While I love all my recipes, these lemon cookies are a family favorite in heavy rotation. We can’t get enough of these perfectly sweet, soft cookies, especially when topped with a crunchy lemon glaze! By the way, these cookies stay super soft fr days, it’s not one of those situations where you need to eat them straight out of the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use lemon juice instead of lemon extract in cookies?
You can add some extra lemon juice in a pinch but the juice has less sugar, and more acid than the extract so be careful.
What happens when you put baking soda in lemon juice?
Is there a substitute for lemon extract?
I actually prefer using lemon paste from Nielsen Massey but if you have a recipe that calls for lemon extract you can substitute in a lemon liqueur in it’s place.
What can you make out of lemons?
How to Make Lemon Cookies
1. Add the white and brown sugar to the bowl of your food processor then zest two lemons and add the zest to the bowl.
2. Whiz the zest and sugars together until totally combined then set aside. If you don’t have a processor just mince the zest and mix into the sugars.
3. Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and corn starch into a bowl then whisk together and set aside.
4. Cream the room temperature butter then add the infused sugars and beat until light and fluffy. I’m using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment but an electric hand mixer will work too.
5. Mix in the egg, lemon juice and lemon paste; I use lemon paste for this recipe which is a bit milder, if you’re using extract use way less. Scrape the bowl down and mix once more before adding the dry ingredients.
6. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Scrape the bowl down and mix in any bits that are hanging around. Cover and chill dough for at least two hours but ideally 3hrs to overnight.
7. Scoop out roughly two tablespoon-sized balls of the chilled dough and roll in the palms of your clean hands. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart.
8. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350F. Allow to cool completely for a few minutes on the sheet then transfer to a wire rack.
9. Mix about a cup of powdered sugar with a few tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Add more lemon juice for a looser drizzle and less for a spreadable paste.
10. Drizzle the the lemon glaze onto the cooled cookies and allow to set.
These cookies are amazing without the glaze but I LOVE the little bit of crunch and extra zing it gives the cookies. You can also roll the balls of dough in powdered sugar for a crinkle cookie look.
Pro Tips for the BEST Lemon Cookies
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Chill time is very important for these cookies so try not to rush things.
- Add more zest to the sugar for an intense lemon flavor.
- These cookies will keep for up to a week in a sealed container.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this lemon cookie recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Lemon Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp lemon zest zest of two lemons
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113g, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar 50g, packed
- 2 cups flour 240g
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp lemon paste or 1 tsp extract
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- yellow food coloring optional
Instructions
- Whiz the lemon zest and sugars in a food processor. This step is optional but it really infuses the sugars with lots of lemon oil and makes a big difference. If you don't have a processor just mince the zest, mix with the sugar and set aside.
- Sift the flour, salt, corn starch, and baking soda together then whisk together and set aside.
- Beat butter and infused sugars in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg, lemon juice and 1tbsp lemon paste or 1 tsp lemon extract. Scrape the bowl down and mix once more. If you're adding some food coloring this is a good moment to mix it in!
- Add the dry mixture to the wet and beat until almost combined. Scrape the bowl down one last time then beat until combined.
- Cover and shill the dough for at least 30 minutes. You can chill it overnight or make the dough months ahead of time and freeze it.
- Once chilled set oven to 350F and scoop out potions of cookie dough roughly two tablespoons in size (a little larger is fine too. Place the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets leaving about two inches of space between the cookies to allow for spreading.
- Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes or until the edges are set, you don't want these cookies to brown really but the bottom of the edge may just be turning golden.
Video
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Chill time is very important for these cookies so try not to rush things.
- Add more zest to the sugar for an intense lemon flavor.
- These cookies will keep for up to a week in a sealed container.
Fantastic recipe! Will be baking these again and again! Thanks for always producing such wonderful recipes
Hello! I have fallen in love with your videos!
I need to get the microplane you use but I couldn’t find the link you mentioned bin the video.
Please post it again. Happy cooking!
This was the best cookie I ever baked it was so good almost like a cake
I tried your oatmeal raisin recipe it’s on my YouTube channel if you wanna check it out
Since quarantine I already made these a few times, and tomorrow I want to bake them for a friend’s birthday 🙂
Since I don’t have any lemon paste, I always use some Limoncello instead. Works perfect and tastes great!
Love that substitution!
Hi John, these cookies look delicious. I’ve been meaning to make them for a couple of weeks but I cant find lemon extract/paste here in Ecuador.
What should I do? Do I just use more lemon juice or maybe lemon zest?
Thanks in advance!!
just add a bit more lemon juice 🙂
I didn’t have lemon extract, so I used the same amount of lemon curd and it worked great. Also, I had some dried coconut left over and I used it to decorate the cookies. It looked right pretty and added another summery touch.
PS: I love your recipes, John, they are fantastic. Greetings from Spain!
Thank sIrene! love the way you think!
I love this lemon cookie but they became a bit soggy after 2 or 3 days. I live in Hawai’i so humidity is probably a factor. Any advice? Mahalo!
Hi John, I hope you and the family are well. Hubby and I are big fans. I have tried other cookie recipes but always seem to get something wrong, they are either undercooked, or can be used as Japanese fighting cookies! Having baked some of yours though, they have turned out (almost) perfect every time. Your lemon cookies are my latest, although I used lime because that’s all I had, and they really have come out perfect (hubby has just scuttled off with 4!) So I want to thank you, your recipes are fun, you teach them well, and you show it’s okay if things get a bit messy (I have had my share of Flour Face!) Can’t wait to try more!
Thank you
On a side note, if you want to save the constant destruction of your ice cream scoop, I used an Ice Cream baller scoop, the ones that you often find ice cream shops using. They have no moving parts and are more sturdy, and I got a perfect portion for my cookies every time!
THANK YOU LIZ! I actually have one of those and love it for ice cream but never thought to try it for this!
Just made these 🙂 didn’t have the lemon paste/extract so I added an extra lemon in zesting. The lemon flavor of the cookie wasn’t super intense but I made the lemon icing with lemon juice and powdered sugar from your video which fixed it right up! Super tasty 🙂 I might make them again soon.