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Soft and chewy Lemon Cookies. Packed with flavor thanks to using fresh lemon juice and zest. This easy to make cookie recipe comes together in one bowl and no chilling time required!
Looking for cookie recipes? You will want to try our Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Thick Chocolate Chip cookies, and Mexican Wedding Cookies.
- One Bowl: This cookie dough comes together in one mixing bowl, saving time and dishes!
- No Chilling: Chilling is not required with this dough, the cookies bake up perfectly as soon as the dough is mixed. This means you don’t have to wait around to enjoy them!
- Bold Flavor: No one will be left having to guess at the flavor of this cookie, the lemon flavor stands out.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Lemon: The main ingredient needed for making lemon cookies is the lemon! Fresh lemon juice and zest is where the lemon flavor is coming from.
- Baking soda: The leavening agent that will counteract with the acid of the lemon.
- Butter: This cookie recipe does use room temperature butter. If you are using salted butter you will need to reduce the amount of salt in the recipe. You can substitute the butter with coconut oil at a 1:1 ratio. Making this switch will affect the flavor of the cookies.
Find the complete recipe card below with measurements and full instructions.
How to Make Lemon Cookies
- First, in a large mixing bowl, beat the butter for a few seconds, then pour the granulated sugar in and cream together until light and fluffy.
- Add the lemon zest, vanilla, lemon juice, and egg to the wet ingredients. Continue to mix until smooth.
- Then, add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the same bowl. Mix the dry and wet ingredients until well combined. The ending dough will be sticky.
- Next, drop the cookie dough by the spoonful onto a prepared cookie sheet. Due to the stickiness of the dough you won’t be able to roll it with your hands.
- Finally, bake until just starting to turn a light golden color on the edges, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from oven, cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then remove to continue cooling on a wire rack.
How to Make Lemon Glaze:
- Prepare the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and zest until well combined. If you would prefer a more mellow lemon flavor you can replace a portion of the lemon juice with milk or cream. The glaze packs a bold lemon flavor which makes it perfect for lemon lovers.
- To get your desired consistency of glaze add either more juice/milk for a thinner glaze or more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze.
After that, spoon the glaze onto the top of the cookies or drizzle. Allow to sit and dry while the glaze hardens. Serve the cookies once they have cooled and the glaze has hardened.
Lemon Cookie Tips
- Cookie Scoop: Due to the sticky texture of the dough you will need to scoop the dough and not roll with your hands before baking.
- Bake Time: This lemon cookie recipe is best when baked until they turn golden on the edges. As they cool, they will set in the center and be perfect.
- Glaze: Adding the lemon glaze is optional, and you can do it in various ways: dunk the entire top of the cookie, part of the cookie, or drizzle.
How to Store/Freeze:
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
- Freezer: To freeze the cookie dough, spoon the dough onto a baking sheet with either a silicone baking mat or a sheet of wax paper. Place this in the freezer until the cookie dough has frozen. Once frozen, remove it from the baking sheet and place the cookie dough into a large freezer bag or container. Remove from the freezer and bake when ready.
Other lemon recipes:
Lemon Cookies Recipe
Soft bakery style lemon cookies with a lemon zest glaze
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (1 small lemon)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Glaze
- 2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- ⅓ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Prepare a large baking sheet with a non-stick spray, or parchment paper, set aside.
- In large mixing bowl beat the butter for a few seconds, then pour in the sugar and cream together until fluffy.
- Add in the lemon zest, vanilla, lemon juice and egg. Continue to mix until smooth.
- To the same bowl add the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix until fully combined.
- Drop cookie dough by the spoonful onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake until just starting to turn a light golden color on the edges, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool on the cookie sheet about 2-3 minutes and then remove to continue cooling on a wire rack.
- Once cooled prepare the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest together until well combined. Spoon onto the top of the cookies or drizzle. Allow to sit and dry, glaze will harden.
- Store cookies in airtight container at room temperature.
Video
Equipment
Notes
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
- Freezer: To freeze the cookie dough, spoon the dough onto a baking sheet with either a silicone baking mat or a sheet of wax paper. Place this in the freezer until the cookie dough has frozen. Once frozen, remove it from the baking sheet and place the cookie dough into a large freezer bag or container. Remove from the freezer and bake when ready.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 78mg | Potassium: 16mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 128IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Published 2015. Updated in 2018 and 2023.
Photography by Jess Gaertner Creative.
These cookies are wonderful! I did 2 things that I feel added to the end result. 1 – about halfway through baking them I used a large round cookie cutter and used a circular motion to plump them up a little so they weren’t so flattened. 2 – I dunked the whole cookie in the glaze and set them on a rack to drip dry. Some of them I even gave a second coat of the glaze. Yum!
Delicious, tart and tangy. Loved them—-most importantly, I impressed my 80 yo Texan mother in law! 💕
I love these cookies, and they’re always a big hit when I bring them somewhere. Could these be frozen and used later?
I love these cookies! I’ve made them using gluten free flour and they’re just as good. I’m wondering if you’ve made them using monk fruit sweetener and monk fruit powdered sweetener. I want to give them a try, but wondering if you have any tips.
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This recipe is wonderful. Husband brought home… a ton of lemons (his coworker has a tree, so I’d say about 15 or so lemons) And, so I doubled this recipe, made lemon bars, and lemonade. SO MUCH LEMON, but I do NOT believe in wasting. Waste not, want not! These cookies are like lemon clouds with a bite! Thank you SO much for sharing!
AMAZING, yet simple cookies. Made them, whole fam loved. Only took like 10 min. (besides the baking) and yummy and just the right amount of lemon.
Hi! I made these a couple years ago and my waistline still reminds me of how I couldn’t stop eating them, so delicious!!!! Has anyone made them ahead of time and frozen them? Do you recommend freezing the dough it the finished product ( without glaze). Thanks in advance, I’m off to buy some more stretch pants!