Brimming with bold lemon flavors, these soft lemon cookies are the perfect afternoon treat. Adorably crinkly, these cookies are chewy, not cakey. The edges have a slight crisp to them, while the insides are soft and fluffy. They melt in your mouth and are always a crowd-pleaser.
While the lemon juice, zest, and extract provide a tart lemon flavor, the sugar perfectly balances it out, so you’re left wanting more. Not just for lemon lovers, these buttery cookies are great for parties, potlucks, bake sales, and more. For another refreshing lemon treat to bring to a party, try my lemon meringue pie recipe, lemon cupcakes recipe, or lemon bars recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Cornstarch — using cornstarch keeps the cookies soft, and they’ll stay soft and chewy for days after baking too.
Butter — make sure you use unsalted butter since you add salt to the batter. Also, make sure the butter is at room temperature, so it creams easily.
Sugars — brown sugar helps keep the lemon cookies chewy, whereas white sugar provides structure to the lemon cookies. Do not substitute them for just one or the other. If you do not have brown sugar, see my guide on how to make brown sugar.
Lemon — you will need lemon juice and lemon zest. I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor. Fresh lemon juice has a brighter flavor than bottled lemon juice. It’s also easier to zest a lemon before juicing, so be sure to zest first. If you have extra lemons, try my lemon poppy seed muffins recipe, lemon blueberry cake recipe, or lemon curd recipe.
Powdered sugar — you’ll need this to make the glaze for the cookies. See my post on how to make powdered sugar if you forgot to pick some up at the store.
How to Make Lemon Cookies
1. Sift the flour, corn starch, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugars, and lemon zest until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg, lemon juice, and lemon extract to the mixer. Beat on medium speed until well combined.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter and beat on low speed until almost combined. Cover and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
5. Scoop out portions of cookie dough onto a lined sheet pan, roughly two tablespoons in size, leaving about two inches of space between the cookies to allow for spreading.
6. Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes or until the edges are set and just starting to turn golden. Let the cookies cool completely on the pan and continue to bake the rest of the cookies.
7. To make the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to reach your desired consistency.
8. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled lemon cookies and let set.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Do not skip chilling the cookie dough. If you skip chilling the dough, the cookies will spread more, leading to a thinner and flat cookie.
- Instead of drizzling the glaze over the lemon cookies, you can dip them instead.
- A cookie scoop is a helpful tool to ensure all your cookie balls are the same size and bake evenly.
- Bringing ingredients that were stored in the fridge to room temperature will ensure everything mixes together effortlessly without being overmixed. Place your eggs in warm tap water if they’re cold and microwave diced butter at 20% power in 10-second intervals until it has softened.
- Do not pack the measuring cups with flour, as adding too much flour will lead to the cookies becoming dense. The best and most accurate way to measure the flour is using a kitchen 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.
- Instead of greasing the baking sheets, it’s best to use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Non-stick spray on a baking sheet will encourage spreading, and leave your lemon cookies with a browner bottom.
- For a deeper lemon flavor in the cookies, you can whiz the lemon zest and sugars together in a food processor before beating them with the butter. This step is optional, but it really infuses the sugars with lots of lemon oil and gives them a rich lemony flavor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can also rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until it feels like wet sand, for 1 to 2 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I store leftover cookies?
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. If you are stacking them in a container, place a sheet of parchment or wax paper between the layers, so the cookies do not stick together.
Can I freeze the cookies?
You can freeze this lemon cookie recipe before or after baking. Place the rolled cookie dough on a lined sheet pan in a single layer. Freeze until solid and transfer to a freezer-safe bag. You can bake the dough from frozen. To freeze baked cookies, use the same method to flash freeze them before transferring them to a freezer-safe bag. Thaw before enjoying them.
Do I need to use yellow food coloring?
No, you do not have to use food coloring, but it gives the cookies a brighter yellow color. Gel food coloring is ideal, but you can also use liquid food coloring.
Can I substitute the lemon extract?
I recommend sticking to lemon extract for the best results. Using additional lemon juice can alter the texture of the cookies as the juice is acidic.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Lemon Cookies recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Lemon Cookies
Equipment
- Mixer
- Baking Sheets
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (113g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar (55g)
- 3 tablespoons grated lemon zest (about 3 lemons)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- yellow food coloring optional
For the Lemon Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar (120g)
- 1 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- Sift the flour, corn starch, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugars, and lemon zest until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, lemon juice, and lemon extract. Beat on medium speed until well combined, scraping the bowl down once while mixing. If you're adding some food coloring this is a good moment to mix it in! (1 to 2 drops go a long way.)
- Add the flour mixture to the butter and beat on low speed until almost combined. Scrape the bowl down one last time then beat until combined.
- Cover and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Scoop out portions of cookie dough roughly two tablespoons in size leaving about two inches of space between the cookies to allow for spreading.
- Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes or until the edges are set and just starting to turn golden. (You don't want these cookies to brown much or they will be crispy and not soft.) Let the cookies cool completely on the pan. then drizzle with the lemon glaze if desired.
For the Lemon Glaze:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to reach your desired consistency. (Add more lemon juice for a looser drizzle and less for a spreadable paste.) Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Video
Notes
- Do not skip chilling the cookie dough. If you skip chilling the dough, the cookies will spread more, leading to a thinner and flat cookie.
- Instead of drizzling the glaze over the lemon cookies, you can dip them instead.
- A cookie scoop is a helpful tool to ensure all your cookie balls are the same size and bake evenly.
- Bringing ingredients that were stored in the fridge to room temperature will ensure everything mixes together effortlessly without being overmixed. Place your eggs in warm tap water if they’re cold and microwave diced butter at 20% power in 10-second intervals until they have softened.
- Do not pack the measuring cups with flour, as adding too much flour will lead to the cookies becoming dense. The best and most accurate way to measure the flour is using a kitchen 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.
- Instead of greasing the baking sheets, it’s best to use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Non-stick spray on a baking sheet will encourage spreading, and leave your cookies with a browner bottom.
- For a deeper lemon flavor, you can whiz the lemon zest and sugars in a food processor together before beating them with the butter. This step is optional, but it really infuses the sugars with lots of lemon oil and gives them a rich lemony flavor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can also rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until it feels like wet sand, for 1 to 2 minutes.
