These lemon cookies are packed with all the lemon flavor you can dream of. They are soft and delicious and drizzled with a zesty lemon glaze.
I love lemon desserts. They are so deliciously refreshing and the lemon always cuts the sweetness perfectly.
These cookies have everything going for them, they’re zesty and tangy and perfectly sweet all at the same time. The texture is soft and buttery and the lemon glaze on top really takes the lemon flavor to the next level of deliciousness.
For more delicious cookies check out our shortbread cookies and our white chocolate chip cookies. And don’t miss our oatmeal cookies.
How To Make Lemon Cookies
Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add softened butter and white sugar to your mixer and cream them together until smooth.
- Add lemon extract and an egg and mix them in with your electric mixer.
- Now add all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt and stir in by hand (with a spoon, but just don’t use an electric mixer for this part).
- Add lemon zest and mix into a big ball of cookie dough.
- Break off pieces of the dough and roll them into balls. Aim to get 20 balls out of the batch. Place them evenly on a parchment lined baking tray. Flatten the balls with a fork.
- Bake for 12 minutes at 350°F.
- Allow to cool on the tray and when cool, mix up your lemon glaze.
- Add powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon extract to a bowl and mix into a glaze.
- Drizzle over the cookies and leave for a few minutes for the glaze to set.
Recipe Tips and Notes
Lemon extract: If you can’t get lemon extract then you can replace this with lemon juice. However, the flavor will be much milder. Nonetheless with the lemony glaze they will still be delicious.
Cornstarch: This has a softening effect on baked goods and keeps these cookies deliciously soft.
Flatten the cookies with a fork or the base of a glass. These cookies don’t spread a lot at all while they bake. So you do need to flatten them with a fork or with the base of a glass. If you’re using the base of a glass then cut a small square of parchment paper to go between the base of the glass and the cookie so there is no sticking.
The glaze must be thin enough to drizzle but not so thin that it slides off the cookies. If you glaze the first cookie and see that most of the glaze runs right off and makes a puddle around the cookie, then it’s too thin. Add more powdered sugar to thicken it up. If it’s too thick then add more lemon juice, a drop or two at a time until you get the right consistency.
Storing and Freezing
These cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
They are also freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
More Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Cookies
- Almond Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lemon Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Butter Lightly Salted, Softened
- 3/4 cups White Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp Lemon Extract
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour Measured Correctly*
- 2 tsp Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Zest
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice Scant*
- 1/8 tsp Lemon Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add the softened butter and white sugar to your mixer and cream them together until smooth.
- Add the lemon extract and egg and mix them in.
- Add the all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt and stir in by hand (with a spoon, but just don't use an electric mixer for this part).
- Add the lemon zest and mix into a big ball of cookie dough.
- Break off pieces of the dough and roll them into balls. Aim to get 20 balls out of the batch. Place them evenly on a parchment lined baking tray. Flatten the balls with a fork or the base of a glass.
- Bake for 12 minutes. For an even softer cookie bake for 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool on the tray and when cool, mix up your lemon glaze.
- Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon extract to a bowl and mix it into a glaze.
- Drizzle over the cookies and leave them for a few minutes for the glaze to set.
Video
Notes
- If your butter is unsalted that’s also completely fine to use. If you forget to soften it, then cut it into cubes and beat it in your electric mixer for a couple of minutes to soften it before you add the sugar and cream them together.
- If you can’t get lemon extract then you can replace it with lemon juice. The flavor will be much milder.
- Measure the flour correctly using the spoon and level method for measuring flour. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup. Alternatively weigh it on a food scale. If you select the ‘metric’ option below the list of ingredients it will show you the weight in grams.
- The cornstarch has a softening effect on baked goods and keeps these cookies deliciously soft.
- Flatten the cookies with a fork or the base of a glass. These cookies don’t spread much at all while they bake. So you do need to flatten them before baking. If you’re using the base of a glass then cut a small square of parchment paper to go between the base of the glass and the cookie so there is no sticking.
- The tablespoons of lemon juice for the glaze must be filled to just before the top, not overflowing. The glaze should be thin enough to drizzle but not so thin that it slides off the cookies. If you glaze the first cookie and see that most of the glaze runs right off and makes a puddle around the cookie, then it’s too thin. Add more powdered sugar to thicken it up. If it’s too thick then add more lemon juice, a drop or two at a time until you get the right consistency.
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