These soft iced lemon cookies have lemon juice and lemon zest stirred in to the cookie dough, making these a hit with everyone. Drizzle a fresh lemon glaze over them for an extra punch of citrus and sweetness. This lemon cookie recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes!
I’m so excited to share a brand new recipe that is a sneak peak to my upcoming cookbook, Dessert Cookbook For Beginners, that is now available for pre-order and I’m so excited about this one. Iced lemon cookies friend!! I also shared with you, in case you missed it, these carrot walnut cupcakes with a whipped cream cheese frosting and this sour cream cinnamon coffee cake recipe. Both are so wonderfully easy for a beginner baker to try out.
But back to these these cookies…
When I was younger I used to skip past the lemon desserts on the table, but now they are the first thing I gravitate towards. What is that? Age? Sophistication? Wisdom? Let’s go with the last two – I’m more sophisticated and wiser. I just can’t help it..I like lemon desserts now I think above else!
And these glazed lemon cookies were definitely a wise choice when I was creating new recipes for the book. A soft lemon sugar cookie that has a sweet lemon icing on top? Yes please. And if you’ve made any kind of drop sugar cookie too, then you are going to master these easy lemon cookies in no time.
Basically you start by making a lemon sugar cookie dough (there’s lemon zest and lemon juice in the dough!) and then dip them in the lemon icing after they bake to give them lots of lemon flavor. The lemon cookies bake up thick, soft, and slightly chewy. Irresistible basically.
The cookies aren’t overly lemony, but once you dip them in the icing the lemon really shines through…so don’t skip the glaze! Yes these are the BEST lemon cookies in the world if I do say so myself. And after you have made these cookies, I think you will agree with me.
Why You Will Love These Glazed Lemon Cookies
- Simple To Make – This cookie dough is super simple, it takes about 15 minutes to mix. And the lemon glaze is just a few simple ingredients.
- Perfect Treat For Summer – This cookie screams summer! This cookie is perfect to bring to all your summer get togethers.
- Lots Of Lemon Flavor – The cookie dough and icing is made with real lemon juice and lemon zest giving them maximum lemon flavor.
Ingredients Needed
Here is what you are going to need:
- Flour -This recipes calls for regular all-purpose flour so they have the perfect texture and chewiness factor. Make sure to measure your flour properly by spooning it into your cup and leveling it off. Do not pack it down.
- Baking Powder And Baking Soda
- Salt
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract – I prefer to use real vanilla extract, but imitation vanilla extract will also work.
- Granulated Sugar
- Lemon Juice – I used fresh lemon juice in this recipe for best flavor and since I use both lemon zest and juice, there’s no waste of the lemon, but bottled lemon juice could also work.
- Lemon Zest – Using the zest helps give these cookies even more lemon flavor.
- Unsalted Butter – I used unsalted butter, but I’m sure salted butter would work but you would want to reduce the salt then in the recipe as I would think it would make it too salty and not let the lemon shine through. And make sure you’re using real butter – not butter that is in a tub, or margarine as it will affect the flavor and results of the cookie texture in the end.
How To Make Soft Lemon Cookies
You want to start by combining your dry ingredients together. For this, I simply just whisk together in a medium bowl, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then just set aside.
Heather’s Baking Tip
Make sure you measure your flour correctly otherwise you may end up with a very dry, cakey cookie that doesn’t spread at all. I recommend measuring by weight but if measuring by volume then stir your flour first. Then spoon the flour into your cup and level it off. Do not pack it down or you will end up with up 25% more flour.
Then you want to use cream your butter and granulated sugar together. Make sure you butter is properly softened to room temperature so it can be easily creamed with the granulated sugar.
I use my stand mixer or my hand mixer for this step. If you use your hand mixer it will take a bit longer. You want the mixture to be light and fluffy, so cream for about 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high speed.
What Is The Creaming Method?
The creaming method involves beating together the fat (usually butter, but also could be margarine or shortening) with the sugar called for the in the recipe. By using softened butter, the sugar is able to basically punch holes into the butter creating air pockets. The air pockets will fill with bubbles from the leavening agent and expand in the oven. This will help your baked goods rise in the oven.
