These stunning cookies, with their chocolate and vanilla glaze, have more of a cake-like texture than most cookies. They don’t keep for as long as crisper cookies, but they’re delicious dunked in coffee or tea if they go a little stale.

Makes about 18 cookies

PREP TIME: 40 minutes
COOKING TIME: about 20 minutes
SETTING TIME: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

COOKIES:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ⅔ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest (1 to 2 lemons)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp lemon extract
• 6 Tbsp buttermilk

GLAZE:

• 3 to 3 ¼ cups icing sugar, sifted
• ¼ cup whole milk
• 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp white corn syrup
• 2 tsp white corn syrup
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 5 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 2 Tbsp hot water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, then set aside.
2. For the cookies, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the lemon zest and the vanilla and lemon extracts.
5. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk, making three additions of flour and two of buttermilk, and beginning and ending with the flour. Stir until well combined.
6. Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, drop 3 tablespoonfuls of dough for each cookie, 3 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. With your dampened palm, gently press down on each heap of dough to flatten it slightly.
7. Bake until the tops spring back when pressed and the edges of the cookies are light golden, about 20 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks cool completely.
8. For the glaze, whisk together 3 cups of the icing sugar, the milk, lemon juice, corn syrup, salt and vanilla extract in a large bowl until smooth and well combined. Spoon half of the mixture into another bowl. Set aside.
9. If the glaze in the large bowl is too thin to spread, whisk in a little more icing sugar until it’s spreadable. Using a small offset spatula, carefully spread the glaze over half of the flat side of each cookie. Place the cookies, glazed side up, on wire racks. Refrigerate the cookies while you prepare the chocolate glaze.
10. In a small bowl, stir together the cocoa and hot water until smooth and free of lumps. Add the cocoa mixture to the reserved glaze and whisk to combine. If the chocolate glaze is too thin to spread, whisk in a little more icing sugar until the glaze is spreadable.
11. Spread the chocolate glaze over the unglazed half of the flat side of each cookie. Set aside at room temperature until the glaze has set, about 1 hour. (The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or frozen, with parchment paper between the layers, for up to 2 months.)