We’re celebrating all things spring over here and I wanted to bring you an easy, seasonal dessert recipe for all of your celebrations. Usually, my lemon bars are all of the rage, but why not lemon cookies, too? Especially if they’re glazed with a lovely lemon icing.
These delicious homemade soft lemon cookies are a combination of a soft lemon cookie and a sugar cookie. They’re perfectly sweet with tender middles and crispy edges and have truly become a family favorite cookie over the years!
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The story behind these lemon cookies
This lemon cookie recipe was inspired by my Italian orange cookies, which aren’t overly sweet, but still full of incredible citrus flavor and one of my favorite cookies on the site.
These cookies are a bit different because they’re soft and chewy in the middle, but still give you slightly crispy golden brown edges like a regular sugar cookie. I tested them 5 times to get the absolute perfect lemon cookie, so I hope you love them as much as we do!
Ingredients in the best lemon cookies
These easy lemon cookies have the perfect chewy texture plus sweet, slightly tart flavor from both fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Flour: these cookies call for regular, all purpose flour. Simple!
- Baking powder: we’re using baking powder (not baking soda) in this recipe because we want the cookies to be both soft and chewy similar to soft sugar cookies!
- Softened butter: I prefer to use salted butter in my cookie recipes because a little more salt always adds additional flavor, however, unsalted butter also works. Make sure the butter is at room temperature before you bake with it. I recommend taking it out of the fridge an hour or two before baking these cookies.
- Sugar: regular granulated sugar is best in this recipe.
- Egg: you’ll need one egg, and it’s best if the egg is at room temperature before you bake with it.
- Fresh lemon zest and juice: for that perfectly tart lemon flavor without having to use any lemon extract.
- Almond extract: a hint of almond extract (instead of vanilla extract) brings out incredible flavor in these lemon cookies. Don’t skip it!
- For the lemon glaze: you’ll need some powdered sugar, a little more fresh lemon juice, and almond extract. It’s light and oh so lovely. You’ll want to put it on everything.
Make these into lemon poppy seed cookies
If you want to make these lemon poppyseed cookies, simply add 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds to the dry ingredients and make as directed. Yum!
Can I make them gluten free?
I have not tested these lemon cookies with a gluten free flour, but I think an all purpose gluten free flour, chickpea flour, or quinoa flour would work well. You may just get a different flavor. A gluten free all purpose flour is probably best.
Otherwise, try my paleo lemon poppy seed cookies for the perfect grain free & gluten free alternative!
How to make vegan lemon cookies
I think these cookies would work well with a ‘flax egg‘ too if you want to make them vegan. Be sure to also use a vegan buttery stick in place of the butter, such as Earth Balance.
Tips & tricks for perfect lemon cookies
Here are some of my tips to make sure your lemon cookies come out perfect:
- Use parchment paper. Make sure to add parchment paper to your baking sheet to make sure the cookies don’t stick to the pan.
- Use an electric mixer. It’s best to use an electric mixer for this recipe so that you can beat the butter and sugar together until it’s nice and fluffy. I love this hand mixer or this KitchenAid mixer, which is well worth the investment!
- Use room temp ingredients. Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature and not melted. I recommend taking it out of the fridge an hour or two before baking these cookies. Do not attempt to soften your butter in the microwave — if you do this the cookies will not turn out correctly! Be sure to also use a room temperature egg by running it under warm water for a minute or two so that it does not coagulate with the butter.
- Do not pack your flour. Scoop your flour into the measuring cup and then level it off with the flat end of a butter knife. Learn the method here!
- Cool before glazing. Allow cookies to completely cool before glazing them so that the glaze doesn’t soak into the cookies. If you are in a rush and want to speed up the process you can put the cookie sheet in the freezer for 10-15 minutes after baking.
- Use fresh lemon juice. Make sure you use freshly squeezed lemon juice for this recipe. Do not use lemon concentrate, it’s too potent and sour.
- Don’t forget the lemon zest! The lemon zest is very important to flavoring these lemon cookies, so don’t skip it. Here’s the inexpensive zester I recommend.
Storing & freezing tips
- To store: wait for the icing to completely harden on the cookies, then place them in an airtight container in even layers. You can place parchment paper in between each cookie layer if you are concerned with cookies sticking to one another. Cookies will stay good for 5 days at room temperature in cooler weather. If humid, I recommend transferring cookies to the fridge in a glass container after a day or two.
- Freeze the dough before baking. Simply roll your lemon cookies into dough balls and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes. Once the cookie dough balls firm up, transfer them to a reusable freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, simply bake the cookies as directed. You’ll likely just need to add a few extra minutes of baking time!
- Freeze baked cookies. Wait for the cookies to cool completely, then transfer them to a reusable freezer-safe bag or container lined with wax or parchment paper. I like to place them in a single layer to avoid any cookies breaking. Cookies will keep well for up to 2 months. Once ready to eat, simply thaw out at room temperature, add the glaze and enjoy.
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I hope you love these lemon cookies! If you make them, be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe below! I’d love to hear from you and it helps encourage others to make the recipe too!
The
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Lemon Cookies with Lovely Lemon Glaze
These gorgeous lemon cookies are soft in the middle with crispy edges, and are delicious topped with a lovely lemon glaze. Add poppy seeds to these homemade lemon cookies to easily make them lemon poppyseed cookies! Lemon lovers will LOVE these cookies.
Ingredients
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cup (150g) all purpose flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Optional: 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Wet ingredients
- 6 tablespoons (85g) butter, softened at room temperature (do NOT use melted butter)**
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- Zest from 1 large lemon (about 2-3 teaspoons)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- For rolling cookies:
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, for rolling cookies
- For the lemon glaze:
- ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
-
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, poppy seeds (optional) and salt.
-
In the bowl of an electric mixer, add in softened butter, sugar and lemon zest; beat on high for 2 minutes. Next add in egg and almond extract. Beat for 1 minute until well combined. (It’s SUPER important the egg is at room temperature. To achieve this, just run it under warm water for 1 minute).
-
Slowly add in the dry ingredients and fresh lemon juice and mix on medium low speed until well combined.
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Use a medium cookie scoop to grab the dough, then use your hands to roll dough into a circle. Roll in sugar, then place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat, leaving at least 2 inches between each dough ball.
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Bake for 11-14 minute or until edges are barely golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
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Once cookies are completely cooled, you can glaze them. Make the glaze by adding powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and almond extract in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. You may need to add in more lemon juice if the glaze is too thick (start with a teaspoon at a time). Glaze should be somewhat thick.
-
Spoon about ½ tablespoon of glaze to each cookie and use a spoon to spread around. Enjoy! Makes 12 cookies.
Recipe Notes
**To make cookies dairy free: Feel free to use a vegan buttery stick, such as Earth Balance.
To make cookies vegan: Use a flax egg and a softened vegan buttery stick (such as Earth Balance).
If you want to use coconut sugar in this recipe, I suggest only using it in the cookies themselves. Personally, I think it overpowers the lemon flavor too much. Do NOT roll the cookies in coconut sugar; it doesn’t have the same consistency.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie with glazeCalories: 165calCarbohydrates: 26.9gProtein: 1.4gFat: 6.1gSaturated Fat: 3.7gFiber: 0.5gSugar: 17.4g
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on March 26, 2020, republished on April 2, 2021, and republished on April 21st, 2024.
