Nadine’s Italian Lemon Drop Cookies

It’s the perfect time of year to try Nadine’s Italian Lemon Drop Cookies. Your holiday guests will truly appreciate them!Prep time:  15 mins    Total Time:   30 mins     Yield:  24 cookies

Ingredients

Cookie

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teasoon salt

Frosting

3 cups confectioners sugar

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Decorative pareils (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.  For cookies, cream together sugar and shortening.  Add eggs and lemon extract and beat well.  Add flour, baking powder and salt; mix well.  The dough should be soft and sticky.  With a small cookie scoop, drop dough onto a slightly greased cookie sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart.  Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until firm and lightly brown.  Remove cookies from cookie sheet and allow to cool completely on racks.  For frosting, combine confectioners sugar, water and lemon extract and mix until smooth.  Frost the tops of each cookie with a metal spatula.  If desired, sprinkle with red & green pareils.

Allow cookies to dry before stacking.  Store in an airtight container.

Note:  If you want to freeze the cookies, freeze unfrosted and frost once thawed.

Photo: Noah Hinton