Lemon Cookies
Posted Mar 19, 2023, Updated Feb 13, 2024
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These lemon cookies are crispy on the outside with chewy centers. They have a bold lemon flavor with hints of vanilla. Serve them drizzled with a delicious lemon glaze for a bright and irresistible cookie you’ll make on repeat.
There’s something about lemon flavored desserts that makes me go weak in the knees, and these lemon cookies are no exception.
They are everything a cookie should be – chewy with crispy edges, buttery with hints of vanilla and a bold lemon flavor.
Topped with this delicious lemon glaze or slathered with lemon buttercream frosting, you will make these lemon cookies on repeat!
Lemon Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version substitute a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Fine sea salt. Use fine (not coarse) sea salt. If using iodized table salt, decrease the amount by half.
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter.
- Granulated sugar. I recommend using organic cane sugar or regular white sugar.
- Lemon Juice. Bottled or freshly squeezed are both great choices.
- Lemon Zest. this is optional, but it intensifies the lemon flavor quite a bite!
How to Make Lemon Cookies
This lemon cookies recipe is pretty straightforward. One important note is that the dough needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, so plan accordingly. Also, don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by creaming the butter and sugar together until light (about 1 minute). You can do this either in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer.
Then, add the egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until combined.
Next, add the lemon zest, flour, baking soda and salt and beat until combined.
Once the dough is finished, transfer it to an airtight container and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Bake the Lemon Cookies
Once the dough is chilled, use a 1 ½ Tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out portions of dough, roll them into balls and place them evenly spaced on the two baking sheets (about 8 per sheet). Repeat until all the dough is used.
Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the top is just set and the cookies crinkle a little.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, transfer the lemon cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Lemon Glaze
The glaze is optional but highly recommended. Or you can use this homemade lemon buttercream frosting.
To make the glaze, simply whisk together the ingredients in a medium bowl. For a more detailed post on how to make it, click here: lemon glaze recipe.
Then, dip the cooled cookies into the glaze and let them sit at room temperature until hardened (or to speed up this process toss them in the refrigerator).
Store
Once the glaze has hardened, store these lemon cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. I prefer to store them in a single layer so the glaze doesn’t get cracked.
Don’t forget to try our other favorite lemon desserts like lemon poppy seed cake (or lemon poppy seed bread), lemon pie, lemon cupcakes, and lemon bars!
Freeze
You can freeze these lemon cookies in two ways:
- Freeze the dough before baking. Simply portion out the dough and roll it into balls. Then place it on a baking sheet and flash-freeze the balls until hardened. Once hardened, transfer the dough balls to an airtight container until you’re ready to bake.
- To bake: remove the dough from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 2 hours before baking according to the recipe instructions. This is my preferred method, because you can bake them fresh when you’re ready to enjoy them.
- Freeze baked cookies. To freeze baked cookies, let them cool to room temperature. Then store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To thaw: let the cookies sit out at room temperature until thawed. You can also warm them in the oven set to 250 degrees F, in a baking dish covered with foil (or a lid) until warmed through.
Lemon Cookies Recipe FAQS
Yes, you can double the recipe to make 32 cookies.
Yes, I do not suggest trying to bake these cookies without chilling the dough.
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Lemon Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Lemon Glaze
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light (about 1 minute).
- Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until combined.
- Add lemon zest, flour, baking soda and salt and beat until combined.
- Transfer dough to an airtight container and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- Use a 1 ½ TBS cookie scoop to measure out portions of dough, roll them into balls and place them evenly spaced on the two baking sheets (about 8 per sheet). Repeat until all the dough is used.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the top is just set and the cookies crinkle a little.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze:
- Measure powdered sugar into a medium bowl.
- Add lemon juice, milk and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.
- Dip the cooled cookies into the glaze and let them sit at room temperature until hardened (or to speed up this process toss them in the refrigerator).
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version substitute a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Fine sea salt. Use fine (not coarse) sea salt. If using iodized table salt, decrease the amount by half.
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter.
- Granulated sugar. I recommend using organic cane sugar or regular white sugar.
- Lemon Juice. Bottled or freshly squeezed are both great choices.
- Lemon Zest. this is optional, but it intensifies the lemon flavor quite a bite!
- Freeze the dough before baking. Simply portion out the dough and roll it into balls. Then place it on a baking sheet and flash-freeze the balls until hardened. Once hardened, transfer the dough balls to an airtight container until you’re ready to bake.
- To bake: remove the dough from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 2 hours before baking according to the recipe instructions. This is my preferred method, because you can bake them fresh when you’re ready to enjoy them.
- Freeze baked cookies. To freeze baked cookies, let them cool to room temperature. Then store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To thaw: let the cookies sit out at room temperature until thawed. You can also warm them in the oven set to 250 degrees F, in a baking dish covered with foil (or a lid) until warmed through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you use parchment paper?
Yes!
I made these for a baby shower and they were PERFECT! The right amount of lemon flavor, a crunchy crust and soft inside- YUM! My husband said we need to keep these in the cookie rotation. 😉
Amazing cookies, highly recommended! I almost ate the entire first batch by myself, they were SOOOO GOOD!
they look yummy
Hi Laura-I just wanted to say thanks for all the wonderful recipes. I have made at least 10 different treats from your website, and they are all delicious. Your website is the best and it is the one that I go to first when I’m searching for something to bake. Your recipes have made me a better baker and I thank you for that!
Thank you so much Karla! Here’s to many more delicious treats!
These cookies have am amazing lemon flavor, the glaze give them the absolute finishing touch! So good!!
You can’t go wrong with a great glaze! 😉 Thank you, Patty!