Lemon Sugar Cookies

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Light, tangy, crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, soft lemon sugar cookies with a lemon glaze drizzle. Better than a bakery! This recipe is the lemon version of our bakery sugar cookies, and just as delicious as our key lime cookies.

lemon sugar cookies on a rack with slices of lemon

If you know me at all, you know that I love my sweets. Mostly that means rich, chocolatey, desserts, filled with peanut butter, cookie dough, mint or Nutella. I don’t want to choose which I like best. But, if I HAD to put them in a list, it would go something like this:

1: Peanut butter and chocolate/lemon/cookie dough/mint
2:?
3:? Basically…I can’t decide.

Although normally I crave chocolate, I just can’t get enough of sweet & tangy lemon desserts like lemon pound cake and lemon crumb muffins. But this lemon sugar cookies recipe has it all. Soft, chewy lemon cookies with a little drizzle of lemony icing.

How to Get Lemon Flavor in Cookies

When I initially shared this recipe, I used a combination of lemon extract and bottled lemon juice to get a full flavored lemon cookie with no lemon zest.

Years later, I always have lemons in my fridge, so I changed the recipe to include lemon zest and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.

Don’t have fresh lemons? Add 1 teaspoon lemon extract to the cookie dough instead.

How to Make Lemon Sugar Cookies

  • In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg, lemon zest and juice. Mix until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. 
  • Add in the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Mix until well combined. The cookie dough will be crumbly, but should come together nicely if you try to roll it into a ball. 
  • Use a cookie scoop to scool and roll dough into 1-1/2″ inch balls. Then place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Take a wooden tamper or a glass and slightly flatten each cookie dough ball.
unbaked cookie dough balls on a baking sheet
  1. Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes before baking. (Sprinkle with granulated sugar before baking, if desired.) Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
  2. Bake for 7-9 minutes. To keep the cookies soft, they should not be browned. Allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle or spoon the glaze on the cooled cookies. Sprinkle with extra lemon zest if desired. 
overhead view of cookies on a wire rack
closeup of glazed lemon sugar cookies
closeup of glazed lemon sugar cookies

Lemon Sugar Cookies

4.67 from 6 votes
Light, tangy, crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside lemon sugar cookies with a lemon icing. Better than a bakery!
Servings 24
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes

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Ingredients
 

For the glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar 130 grams
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice 30-45 grams
  • extra lemon zest for topping optional

Instructions
 

  • In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg, lemon zest and juice. Mix until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. 1 cup salted butter, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 1 large egg, zest of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Add in the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Mix until well combined. The cookie dough will be crumbly, but should come together nicely if you try to roll it into a ball. 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • Roll dough into 1-1/2" inch balls and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Take a wooden tamper or a glass and slightly flatten each cookie dough ball.
  • Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes before baking. (Sprinkle with granulated sugar before baking, if desired.) Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
  • Bake or 7-9 minutes. To keep the cookies soft, they should not be browned. Allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle or spoon the glaze on the cooled cookies. Sprinkle with extra lemon zest if desired. 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, extra lemon zest for topping
  • Allow the glaze to set, then store the cookies in an airtight container.

Notes

  • The original recipe called for 1 teaspoon lemon extract and ½ tablespoon lemon juice rather than the zest of a lemon and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
  • If you don’t have salted butter, use unsalted butter and add a dash of salt.
  • Storage Instructions: Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The cookies also freeze well for up to 6 weeks.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the recipe making 24 cookies, with 1 serving being 1 cookie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 32mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 248IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Calories 191
Keyword easy sugar cookies, how to make sugar cookies, lemon cookies, sugar cookies
About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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4.67 from 6 votes (5 ratings without comment)
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nancy
4 years ago

Hi! salted or unsalted butter? thanks!

Caroline
5 years ago

5 stars
I’ve made a similar recipe for years but with finely grated lemon rind and squeezed juice from the lemon I grate. It’s a little more work but it’s worth it.

Lugo
8 years ago

Could you clarify the amount of flour?

Jenn
8 years ago

I followed the recipe to the letter but my dough was so crumbly I couldn’t keep it together. I had to add another 1/4 cup of melted butter and tablespoon of milk just to get it soft enough to stay together.
And what kind of sugar is the glass supposed to be dipped in? Powdered sugar or granulated? Did you dip the cup in water first to get granulated sugar to stick?
Those were just a few holes I found in the recipe when I was making it.