Preheat your oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. This temperature is crucial because it allows the cookies to set quickly on the outside while maintaining soft centers. Higher temperatures risk burnt bottoms before the centers bake through.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt until fully combined. This step ensures even distribution of the leavening agent throughout the dough. Set this dry mixture aside while you work on the wet ingredients.

Using an electric mixer, cream softened butter and granulated sugar together for approximately 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. The texture should resemble fluffy clouds, indicating you've incorporated plenty of air. This creaming process is fundamental to achieving the perfect cookie texture.

Add the egg, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract to your butter mixture, beating until completely combined. The dough should appear slightly curdled at this stage, which is completely normal. The lemon juice's acidity reacting with the eggs creates this visual effect.

Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix—this develops gluten and creates tough, dense cookies. Stop as soon as no flour streaks remain visible in the cozy summer lemon sugar cookies recipe dough.

Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop rounded portions onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. These cookies spread slightly during baking, so adequate spacing prevents them from merging together. The uniform sizing ensures even baking across the entire batch.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are just barely golden but centers still appear slightly underbaked. Remove from the oven and let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. This resting period allows the centers to continue setting gently.

While cookies cool, place powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Once completely cooled, gently toss cookies in powdered sugar for that signature bakery-quality coating. A light dusting creates visual appeal and adds subtle sweetness.