime! Their buttery crumb and bright lemon flavor will have you coming back for bite after bite.

I’m here with one more delicious cookie recipe to tide you over until after Christmas! These grain-free lemon vanilla slice and bake cookies are so fun to make and eat. They’re packed with both lemony and sugar-cookie flavor thanks to Rodelle‘s lemon extract and vanilla bean paste along with plenty of fresh lemon zest, and have a wonderfully tender shortbread-like texture. A simple glaze made with fresh lemon juice tops them off and provides an ideal counterpart to the buttery cookie.

For several weeks now, I’ve had the idea of making slice and bake cookies stuck in my head. I’d never made them before, but something about them suddenly became so intriguing and compelling that I could think of little else until I got to work on them. I think it’s something about the image of cutting thick slabs of from a log of homemade dough–it seems so decadent, almost as if getting to make slice and bake cookies means you’re really living the life. It’s the little things, right? It always is for me, at least.

And of course, this is worlds better than store-bought cookie dough logs that are packed with too much sugar and laced with preservatives. This cookie dough is made with real butter, just the right amount of sugar, a pile of fresh lemon zest, Rodelle vanilla paste, Rodelle lemon extract, an egg yolk, and a pinch of salt–and that’s it! Those seven ingredients come together to form a rich amalgam studded with specks of vanilla bean and cheery yellow pops of zest. You can almost taste the lemon when you look at it!

When developing this recipe, I first tried it without the egg yolk. The cookies baked up well and were deliciously crisp, but I wanted them a little more crumbly and tender as opposed to totally crunchy. Adding the egg yolk totally solved that problem, giving the cookies that perfect shortbread-y crumb I was going for.

As I made the first batch of these, I realized that the wrapped up log of dough could be super cute and would make a wonderful last-minute or hostess gift this holiday season. I taped mine with a little washi tape, tied the ends with twine, and added a little tag with baking instructions (you can include the glaze recipe there, too, or just point your friends to this post!). I love how it looks like a giant piece of candy but is actually something much better (cookie dough beats candy any day in my book!). If you’re tasked to bring a dessert, how fun would it be to bring this log of dough and let the kids help you slice, bake, and glaze the cookies?

The super-simple glaze, which is just powdered sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt if you can’t lay off the salt like me, rounds the cookies out by adding a sweet and sour citrusy note that goes so well with the buttery sweetness of the cookie. And if you’re wondering why you’d need lemon extract when you already have zest in the cookies and juice in the glaze, let me tell you: this stuff is like magic. It’s my secret ingredient for making everything from smoothies to Dutch babies extra special. Rodelle’s lemon extract lends extra lemony flavor without any of the bitterness of lemon zest or the sourness of lemon juice–it’s just pure lemon loveliness.

Looking for a few more holiday cookie recipes? Click on the cookie below to check out all the festive cookies created for Rodelle’s cookie extravaganza this year!

Lemon Vanilla Slice and Bake Cookies

Yield: 12 cookies

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

These lemon vanilla slice and bake cookies are the perfect grain-free treat to share with family and friends this holiday season or anytime! Their buttery crumb will have you coming back for bite after bite.

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Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (78g)
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (10g)
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter (113g), at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon Rodelle Vanilla Paste
• 1 teaspoon Rodelle Pure Lemon Extract
• 1 large egg yolk (16g)
• 1 1/4 cups cassava flour (158g)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (1g)

For the glaze:

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

1. ***NOTE: Prep time listed is hands-on time and does not include at least two hours for the dough to chill or time for the cookies to cool before glazing.
2. To make the cookies, add the sugar and lemon zest to the bowl of your stand mixer and use your hands to combine, rubbing the mixture between your fingers to release the fragrance of the lemon zest. Add the butter. Cream the butter and lemon sugar together using the paddle attachment for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the vanilla bean paste, lemon extract, and egg yolk and beat until well mixed, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the cassava flour and sea salt and beat just until combined.
4. Transfer the dough onto a piece of parchment and shape into a log about five inches long and two inches in diameter. Roll the log gently with your hands to smooth the sides, then wrap it in the parchment and refrigerate for at least two hours or up to 3-5 days.
5. When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Use a sharp knife to slice the log into round about 1/3-inch thick; you should have 12. Place them on the baking sheet at least an inch apart and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown but the tops of the cookies are still pale. Cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
6. To make the glaze, whisk the lemon juice, powdered sugar, and salt in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cookies. Let the glaze set for about 15 minutes before serving.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Otto's Naturals Cassava Flour (2 Lb. Bag) Grain-Free, Gluten-Free Baking Flour - Made From 100 % Yuca Root - Certified Paleo & Non-GMO Verified All-Purpose Wheat Flour Substitute
• 
  Rodelle Pure Extract, Lemon, 2 Ounce
• 
  Rodelle Vanilla Paste, 4 Ounce

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 95Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 74mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 1g

The nutrition label provided is an estimate for informational purposes only and may not be accurate. I am not a nutritionist or medical professional.

This post is sponsored by Rodelle. Thank you so much for supporting the sponsors that help keep A Calculated Whisk up and running!

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.