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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.
If I could rate these cookies higher I would! These lemon mounds of deliciousness are INSANE!! I’ve made them several times for neighbors, family and most recently for Christmas gifts. I’ve also shared your recipe. Crazy goodness!!!
I make these for a good friend that loves lemon! She raves over how they are the best ever. She retired, and asked if I’d make a platter for her retirement potluck …. I did. I also made a double batch for her as a gift to enjoy at home. She was so pleased to tell me that every morning she’d have a lemon cookie with coffee to start her day.
After the potluck I had about 10 people asking for the recipe! They are a big hit where ever I take them! I am making them for a Christmas cookie exchange . A 4x batch !!!
I have also made them with Meyer Lemons – DELICIOUS!
I have also made them with limes too, DELICIOUS!!!
You can’t go wrong with this recipe!
Hi, I’m 12 years old and have baked these cookies twice, I know that your probably thinking another little girl probably made a fake rate. But honestly these cookies have made my entire family eating them. A little recommendation is to probably put less powdered sugar in the icing if you have a 1-4 person family. Thanks so much for this recipe it really does amazing. And another tip is to watch the cookies in the oven the entire time to see when their ready! Enjoy!
I’ve made these at least dozen times now, they’re always a huge hit. They even converted someone who claimed to really dislike lemons! I have a question though. I want to make like 4 batches of these for the holidays. It takes a lot of lemons and a lot of time to zest enough for 4 batches. Have you ever tried making them with dried lemon zest? I’ve never used dried zest, but I know they sell it with the herbs and spices at the store. I don’t want to use it if it will make a huge difference in the flavor though.
I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe! I haven’t tried dried lemon zest, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in the stores! It might be more powerful in flavor than fresh zest, so you may need to change the amount you use.
I saw a technique about a year ago and have used it anytime a recipe calls for sugar and lemon zest. Use a vegetable peeler to take the rind off the lemon or orange. Be sure not to get the pith – I usually trim it out if a little comes off with the rind. This works best with a kitchen scale. Measure the sugar and the rind right in the food processor bowl on the scale and then “zest” the rind and sugar together. A cup of sugar is 200 grams and a tablespoon of lemon zest is about 6 grams so . Then just mix in the zested sugar wherever that recipe calls for it in the process. It is SO much faster AND more accurate than trying to measure tablespoons of zest. AND you don’t leave so much of the citrus oil on the zester. It all goes into the mix! I now peel oranges and lemons anytime I’m going to eat or use one and just keep the rind in a bag in the freezer for when a recipe calls for it.
sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo GOOD, thanks to my friend R.S. for sharing this recipe with my mom!!!!!!!!!!!11
Love this recipe! I love how you can taste the lemon flavor, unlike other recipes where the lemon flavor disappears after baking. One question: how did you get your cookies to rise so much? When I baked mine, they came out pretty thin. And yes, I did let the butter come to room temperature WITHOUT using the microwave. I followed the recipe exactly as it was written, but the cookies still came out thin. Would putting more baking soda solve the problem? Thanks for your help!
Everyone loves these, Ive made them at least a dozen times now. The only thing i do differently is that I refrigerate the dough for at least an hour, sometimes even over night. I use a cookie dough scoop so theyre all the same size and they stay thick, soft and chewy. I only ever use 1/2 of the glaze and its plenty.
The Absolute Best!! Made dozens of times and they are Always a hit!
SO delicious! Chewy, lemony goodness. My mom loved them!
I made this using one of our enormous lemons from our tree. I didn’t vary from the recipe and these turned out perfectly! Light and delicious with the lemon flavor really coming through! A definite keeper.