Blueberry Cookies with Lemon Icing

Have you ever had a blueberry cookie?  It doesn't take much to coax the full flavor from a blueberry when used in pies, tarts, muffins, cakes and breads.   However, they can be greatly enhanced for a dessert with the addition of lemon zest and a bit of lemon juice.  My Blueberry Cookies get studded with finely chopped dried blueberries (either cultivated of wild), lemon zest, lemon juice and are then capped with a drizzle of tangy lemon icing.  I love the convenience of a slice & bake cookie because the dough can be made far in advance (it can be frozen for up to one month) and baked whenever one gets the craving for a sweet nibble.  Refrigerator cookies like these tasty treats can be made by anyone.  Let me show you how. 

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Blueberry Cookies with Lemon Icing

 

The Cookie Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup finely chopped dried blueberries (wild or cultivated)

Icing

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar (10x), sifted
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (Meyer or regular)

Yield: approximately 5 dozen cookies.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk your dry ingredients to combine well; keep this ready.  In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed for one minute until lightened.  Stop your mixer, scrape down your bowl & paddle, then add your grated lemon zest & granulated sugar.  Cream this mixture on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until light and creamy.  Make sure to stop your mixer and scrape down your bowl at least once.  Add the egg on medium speed and let it emulsify into the mixture; about 1 minute.  On low speed, add the lemon juice, dry ingredients, and finely chopped dried blueberries.  Mix this until completely combined.

The finished cookie dough has plenty of blueberries.  Delicious!

Divide the dough in half between two pieces of plastic wrap.  Gather the dough and cover with the wrap; begin rolling it back and forth until you form a log.  Keep the ends loose while you do this to allow the dough to expand outward.

The logs should be about 1" to 1 1/2" in diameter.  Twist the ends of the plastic wrap to seal shut.  The dough logs must chill completely before proceeding.  You can refrigerate them for about 4 hours or so, but I much prefer to freeze them at this point.  The logs should be ready to use in about 1 to 2 hours if put in the freezer.  They can be stored in the freezer for up to one month if you wish to bake the cookies later; I advise placing the wrapped logs in a resealable freezer bag if you plan on storing them for longer than a few hours.  

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Preheat your oven to 375° F (racks centered) about 30 minutes before you plan to bake the Blueberry Cookies.

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Straight from the freezer, begin slicing the logs into 1/4" rounds with a sharp knife.  Rotate the dough every few cuts to maintain a round shape, otherwise you will end up with odd-shaped cookies.

Place the cookies on parchment-lined or silpat-lined baking sheets spacing them 1" apart.  You'll be able to fit 2 dozen cookies per sheet.

A closeup of the unbaked cookie.  Each slice has plenty of berries and lemon zest, making for a most delicious cookie.

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Bake the cookies in your preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through baking for even browning.

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Perfectly baked cookies will be lightly browned around the edges and firm in the center; No darker!  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 1 minute before transferring them to cooling racks to cool completely.

Stir the icing ingredients together until you have a thick glaze.  When you lift a spoon with some icing it should fall back into the bowl in a thick ribbon.  If it's too loose add more confectioner's sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Drizzle the cookies with icing, running the spoon back and forth over each cookie.  You should end up using the entire icing for the whole batch of cookies.  Let the icing set completely before placing the cookies in your cookie jar or simply devour them on the spot if you must.  I won't tell anyone!

A plate of cookies and cup of tea or a mug of hot coffee is my idea of luxury.

How easy was it to bake these little morsels?  If you want to fill your cookie jar, make the entire batch right away or if you want to enjoy only a few freshly baked ones, slice what you need and keep the remaining dough in the freezer.  The icing, of course, is optional; the logs of dough can be rolled in fine or coarse sanding sugar before slicing & baking or they can be left plain.  Whatever you decide to do with these cookies, I think you're going to like the bright flavors of blueberry & lemon combined.  From my kitchen to yours, enjoy these Blueberry Cookies with Lemon Icing.  

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