Every time I make these lemon cookies I get RAVE reviews. Even from my husband who turns up his nose at lemon bars or lemon meringue pie (more for me, I say). But not these cookies. I have to fight him for these and it is always a sad day when the last one is gone. Love all things lemon? Be sure to check out some of our other reader favorites that feature this fun flavor like Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Lemon Meringue Pie Bars, or Fresh Lemon Ice Cream!
Why this is the BEST lemon cookie recipe
This isn’t the only lemon cookie on my site. I have a lemon sugar cookie that is also delicious, but I think of it as soft and chewy. This is more tender and slightly crumbly and if I had to choose between the two, it would be this one, ever time. (But still make the others because they are really, really good too!). The cookie itself is soft and sweet with a texture somewhere between a sugar cookie and shortbread. Bits of lemon zest fleck each cookie and the top has the slightest crackle of sugar, thanks to my method of pressing down each ball of dough with the bottom of a cup dipped in sugar just before sliding the cookies into the oven to bake. And the glaze itself is sweet-tart perfection and made from just two ingredients – lemon (both the zest and the juice) and powdered sugar. Once it is drizzled over each cookie and has a chance to set, it takes these cookies over the top. I keep things simple by just pouring my glaze into a plastic Ziploc bag and using scissors to snip off a corner for a makeshift piping bag. A good trick for doing this is to insert your empty bag into a cup and fold the bag over the edges so that the bag stays open and your hands are free to pour the glaze into the bag. Then I drizzle it over the cookies set on a wire cooling rack so that any excess glaze can drip off the sides. The recipe is pretty straight forward and you will get exactly 12 large cookies from each batch. You could make them smaller but then the ratio of glaze and chewy center and slightly crispy edge gets off. Trust me, 12 cookies from this recipe is just perfect. If you need 2 dozen or more cookies, the recipe doubles easily.
Recipe Ingredients
Butter: I always use salted butter for my baking. Sugar: Granulated sugar is in both the cookie dough and on the bottom of a glass to press down the balls of dough before baking. You will also need some powdered sugar for the glaze. Lemons: You will need 2-3 lemons for these cookies. Both the juice and zest are used to give these cookies a bright, completely natural burst of lemon flavor without resorting to lemon extract. Egg: One egg helps bind the cookie together. Flour: Regular all-purpose flour works just fine in this recipe. Baking soda & salt: A tiny bit of baking soda and salt give the right texture and keep the cookies from being bland. Vanilla extract: I love the combination of lemon and vanilla. I like to use my homemade vanilla extract when I’m baking.
How to make this recipe
Expert Tips
Freezing lemon cookie dough: You can actually make the dough and freeze it if you want to be able to have fresh baked lemon cookies any time. In this case, I recommend shaping and flattening the cookies, then freezing them just before baking. You can bake straight from frozen by just adding an additional minute or two to the bake time. Freezing lemon glaze: The glaze will freeze well too! Just store it in a resealable zip-tight bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let it thaw on the counter and smoosh it around with your hands a bit to warm it up. You could also place the bag of glaze in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes so you can drizzle it over the cookies. Using other citrus: You can use this lemon cookie recipe to make glazed lime cookies instead. They are absolutely delicious! I haven’t tried oranges or grapefruit, but I’m guessing they would also work well. Lemon zest: Be sure to always zest your lemons before juicing them. If you don’t want the lemon zest in your glaze, go ahead and leave it out. I actually like the texture and visual interest it adds to the cookies, but the glaze is plenty lemony without it.
More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
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This recipe was originally posted on November 2, 2016. It has been updated with new photos and additional helpful information on May 27, 2021. I’m including some of the photos from the original post for comparison’s sake!
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Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies
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