Julie Clark
Updated:
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.
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 a lemon trifle, 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. And if you lemon cookies, try savannah smiles!
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.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes before baking. (Sprinkle with granulated sugar before baking, if desired.) Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- 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.
- 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.
Other Sugar Cookie Recipes
- Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies
- Lofthouse Style Sugar Cookies
- Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
- Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- Almond Sugar Cookies
- Refrigerated Sugar Cookies
- Lemon Shortbread Cookies
And you may also love our bakery style chocolate chip cookies!
Lemon Sugar Cookies
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
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature, 8 ounces
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 300 grams
- 1 large egg
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 15 grams
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 325 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 5 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 2 grams
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.
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
Hi! salted or unsalted butter? thanks!
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.
Could you clarify the amount of flour?
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.