In Dayton, Ohio there is a grocery store chain called Dorothy Lane Market (DLM). They have an amazing bakery and one of their most famous items is their “Laura’s Cookies”. They are almondy deliciousness and they have been a favorite of mine for years. I’ve tried to find recipes, but since there aren’t any, I decided to try and make my own…and this is as close as I could get! Now living states away, these cookies remind me of home <3
This recipe has been updated as of January 2023. I am a bit of a perfectionist so I've been continuously modifying and updating the recipe - if you have any questions about previous versions, don't hesitate to reach out! I've included the ingredients to the older recipes at the bottom of this page.
I used my Almond Sugar Cookie Recipe for the base and an almond flavored royal icing for the frosting.
Here is the recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE COOKIES:
- 12 TABLESPOONS OF SOFTENED UNSALTED BUTTER
- 1 CUP GRANULATED SUGAR
- 2 EGGS
- 2 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT
- 1/2 TSP ALMOND EXTRACT (OR USE 1/4 TSP IF YOU DON’T WANT THE FLAVOR AS STRONG)
- 3 CUP FLOUR (ALL-PURPOSE)
- 1 TSP BAKING POWDER
- 1/2 TSP SALT
FOR THE ICING:
- 10 OZ POWDERED SUGAR
- 3 TBSP MERINGUE POWDER
- 1/4 CUP WATER
- 2 TSP ALMOND EXTRACT
- GEL FOOD COLORING
- SPRINKLES/COLORED SUGAR/ETC.
OTHER ITEMS:
- PARCHMENT PAPER
- ROLLING PIN
- BAKING SHEETS
- PIPING BAGS (OR SANDWICH BAGS WORK GREAT TOO!)
- COOKIE CUTTERS
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INSTRUCTIONS:
FOR THE COOKIES:
Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
In a separate bowl; mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together
Add the flour mixture into the wet mixture and mix until combined.
On a sheet of parchment paper, roll out the dough (with rolling pin) to desired thickness (I made it about 1/4 inch thick). Then place your flattened dough into the fridge to cool (1-2 hours is preferred)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Take out your chilled dough (still on the parchment paper) and cutout your cookies to desired shape.
Put cookies into the fridge for another 20-30 minutes before you put it in the oven to prevent spreading.
Take the cookies out and place a few inches apart on a baking sheet. Put into the oven for 8-10 minutes.
Pull the cookies out when they are a light pale color and the top of the cookies aren’t glossy anymore - take out of the oven right before they start to turn golden, you don't want to overbake!
Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then move to baking sheet.
Let the cookies cool completely before decorating
FOR THE ICING:
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the powdered sugar, meringue powder, water, and almond extract for about 5 minutes on low speed (if you don't have a stand mixer, you can also whisk the mixture by hand!)
If you want to use food coloring, mix in a few drops of the gel food coloring to the mixture and stir it in — I split the icing into two bowls and color them
To make the icing thinner, add more water (I use a thinner icing to make the base color)
To make the icing thicker, add more powdered sugar (I use a thicker icing for details)
Decorate your cookie with your chosen consistency and coloring - you can use piping bags here for details, or use spatulas/knives/spoons to achieve a solid base of icing
To get the Laura’s cookie “look”, apply a thinner icing to the cookie and put it to the side until completely dried. Then, apply a thicker icing as detail and finish with some colored sugar.
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Some tips:
After cutting out the cookies from flattened dough, reform dough and roll out to continue process until you've used it all up.
Let unfrosted cookies cool completely. I put mine in the fridge for a few hours. But, if they are still warm when you put icing on, it will melt right off.
When making the icing, using a stand mixer works best, although you could probably do it by hand if you really want to. The mixer just makes it super smooth.
Don’t put iced cookies in the fridge right away. The icing wont set if its cold and it just slides right off the cookie (I learned this the hard way!). Just leave out on the counter for a few hours to set.
If you don't have a piping bag, you can take a sandwich bag and fill with icing as you would a piping bag. Simply snip off a small corner at the bottom to dispense!
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Previous Recipe Notes:
If you prefer the older versions of this recipe, please see below for ingredient lists. Directions follow similarly to the steps in the most recent recipe, although the previous recipes with sour cream and shortening are incorporated following creaming the butter and sugar. The icing recipe is the same as the current version.
VERSION 1:
- 8 TABLESPOONS OF SOFTENED BUTTER (SALTED) —
(YOU CAN ALSO USE 8 TBSP UNSALTED BUTTER AND 1/4 TSP SALT) - 1 1/2 CUP GRANULATED SUGAR
- 1/4 CUP SOUR CREAM
- 2 EGGS
- 2 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT
- 1/2 TSP ALMOND EXTRACT (OR USE 1/4 TSP IF YOU DON’T WANT THE FLAVOR AS STRONG)
- 2 3/4 CUP FLOUR (ALL-PURPOSE)
- 1/2 TSP BAKING POWDER
VERSION 2:
- 8 TABLESPOONS OF SOFTENED BUTTER (SALTED) —
(YOU CAN ALSO USE 8 TBSP UNSALTED BUTTER AND 1/4 TSP SALT) - 3 TABLESPOONS OF SHORTENING
- 1 3/4 CUP GRANULATED SUGAR
- 1/4 CUP SOUR CREAM
- 2 EGGS
- 2 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT
- 1/2 TSP ALMOND EXTRACT (OR USE 1/4 TSP IF YOU DON’T WANT THE FLAVOR AS STRONG)
- 3 1/4 CUP FLOUR (ALL-PURPOSE)
- 1/2 TSP BAKING POWDER