Having properly softened butter (or other fat) is important with the creaming method step so that the sugar can properly aerate the butter. If your butter is too cold the sugar will not be able to properly aerate the butter mixture. Your cakes will end up denser and not as tall and fluffy.
You can read more here about the creaming method!
Then add your room temperature egg and beat to combine. Make sure it’s room temperature so it blends easily into the butter/sugar mixture. If it’s cold it will cause your butter to seize up and your dough to break or become curdled looking.
Next, stir in the vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. And beat to combine. Make sure you scrape down bowl as needed to make sure there aren’t pockets of unincorporated ingredients as you go.
Then stir in the flour mixture, and mix at low to medium speed just until no flour streaks remain. You don’t want to overmix at this point or it will cause your cookies to become too chewy and tough.
I like to use a cookie scoop, or tablespoon to portion into about 1 ½ inch balls. I like to roll them into a smooth ball so they bake up with perfectly round edges. Then place on prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them, so they have room to spread.
I like to line my baking sheets with parchment paper to make for easy clean-up and no sticking but a silicone baking mat also works or you can just grease lightly with cooking spray.
You will bake these for about 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are set and bottoms will be lightly golden brown. The tops will be soft but set.
Every oven is different so make sure to look for lightly golden brown edges and a center that is still slightly soft looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Make The Lemon Cookie Icing
Here is what you need to grab to make your lemon icing -powdered sugar (or confectioners sugar), vanilla extract, milk, lemon zest and juice.
Once the cookies have cooled, go ahead and make your lemon icing. This icing is so simple to make and adds that extra punch of lemon flavor to this lemon cookie recipe.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, milk, and powdered sugar and whisk until it’s smooth. If you are finding the lemon glaze is too thick add a touch more liquid to thin it our. Or if it’s too thin, add a a little more powdered sugar.
You can ice these cookies with an offset spatula or simply give them a dunk into your lemon glaze which is my preferred method, letting the excess drip off.
Heather’s Baking Tips
- Measure Your Flour Correctly. Too much flour will result in a crumbly cookie dough and a tough, cakey, crumbly cookie. I recommend measuring by weight for best accuracy, but if you’re measuring by volume (aka measuring cups) then measure by stirring your flour first, then spooning it into your cup and leveling it off. Do not pack it down into the cup which can pack too much flour into it.
- Use a cookie scoop for accuracy. You can portion out with a measuring spoon but for even scooping and cookies I recommend using a cookie scoop.
- Make sure your eggs and butter are at room temperature. You need them to both be room temperature so they blend easily into the batter and incorporate air properly so you cookies don’t end up as flat puddles. Take them out of the fridge about an hour before you plan to bake with them.
- Line Your Baking Sheets With Parchment Paper – I prefer using parchment paper on my baking sheets for easy cleanup and no sticking, but a silicone baking mat or lightly greasing with cooking spray also works (although over time the cooking spray can begin to leave a film/residue).
Recipe FAQ’s
Keep stored at room temperature, covered for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the cookies for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Most likely this is because your butter was too warm, or you over-creamed your butter and sugar. Here are 10 reasons why your cookies are flat, and how to fix them.
Yes you can make the dough up to 2 days ahead of time, and keep covered in the fridge. Let sit at room temperature for several minutes before scooping.
This probably means you added too much flour to the dough. Over-measuring is easy to do! Be sure to fluff up your flour first, then spoon into your cup and level it off. Do not pack it down. Or use a scale and weigh your flour for 100% accuracy.
Yes you can! Just simply swap out the all-purpose flour and use your go to gluten free flour. My favorite gluten free flour blend is Cup 4 Cup.
More Cookie Recipes To Try
If you loved these glazed lemon cookies, here are more cookie recipes I think you might like:
Soft Lemon Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
For The Cookies:
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 large egg room temperature
For The Icing:
- 2 cups (228 g) confectioners sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare cooking sheets. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat (or lightly grease with non-sticking cooking spray).
