Lemon Cookies – The Almond Eater

These easy Lemon Cookies are soft and chewy, bursting with refreshingly zingy lemon flavors, and decorated with sweet lemon icing. Just one will bring a little sunshine to your day!

Lemon baked goods always manage to brighten my day. When it’s cold and rainy outside, a slice of lemon loaf comes to my rescue! I’m not sure if it’s their bright yellow hue or that refreshing citrus zing on my tongue, but I can never get enough.

These Glazed Lemon Cookies are one of my favorite ways to treat myself to that tart lemon flavor in a hurry. They’re chewy on the inside, perfectly crisp around the edges, and bursting with a vibrant lemon flavor. The zesty and sweet glaze on top instantly transforms these cookies into a truly bakery-style treat.

The best part is that, just like my almond sugar cookies and vegan oatmeal cookies, these iced lemon cookies are beginner-friendly. With simple ingredients and easy-to-follow steps, any level of home baker or lemon lover can whip up a perfect batch in under 35 minutes.

Recipe features

• They’re just the way sugar cookies should be—delightfully golden with melt-in-your-mouth gooey centers.
• Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest lend a delicious zing of citrus to every bite!
• Decorated with a sweet and tart lemon glaze on top.

Ingredients

Sugar – Use granulated white sugar or cane sugar. Don’t use brown sugar or another sweetener or else the flavor and structure of the cookies will be off.

Lemon – Freshly squeezed or bottled lemon juice and fresh lemon zest give these cookies their distinct citrus flavor. If you like extra lemony cookies, replace 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with 1 teaspoon of lemon extract and add a drop of yellow gel food coloring to the dough for an eye-catching color.

Butter – Unsalted butter, preferably. Remember to take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you get started so it has a chance to soften.

All-purpose flour – It gives the cookies a tender texture on the inside and slightly crisp edges on the outside.

Lemon icing – Lemon juice, powdered sugar, and a dash of vanilla extract create the simple lemon icing for these glazed lemon cookies. You can skip the icing altogether if you prefer a less sweet treat. 

Instructions

Step 1: Combine the sugar and zest. In a large bowl, use your fingers to rub the sugar and lemon zest together until combined. The mixture should feel like wet sand. 

Step 2: Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the butter and lemon sugar together until light and fluffy. 

Step 3: Finish the dough. Beat the egg, lemon juice, and vanilla into the butter mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until the flour is absorbed.

Step 4: Form the cookies and bake. Roll golf ball-sized pieces of cookie dough into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the cookies until their edges are slightly golden and set. Set them aside to cool.

Step 5: Make the icing. Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice, vanilla, and powdered sugar together in a small bowl until smooth.

Step 6: Decorate and enjoy. Ice the cooled lemon cookies and top with a sprinkle of lemon zest. Enjoy!

Tips and FAQs

• Measure the flour with a kitchen scale or the scoop-and-level technique. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level the excess off the top with the back of a knife. 
• Don’t overmix the cookie dough when combining the dry and wet mixtures. You’ll know the dough is perfect when no dry flour streaks remain in the bowl.
• Wait for the cookies to cool completely before slathering them with the lemon icing. If they’re still warm, the icing will melt off the cookies.
• Decorate the iced cookies with a sprinkle of lemon zest, a citrus twist, sprinkles, a dollop of lemon curd, or a pinch of shredded coconut.

Do you have to chill the cookie dough?

The only time I recommend chilling the cookie dough is when the dough feels too soft or sticky to work with. In this case, pop it in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes or until it’s easier to roll into uniform-size balls. Otherwise, chilling the cookie dough isn’t required for this recipe.

How can you tell when lemon sugar cookies are done?

You’ll know they’re done baking when the edges are slightly golden and the centers look set but still soft. The cookies will look pretty soft coming out of the oven but they’ll continue to firm as they cool on the baking sheet.

Can they be made gluten-free?

I haven’t tested a gluten-free lemon cookie recipe but replacing the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend should work instead.

Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time?

Yes, you can refrigerate the prepared dough up to 2 days ahead of baking. Make the dough as normal and cover the bowl with plastic wrap to keep it fresh.

You can also freeze the cookie dough balls up to 3 months before baking. Flash-freeze the balls on a cookie sheet until they’re solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag and freeze. Bake the cookies from frozen but add an extra 2 to 5 minutes to the baking time.

Storage

Room temperature: The iced cookies will stay tender for up to 3 days in an airtight container on the counter.

Refrigerator: Keep the cookies in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Freezer: The baked cookies will freeze well in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. 

More soft and chewy cookies

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Lemon Cookies

These easy Lemon Cookies are soft and chewy, bursting with refreshingly zingy lemon flavors, and decorated with sweet lemon icing. Just one will bring a little sunshine to your day!

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Prep Time: 18 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 14 cookies

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Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

• Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl and use your fingers to press them together until moist and fragrant. Then, add the butter to that same bowl and use a hand or stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together.

• Add the egg, lemon juice and vanilla to that same bowl and mix to combine for about 1 minute.

• In a separate bowl, stir the flour, baking soda and salt together. Then, pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir to combine until the flour disappears, being careful not to overmix the batter.

• Use your hands to grab a handful of the dough (slightly larger than golf ball size) and roll the dough into a ball. Place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this step until all of the dough is done (NOTE: you may need to bake in batches or use two baking sheets).

• Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes. Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack. Wait for the cookies to cool completely before icing them.

• For the icing: whisk the lemon juice, vanilla and powdered sugar together until smooth. Use a knife to ice each cookie. Leave as-is, or sprinkle each cookie with a little lemon zest. Enjoy!

Notes

*Calories are per serving and are an estimation. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 423IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

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