Lemon Sugar Cookies

So this post is a 'Cooking with Friends' post, as I baked this while visiting Owen for a little Christmas celebration/ get together. And to be totally honest, he did most of the work, as he had never baked before (unless we are counting 'home-ec'.. are we??)... so I guess this is better known as a 'guest spot' on my blog or something...?

Anyway, these cookies are a fantastic discovery for anyone who likes things lemony.. I would recommend everyone try make them!  We had some 'technical difficulties' due to some missing ingredients and using a mixer which is probably, oh, 26 years old...(?), but the next time these are made I'm sure they'll be perfect! Owen found the recipe online, and when I get a hard copy of it I shall source it here.

Lemon Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup granulated or raw sugar to roll the cookies in.

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F, line cookie sheets with foil/parchment and spray with cookine oil/Pam.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Zest the lemon and mix in with granulated sugar until sugar turns yellow-ish.
In a mixer combine butter and white sugar until smooth and fluffy (recipe says 3 - 5 minutes but took us way longer due to age of mixer and not softened butter). Then beat in egg, vanilla and lemon extracts.  Then gradually add the other dry ingredients until 'just moistened' (another area we got wrong...).
Roll about a tablespoon of dough into a round ball, then roll in the lemon/sugar mix to coat the exterior. Place each ball on the cookie sheet approx 2 inches apart.
Bake 8 - 10 minutes, then let stand for 2 minutes, and finally remove to cooking racks. Then, enjoy!

Our experience was slightly affected by not having baking soda or vanilla extract, so the cookies didn't 'spread' in the oven as they were supposed to. I would also recommend NOT using wax paper as your cookie sheet liner, as it seemed to, well, light on fire, or something... anyway..

And as these are fresh cookies, they should be consumed with in 3 days, as otherwise they go quite hard, and it's embarrassing serving them to guests.. ahem.. um.. yes... =P