- Whisk dry ingredients together. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add remaining wet ingredients. Add egg and beat to combine. Add vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Scrape down bowl as needed.
- Add dry ingredients. Add flour mixture, and mix at low to medium speed just until no flour streaks remain.
- Scoop cookie dough. Using a cookie scoop, or tablespoon to portion into 1 ½ inch balls. Place on prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them.
- Bake and cool the cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The edges will look done, but the center will still look slightly soft. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- Make icing. In a small mixing bowl, combine icing ingredients. With an offset spatula, ice the top of each cookie.
Video
Notes
- Make ahead/Storage: You can make the dough up to 2 days ahead of time, and keep covered in the fridge. Let sit at room temperature for several minutes before scooping. Keep stored at room temperature, covered for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: You can freeze the cookies for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Alisa Davis says
Do you think cream cheese frosting would be good on these cookies?
Heather says
OH my yes swooooon Alisa- amazing idea! You could always add a little lemon zest or lemon juice as well to the frosting if you want to enhance the lemon flavor even more.
Julie says
Wow! Awesome recipe! I actually thought about not doing the glaze what a mistake that would have been. I made mine a bit larger than you wrote so they cooked about 15 minutes but they came out perfect! I used vanilla bean paste in the glaze and the specs look great after it dried, I also used a little more zest on the glaze before it dried for color.
Thanks for a great and flavorful recipe!
Heather says
You’re welcome! So glad you loved these cookies! And love the idea of vanilla bean glaze!
Arron says
The cookies turned out great but the icing was too thin even before adding the milk so I ended up excluding it in the recipe. I think I had to add about 1/2 Cup of extra powdered sugar to thicken it up which unfortunately weakened the tartness of the icing. In the future I am going to try and add a small amount of cornstarch to the lemon juice before adding any icing and see if I can thicken it with that instead of adding more sugar.
Heather says
Hi Arron, so glad you loved the cookies but sorry you had trouble with the icing. You can also try thickening with a bit of corn syrup as well next time.
Denny W says
Great recipe. However, I’m used to making cakes and over aerated the butter sugar mixture. Cookies came out a bit puffy. Not a total loss. I dipped them again in the icing after the first coat and rebranded them as lemon tea cakies. 😆😆 They were delicious. I know what I did wrong, so next time they will be perfect. It’s a great way to make use of the lemons off our tree.
Heather says
Love that you “rebranded” that’s genius – you got me cracking up over here.
Kathy says
What is the science behind baking soda and baking powder, using both, or using just either one of them?
Heather says
Hi Kathy – you might like article – baking powder vs baking soda. In cookies, baking powder helps lift and baking soda helps with browning and spreading.
Robert says
Just wanted to say thank you for the tip about weighing the flour. Since my mom died I wanted to try her cookie recipes and she made lemon cookies that I really liked as a kid. My cookies turned out like cake even though I followed the recipe. I think I packed the flour into the measuring cup and ended up using too much. When I weighed the flour for your recipe, I noticed a difference in the dough texture and the cookies turned out perfect. Just like mom used to make. Thank you for the tip it is much appreciated.
Heather says
aw such a kind a review Robert – that means a lot. And to know that they are like your mom used to make, means so much. And glad the flour tip worked! THese cookies do have a bit more flour than most so yes if not measuring correctly it’s easy to end with more than intended. Glad my tip helped!
Bob says
Just made these and they are awesome! Does the icing firm up eventually or does it stay kinda soft and sticky? Everything came out great, I’m just looking for the best way to store them. Also, I made these at 6000 ft without adjustments.
Heather says
Hi Bob! Aw thank you, so glad the recipe was loved. And yes it should firm up if left out for a bit to dry up. And glad they worked at the high altitude as well!
Tina says
Hands down one of the best cookie recipes I’ve come across in the last couple years! Thank you for a delicious fresh lemon cookie recipe. I’m not usually a lemon fan but this recipe changed that. Only recipe deviation was leaving out the milk in the glaze as it was already the consistency I wanted with the lemon juice and vanilla. Thanks again!
Heather says
Hi Tina! Aw that’s music to my ears! I’m so thrilled you loved this cookie…and thank you for such a kind review.
