If it wasn't for the fantastic flavor of this cookie, I would have given up on this recipe ages ago. I've probably made it 30 times (I run an American cookie stall at a farmers market in England) each time trying to tweak it to get the consistancy right, and I have finally figured out what goes wrong with this recipe - the butter amount given is wrong. Reduce the recipe to half a stick melted with the lemon juice and half a stick beaten with the sugar and it will turn out perfectly!

I give up on cookie recipes from here. Steps are left out, important info missing, & ingredients are missed. Recently I needed cookies for that day's event. I made these & realized there was no way they would form into balls w/out overnight in fridge so had to scurry & bake a tested cookie recipe. Despite having 2 sticks of butter in this recipe I thought the pan wouldn't need silpat/parchment-ha! The few that made it off the sheet in 1 piece shattered in people's hands. No more for me.

but cookies are not supposed to be chewy as opposed to fluffy?

I should have read some some your comments before making these cookies. They look unappetizing however taste fantastic. I will try again and see if I can get the fluffiness a cookie should have.

Third, you MUST chill the dough. It will indeed be dough, if you follow those two previous rules (no need to add more flour--you'll come up with a tough cookie if you do), but it's a soft dough and needs chilling, preferably overnight. And while that's going on, add the lemon zest to the sugar, put it in a jar, shake it, and let IT sit overnight as well. Very intense lemon sugar for a lemony cookie. I made mine with Meyer lemon juice--that's nice, too.

I think I found out what is causing some of the problems with this recipe. First, you MUST add the lemon butter when it is COOL--if it is warm, it will melt the rest of the butter you creamed with the sugar. Use the buttercream trick and add the cooled lemon butter slowly down the side of the mixing bowl as the paddle is running. Second, it says to whip it for a full 3 minutes. Do it. It should be thick and fluffy, like buttercream frosting, when you're done.

I made these about a year ago from the New Classics cookbook and made them again this year, I realized both times that there just isn't enough flour in these cookies. I would recommend using 3 cups of flour instead of just two, or else you'll get a globby mess of dough that won't bake correctly. I don't think the editors and/or recipe testers caught this mistake.

Synopen, Since you put your comment in in June, I doubt you will see this
but I have to jump in and ask what is so bad about using 1 cup of the sugar
in the cookie and roll the cookies in the other half cup of sugar. If you
cut one cup out that would leave you with only a half cup of sugar
and that has to be used for the rolling....didn't you put any sugar in
the cookie dough at all???? Just wondering. Mykele

Very good. I found though they baked quickly so easily burned, and the lemon flavor comes out better if they are a bit chilled.

Delicious lemony fresh taste, perfectly crispy. Pure delight!

lovely! i reduced sugar by a whole cup (since u roll them in sugar afterwards it seemed way too much) and butter by half. refrigirated for 30 mins. it was pretty simple and the result is fantastic!crunchy and light!

These are phenomenal! It's unusual to get that tartness in a cookie. Reducing the lemon juice is a brilliant idea that would work in many other citrus recipes. The dough absolutely MUST be chilled, though. With the melted butter, it's more like batter than dough. I did spread part of the unchilled dough in small pan to make bars as an experiment. They were tasty, but too tender and crumbly.

BOY... DO THESE LOOK DELICIOUS!!! I WILL TRY THESE AS SOON AS I AM DONE WITH MY LEMON CAKE! HEAVEN!!!! THANKS AGAIN!!

I don't know what I possibly did wrong...I bake all of the time and these were a disaster. They tasted great, but the dough was so liquidy that it wouldn't roll. I wish I had read these comments beforehand and tried putting it in the fridge for awhile. I will attempt them again because I want them to come out right!

If you like lemon and enjoy crispy-light cookies, then this is a recipe you will enjoy.

This taste just like sugar cookies. Great lemon taste and I like the slightly crunchy texture.

These are delicious. I altered a little bit, 1/2 butter 1/2 butter flavored shortening. I mixed the poppy seeds with 1 cup sugar and used only a couple of tablespoons sugar for the topping with a sprinkle of poppy seeds. They are nice and lemony, and are crisp. Perfect for serving with ice cream or sorbet.

by far the best lemon cookies

These are my favorite cookies ever. Because of the lemon juice, this cookie dough is wetter than a typical cookie dough. Chilling the dough in refrigerator for a couple hours makes it a lot easier to work with.

I just tried these using key limes as well as lemons, great idea! It was great to try these as cookies besides from a boring loaf. Im also going to try it as a cake for Easter http://www.fourgreensteps.com/community/recipes/desserts-a-goodies-/lemo...

I just made these a second time, but used key limes instead of lemons. Chilling the dough before rolling them worked out well. I also mixed poppy seeds in with the sugar and zest before rolling, rather than sprinkling them on.

I just made these about 5 hours ago. They were delicious! I followed the recipe exactly, and it was perfect. Will be making again.. Soon!

I just made these about 5 hours ago, and they were absolutely delicious! I did everything exact to the recipe and it was perfect. Will be making again.. Soon!

I made these using Seville oranges instead of lemons, and they turned out beautifully!

The dough was a little on the soft wide for rolling, but I managed. Next time I think I'll refrigerate the dough before rolling. I might try using less of the butter to mix with the orange juice, and creaming more of it with the sugar. I think that would help with the rolling issue.

I made these using Seville oranges instead of lemons, and they turned out beautifully!

The dough was a little on the soft wide for rolling, but I managed. Next time I think I'll refrigerate the dough before rolling. I might try using less of the butter to mix with the orange juice, and creaming more of it with the sugar. I think that would help with the rolling issue.

i gad the same issue with the consistency not being stiff enough to actually roll into balls. and then i made them too thin and they just crumbled. the last 8 i made- i made smaller and thicker and they came off the sheet without crumbling...my boys enjoyed the crumbles! these taste divine!

These were delicious and I got many great comments. I read the reviews and so I put my in the fridge before I worked with the dough.

I made the exact recipe, the cookies came out good.
I only got 20 cookies though, I must have made them too big.

(my comment wasn't all visible). and baking powder to make it workable. When the dough was in the soft consistency, you could have probably used a cookie press. The flavor was right on. Great cookie.

I had a problem with the dough consistency. It was way too soft, I had to add more flour

Is the dough a consistency that they can be put in a cookie press to make as a pretty Christmas cookie?

I made them exactly as stated in the recipe, and they look exactly like the cookies pictured. No food coloring needed. The dough was nice and thick so no chilling and it was easy to handle. Rave reviews. Light, with a nice balance of lemon and sweetness. I love to bake and did not find these difficult or too involved.

The flavor was excellent, but they feel apart too easily, And I would refrigerate the dough before I tried working with it. I don't think I'll use this one again.

The flavor is wonderful but my cookies did not look like these. I think someone forgot to mention yellow food coloring. I also had to chill dough. Will make again because the flavor is great.

These were very good. My tea group asked for the recipe. I had to refridgerate the batter first. It was too soft to shape and roll in the sugar. Maybe I didn't reduce the lemon juice enough? Loved the layers of lemon flavor.

i love this with my fave ice cream to top it!!

A very light fresh cookie. Definately one of my favorite lemon flavored cookies. Thanks Martha.

can these be frozen after baking?

A favorite recipe in our family!

Wonderful recipe! I was searching for a tasty easy to wrap cookie to hand out to a university film crew and I think this is it! I think I might drizzle a chocolate squiggle onto them.

Though these are a bit time consuming, the results are outstanding! If you like a strong lemon flavor, these are for you. Delicious!