Home > Desserts > Lemon Cookies Lemon Cookies April 4, 2018 | 3 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Big, thick Lemon Cookies have a vibrant, intense lemon flavor with the perfect chewy texture. These bakery-style cookies are coated in a sweet two-ingredient lemon glaze that melds beautifully into the cookie. The Best Lemon Cookies Ever These big, thick, soft, and chewy lemon cookies are the best! