Lemon Sugar Cookies

From lemon, grate 1 tablespoon peel and squeeze 1 tablespoon juice. Set peel and juice aside.

On waxed paper, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In large bowl, with mixer on low speed, beat sugar and butter until blended. Increase speed to medium-high; beat 3 minutes or until light and creamy, frequently scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to low; beat in egg, vanilla, and lemon peel and juice until mixed. Beat in flour mixture, just until mixed, occasionally scraping bowl. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces; flatten each into disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight, until firm enough to roll. (Or place dough in freezer 30 minutes.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll 1 disk of dough to scant 1/4-inch thickness. With floured 2 1/2- to 4-inch favorite springtime cookie cutters, cut dough into as many cookies as possible; wrap and refrigerate trimmings to reroll later. Place cookies, about 1 inch apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet.

Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. With wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool, about 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough and trimmings.

When cookies are cool, if you like, prepare Ornamental Frosting (optional) ; use along with sugar to decorate cookies. Allow frosting to dry completely, about 1 hour. Store in tightly sealed container (with waxed paper between layers) at room temperature up to 2 weeks or in freezer up to 3 months.

Nutritional information is based on 1 cookie without frosting or sanding sugar.