Shanon Caldwell says
This was a fantastic recipe! I followed it as written, because although I’m 54, I can still learn a thing or two. I actually wound up with 28 cookies, lol, but have since taken care of the odd count and a few others besides. They are a little messy but oh, so tasty! Myself, my husband and little doggo say thanks.
Heather says
Aw thank you Shanon! Glad you loved these 🙂
Laurie says
This was an easy and scrumptious recipe! The cookies are soft and the glaze really adds a nice lemony zip! Be sure to read all of the helpful tips like for measuring the flour. The recipe is thoughtfully written with good tips. I brought these to a party recently and everyone loved them! They took some home to family members and asked for the recipe!
Heather says
aw thank you Laurie!! I’m so glad they were enjoyed by all 🙂
Brenda H. says
We have a lemon tree that has an abundance of fruit this year, so I decided to try baking something yummy with them. This recipe is the BOMB! I made a double batch and they all disappeared in one day. Everyone wanted the recipe, so I shared it with a bag of lemons for several Christmas gifts. Thank you for sharing your talents, as I am NOT a baker and your instructions were really helpful! Question: Would I be able to substitute Coconut oil/greek yogurt for some or all of the butter to create a bit “healthier” version? I love them as is, but just curious on my options. Thanks again!
Heather says
Hi Brenda! Aw that’s awesome thank you for such kind words!! What a wonderful Christmas gift as well! As far as substituting I can’t say for sure – but I think coconut oil would be a great substitute (not so sure about greek yogurt). Coconut oil could impart some flavor depending on which kind you use – just keep in mind but would be closest in texture to using butter.
Lynsey says
This recipe is delicious – but the icing came out more like a watery drizzle, it’s too liquid to spread with a spatula. Is that how it’s supposed to be?
Heather says
Hi Lynsey, glad you loved the cookies! If the icing is too thin just add in more powdered sugar until it’s a bit th thicker.
Lori R says
I made these today for Christmas 🎄
I added dried cranberries. I love the flavor but my cookies look small? I’m wondering why?
I love the recipe they taste amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Heather says
Hi Lori! The dried cranberries may have kept the cookies from spreading properly. Try lightly pressing them down next time before baking and see if that helps.
Laura MIsitano says
I used 1/4 cup less sugar and no icing and they were perfect for people who don’t like or can’t have to sweet a cookie. They were perfect for my family.
Heather says
Thanks Laura! I’m so glad you loved them 🙂
Alice says
Hi! Do you use just the egg yolk or the entire egg? Thank you!
Heather says
Hi Alice- one egg… sorry for the typo in the post! All fixed now 🙂
Laurie says
This recipe makes the best lemon cookies. I add a little more zest in the glaze and a little more lemon juice in the dough. Thank.you for sharing your talent. You have blessed so many.
Heather says
Aww thank you Laurie! That’s so sweet – so glad you loved this cookie!
Rebecca Lacy says
My husband and his daughter are not big sweet eaters, however they love lemon. Myself, I am a sweet eater and despise lemon. I made these for them tonight and I decided to try one. 3 cookies in my belly later, I am definitely keeping this recipe. It balanced out so perfectly and the taste and texture of the cookie was 10 out of 10, spot on. So delicious.
Heather says
Aww that’s awesome to hear Rebecca!! Especially when you say you’re not a big fan of lemon! Wow thank you 🙂 so glad you loved them!
Stephanie says
Can lemon zest be replaced with something else?
Heather says
You could try using lime zest instead! Or simply add additional vanilla extract – they won’t be as lemony but still delicious!
Jane says
Can I use lemon extract via lemon juice and zest? How much do you recommend?
Heather says
Hi Jane, I can’t say for sure as the liquid amounts would be affected. So your cookie could be on the drier side if you switch to all lemon extract. You may need to play around with adding less flour. And lemon extract is strong so I would start with a 1/2 – 1 teaspoon to be safe.
Beth says
I really love these cookies. Their flavor and texture are both excellent, and that glaze really makes them pop.
Heather says
aw glad you loved them Beth!