December means that, along with the holidays, citrus season is upon us. Grandma’s Italian Lemon Knots celebrates the brightness of citrus all shaped into a soft, cake-like cookie. Get the right bake, and these cookies are moist and covered in a sweet and tangy lemon icing. The ingredient list is short, and these cookies are actually quite simple once you get the hang of shaping the dough.
These may not scream “Christmas cookie” when you look at them, but my grandmother’s lemon knots were always a much anticipated staple of our dessert table. Our Christmas celebrations were always rooted in tradition–Christmas Eve with the feast of the seven fishes (not a word, I know), mass at midnight, and a visit from Santa–but the focus of our celebration was always the food. As a really great (okay…terrible) Italian, my dinner always consisted of bread and cookies because I just didn’t like the fish. By the end of the night, when everyone else was full, I’d fill up my plate with these lemon knots, often sneaking one or two home on the way out. (She used to keep these in the freezer; it’s fair to say I always brought plenty home).
The thing was, even with her instruction and assistance, no one has been able to replicate them. My mom tried and made what she continues to refer to as “buns,” and countless efforts have ended up with dry cookies that are just unpleasant to eat. Then entered my stubborn and determined self.
This recipe made me feel like I was taking part in a Bake Off technical challenge. As written, the instructions are minimal: “Mix ingredients. Shape into knots. Refrigerate 1 hour before shaping.” Even the ingredient list for the icing calls for non-specific amount of “powdered sugar, milk, and juice of lemons.” So I approached these cookies like any other cookie I would make and hoped for the best.
Maybe it shouldn’t surprise me so much, but the method actually worked! You get a tacky dough that, even after chilling for an hour, is a bit tough to shape into knots. I like to flour the countertop just slightly and usually dust my fingers and palms to make for easy rolling without adding too much extra flour to the dough. It makes it easier to form the dough into knots, the ends tucked in so that they don’t dry out and darken faster than the rest of the cookie.
The real trick to getting a soft, cake-like, and moist cookie is to just bake these. My grandma’s recipe calls for 12 minutes but I’ve learned through many trials that these defintiely don’t need that much time! I make my cookies a bit larger than she used to and they only take 8-10 minutes before they’re ready (I always check at 8 and then add 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time if needed). Baking these until the tops just set is the real secret to what makes these so dangerously delicious!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 8-10 minutes* |
| Passive Time | 1 hour |
| Servings |
cookies
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- 4 cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 eggs large
- 4 tsp lemon extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 2 1/2-3 lemons juice only
- lemon zest (optional)
Ingredients
Lemon Knots
Lemon Icing
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- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and powdered sugar. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat together the vegetable oil and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes on medium high.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully combined between each addition. Add in the lemon extract and mix until combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula between each addition. Mix until just combined--the dough should be slightly tacky. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Lightly flour your hands and your work surface enough to handle the sticky dough without adding too much flour to it. Grab 50 gram pieces of dough and roll out into a 6" log.* Shape the dough into a knot, tucking the ends under so that your knot is in the shape of a ball--you don't want end pieces to stick out. Bake 8-10 minutes, checking after 8 minutes, until the bottoms are a light golden brown and the tops are just firm.** Remove from the oven and transfer immediately to a wire rack to cool.
- Make the icing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar, milk, and juice from the lemons until smooth and combined.*** Allow to sit and thicken for a couple of minutes. Dip the cooled cookies into the icing and allow to drip. Place on a wire rack until the icing sets.
*I make my cookies on the large side of things. If you want your lemon knots to be a bit smaller, roll out 30 grams of dough into 4" logs and bake for 6-8 minutes.
**It's very easy to overbake these so that they're too dry. Always check after about 8 minutes (or 6 if your knots are smaller than 50 grams).
***If you want a bit more of a kick of lemon, add some zest to the icing for extra flavor!