Lemon Cookies

These delectable Iced Lemon Cookies are soft on the inside with slightly chewy crispy edges, all topped with a four-ingredient light sweet lemon glaze. These spring and summer-friendly cookies are perfect for Easter, barbecues, picnics, potlucks, and baby showers. 

Best Lemon Cookies

Calling all lemon lovers. Try out this simple and tasty recipe for lemon cookies that will satisfy your sweet tooth. You can whip up a batch of these delectable treats with just a few ingredients in no time. These fun and family-friendly cookies are a cinch to pull together.

Make the cookie dough up to five days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. If a whole batch of cookies is not your thing, freeze the dough for up to three months (see my steps for freezing cookie dough). That way, you can have fresh cookies anytime for the kid’s after-school snacks or for that neighbor stopping by for a quick chat. I love to serve these at my summer parties with cream cheese brownies, Texas sheet cake, strawberry rhubarb crisp, and blueberry cobbler.

Ingredients for Lemon Cookies

For the lemon cookies, you need all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, unsalted butter, egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.

You need powdered sugar, lemon juice, milk, and lemon zest for the lemon icing.

How to make Lemon Cookies?

First, in a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together and set it aside for a few minutes. Next, in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy using the paddle attachment. This usually takes at least five minutes using a stand or hand mixer. Add the egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and mix until incorporated.

Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three parts. Mix on low just until incorporated. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and beater when needed. Using a  1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, place the dough on baking sheets covered with parchment paper or silicone mats. Bake for about 10 minutes and cool on cookie cooling racks.

Next, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and milk in a small bowl. Finally, ice the fully-cooled cookies and place them on cookie cooling racks to set.

Recipe Tips

• Preheat the oven for at least 20 minutes and cover the baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
• Whip the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This should take about five minutes on medium using a mixer or stand mixer.
• Load the cookies on the middle rack in the center of the oven.
• These cookies spread, so leave a couple of inches between them when baking,
• Make the first batch a test run. Bake one or two cookies. This allows you to test baking time. If the dough spreads too much, refrigerate for about 40 minutes and try again.
• Use fresh lemon juice and lemon zest, as fresh lemons are flavor-packed, and it makes quite the difference.
• These cookies work well scooped with a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, but you can also roll them into about a one-inch ball using your hands.
• If possible, ice the cookies the same day you bake them, as it helps keep the cookie’s texture soft.
• If the icing is too thick, add just 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice at a time to thin it, and if it is too thin, add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time to thicken it.

How to freeze this lemon cookie dough

If you plan on baking the whole batch of cookies off sometime in the near future, freeze it in a solid lump wrapped with several layers of plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe container. Or put it in a double-wrapped freezer zipper bag. The dough freezes well for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in the fridge for a couple of days until soft enough to scoop or roll.

If you plan on baking them in small portions, scoop them onto parchment paper-covered baking sheets. Then, place them in the freezer until the balls are frozen. This technique is commonly referred to as flash freezing. Place the balls into a freezer bag and put that bag inside another freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To bake, place the frozen cookie balls on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or silicone mats. Let them sit and thaw while the oven preheats. Calculate the amount of icing you need by estimating the percentage of cookies you have baked off. Prepare that percentage of icing and ice fully-cooled cookies.

Storage

Once the icing sets, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Or freeze the cookies in an airtight container with wax or parchment paper between the layers for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature overnight.

More Lemon Recipes

Iced Lemon Cookies

These delectable soft lemon cookies are perfect for spring with a super easy four-ingredient tangy lemon icing.

5 from 38 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 cookies

Calories: 212kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

Lemon Cookies

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon Icing

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cover baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, using a stand or hand mixer on medium. Turn the mixer to low. Add egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract; mix just until incorporated.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts. Mix on low just until incorporated. Using  1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, place dough on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for  10-12 minutes or until very lightly browned on the edges. Cool on cookie cooling racks.
• In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, milk, and lemon zest.  Ice fully cooled cookies and place them on cookie cooling racks to set.

Notes

• Always preheat the oven for at least 20 minutes and cover the baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
• Whip the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This should take about five minutes on medium using a mixer or stand mixer.
• Load the cookies on the middle rack in the center of the oven.
• These cookies spread, so leave a couple of inches between them when baking,
• Make the first batch a test run. Bake one or two cookies. This allows you to test baking time. If the dough spreads too much, refrigerate for about 40 minutes and try again.
• Use fresh lemon juice and lemon zest, as fresh lemons are flavor-packed, and it makes quite the difference.
• These cookies work well scooped with a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, but you can also roll them into about a one-inch ball using your hands.
• If possible, ice the cookies the same day that you bake them, as it helps keep the cookie’s texture soft.
• If the icing is too thick, add just 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice at a time to thin it, and if it is too thin, add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time to thicken it.

Nutrition

Calories: 212kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 298IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

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