These are the best lemon cookies! With bright citrus flavor and a sweet lemon glaze, these soft and chewy cookies are easy to make, with no dough chilling needed.
Soft Lemon Cookies with a Sweet Lemon Glaze
My heart has a sweet spot for these lemon cookies! I just love the fresh citrus flavor and that sweet icing on top makes them extra irresistible. Like my Chewy Sugar Cookies recipe, these lemon cookies have a quick, no chill dough that comes together in minutes with simple ingredients.
For maximum lemon flavor, we start by rubbing the lemon zest into the granulated sugar until fragrant. This releases the essential oils in the zest and infuses every bite with bright citrus flavor. From there, both the cookies and the glaze get a double hit of lemon from the juice as well. The result is a soft, light cookie that’s perfect for spring and summer, and festive enough for holiday cookie plates!
Ingredient Notes
- All-Purpose Flour: Use a kitchen scale to measure the flour or use the spoon and level method. First, fluff the flour in your container using a whisk or spoon. Then lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off. This will give you the most accurate measurement and will avoid packing in too much flour.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These help the cookies to puff up as they bake, giving them the best soft, light texture.
- Salt: Salt is an essential baking ingredient that enhances all of the flavors.
- Granulated Sugar: For sweetness.
- Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest: You’ll need about 4 medium lemons to get enough juice and zest for the cookies and glaze.
- Butter: This recipe calls for 3/4 cup of butter, which equals 1 1/2 sticks of butter (since each stick is 1/2 cup). The butter should be slightly softened at room temperature but still slightly cool. Do not soften the butter in the microwave; if it’s too warm the cookies may over-spread. You want it to be just soft enough so that it will cream together with the sugar.
- Egg + Egg Yolk: The extra egg yolk adds richness to the dough.
- Vanilla Extract: For warm sweetness.
- For the Glaze: You’ll need powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.
How to Make Lemon Cookies
Make cookie dough. Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest to a mixing bowl. Use your fingertips to work the zest into the sugar until fragrant and well distributed. Add the butter to the sugar-zest mixture and mix until creamy, then mix in the egg, egg yolk, lemon juice and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on low speed until combined.
Roll and bake. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Bake at 350° F for 8-10 minutes, until tops are almost set and bottoms are light golden brown. For soft and chewy cookies, be careful not to overbake. Let the cookies cool completely before icing.
Dip in glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice. Dip the top of each cookie in the glaze, then place the cookies on a sheet of parchment paper to let the glaze set.
Lemon Cookie Recipe Tips
- Use a kitchen scale. For best results, use the weight measurements in the recipe to measure out the ingredients, especially the flour.
- Dough chilling is not needed. If you find that the dough is too soft to easily roll into balls you can chill it for 15-20 minutes, but no longer than 30 minutes to ensure the cookies spread properly.
- Don’t overbake! Take the cookies out of the oven when the tops are almost set to keep them soft and chewy.
Recipe Variations
Here are some optional variations for this recipe:
- Skip the glaze. Instead, roll the dough balls in granulated sugar before baking.
- Swap the lemon for lime. Use the same amount of lime juice as lemon (you’ll need more limes to get the same quantity of juice). I’d recommend halving the amount of zest if using lime zest since it can be more bitter.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
Here are a few more of my favorite cookie recipes:
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe – My personal favorite cookie!
- Snowball Cookies – A classic favorite.
- Homemade Sugar Cookies – My go-to recipe for all holiday cut-out sugar cookies.
- Thumbprint Cookies – With a sweet jam filling.
- Lemon Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies – A delicious gluten-free lemon cookie.
Made this recipe? I’d truly appreciate if you leave a comment and star rating below! Your review will help others who want to try this recipe. Thank you! 💛
Soft Glazed Lemon Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups (330g) all-purpose flour*
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest, from 3-4 medium lemons
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, (1 ½ sticks of butter), softened at room temperature but still slightly cool
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Glaze
- 1 ½ cups (180g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, from 1 small lemon
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.2 ¾ cups (330g) all-purpose flour*, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use your fingertips to work the zest into the sugar until fragrant and well distributed.1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- Add the butter to the sugar-zest mixture and mix until creamy, starting on low speed and then increasing the speed to medium-high. Add the egg, egg yolk, lemon juice and vanilla and mix in on medium speed until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, 1 large egg, 1 egg yolk, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on low speed until combined. It will be a fairly firm dough.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls.* Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Bake one pan of cookies at a time, for 8-10 minutes, until tops are almost set and bottoms are light golden brown. For soft and chewy cookies, be careful not to overbake. (The cookies may still be slightly puffy when you take them out of the oven and will flatten more as they cool on the baking sheet.)
- Let the cookies cool fully before adding the glaze.
- Once cookies are completely cool, make the glaze: In a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice. Dip the top of each cookie in the glaze, hold upside down for a few seconds to let the excess glaze drip off, then set cookies on a sheet of parchment paper to let the glaze set (it will take a few hours to set and will still be slightly soft). You can speed up the process by putting the glazed cookies on parchment lined baking sheets and chilling in the refrigerator for about an hour.1 ½ cups (180g) powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
Notes
- Be sure to measure the flour accurately. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale and the weight measurements provided in the recipe. If you do not have a kitchen scale, measure the flour using the spoon and level method: First, fluff the flour in your container using a whisk or spoon. Then lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off. This will give you the most accurate measurement and will avoid packing in too much flour.
- This dough does not require chilling before rolling and baking. However, if you find that the dough is too soft to easily roll it into balls, you can refrigerate it for 15-20 minutes (no longer than 30 minutes).
- As an alternative to the glaze, you can roll the unbaked dough balls in granulated sugar before baking.
- Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. The appearance of the glaze will change a bit over time but the cookies will still taste good!
