Form the sugar cookie dough into a log about 3 inches in diameter, then refrigerate until firm.
16 ounces sugar cookie dough
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Slice the roll of dough into smaller logs (one for every color of sugar crystals), and roll each in one color of the sugar, pressing a little to make them stick well.
colored sugar crystals (1-4 different colors)
Cut the dough into ¼ inch slices and place on a cookie sheet, about 1-2 inches apart.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown. Cool for a minute on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.
For the lemon glaze:
Make the glaze by slowly mixing the confectioner's sugar into the lemon juice until smooth.
1 ½ cups confectioner's sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice
On each cooled cookie, drizzle about 1 teaspoon of glaze and spread it with the back of a spoon.
Garnish with sprinkles or other pastel-colored candy.
pastel sprinkles or coated chocolate candies
Video
Notes
The store-bought pink and blue sugar crystals worked really well but the green color seemed too light. Make your own colors with this simple technique!
Place 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar in a ziplock bag.
Add a drop or two of food coloring.
Zip the bag and shake it.
To remove any clumps, work them from the outside of the bag with your fingers.
If the color needs to be darker, add another drop of food coloring and shake again.
Dough that is too cold may be tough to coat with the sugar crystals. You can use your (washed) hands to hold the dough for 10-20 seconds, which should warm up just the outside of it which will help it to better hold on to the sugar.
The glaze will start to harden if you let it sit out for too long, so hold off on making it until you are almost ready to use it.
Once you glaze and decorate your cookies, let them sit out about 12 hours for the glaze to completely harden. Then you can place them in a bag or container for storage.