These lovely pink lemonade cookies are the perfect little sweet bite to serve for Mother’s Day or for a yummy snack. They look lovely frosted, however if you prefer, you can just omit the frosting. You can make this a vegan recipe though the consistency will change some in the cookies.
TIP An option you have is to roll the cookies in sugar before baking. Do this by placing ½ cup of sugar in a bowl and rolling the cookie balls in the sugar. Add more sugar if needed to complete.
You could use organic raw sugar for this recipe, however the colour of the cookies will be darker. To make this recipe vegan friendly in place of butter, use a more solid vegan butter. An alternative for the egg is to use a chia egg and also use vegan cream cheese in the frosting.
*To make 1 chia seed egg, mix 1 tbsp ground chia seeds with 3 tbsp water and let set for 15 minutes before using.
NOTE To colour these cookies you can use a natural pink or red food colouring. This can be found in your health food store or online. If you are brave, you could also try using beetroot powder or dragon fruit powder to colour them.
These cookies are made with Young Living’s Lemon Essential Oil. Lemon essential oil can add a bright, dynamic flavour to many dishes. Its versatility in sweet and savoury recipes is what makes this fruit a popular item in kitchens around the world.
Ingredients
- Cookies
- 3 cups organic white flour or gluten-free flour
- 1 tsp non-aluminum baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup (approx. 230g) butter softened (or vegan butter)
- 1¼ cup organic white sugar (or raw sugar)
- 1 large egg (or a chia egg)
- 1½ tsp vanilla essence (optional)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest/finely grated lemon rind (optional)
- 8 drops Lemon essential oil (to taste)
- 4 – 6 drops natural pink or red food colouring (or approx. 1 tsp beetroot powder)
- Pink Frosting
- 1 cup cream cheese or vegan cream cheese (room temp)
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey (room temperature, to taste)
- 2 – 3 drops natural pink or red food colouring (or 1 tsp beetroot powder)
- 1 tsp vanilla essence (optional)
- 1 – 2 tbsp warm water or milk (to thin a little - if needed)
- 4 drops Lemon essential oil (to taste)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 180C and prepare a large cookie sheet by lining with baking paper and set aside.
- 2. In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
- 3. In a second large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until creamy and then mix in the egg and vanilla. Mix until well-combined and a bit fluffy.
- 4. Mix in the lemon juice, lemon zest and Lemon essential oil.
- 5. Add approx. ¼ of the flour mixture at a time into the creamed butter mixture, lightly mix and repeat until all the flour mixture has been incorporated.
- 6. Once the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, add the natural pink or red food colouring a little at a time until the desired colour is achieved. At this stage you can chill the cookie dough until you are ready to bake cookies.
- 7. When ready to bake the cookies roll the dough into approx. 2.5cm balls. If you desire to roll the balls in sugar roll them in it to coat now.
- 8. Place the cookie balls on a plate or tray as you make them. You will need to bake a few sheets of cookies. You can reserve some of the dough or balls to bake later, covered in the refrigerator or cover tightly and freeze for up to 1 month then thaw and bake according to directions.
- 9. When ready to bake, place the balls on the lined baking sheets leaving room between them for them to expand and bake for approx. 15 – 18 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through baking to ensure they are baking evenly.
- 10. While the cookies are baking, make the frosting by placing all the frosting ingredients in a medium bowl and mixing well. You may need to add a little water to thin, but do not make it too thin. Taste and add a little more honey and lemon oil, if desired. You can also add a little more natural food colouring or beetroot powder to make the frosting even more pink.
- 11. Place the cookies on cooling racks and cool completely before frosting the top of the cookies. You can also place a cookie on top of a frosted cookie to form cookie sandwiches. If making cookie sandwiches frost the bottom of the cookie so it is flat and top with the flat side of the second cookie. Serve immediately or chill for up to 5 days.
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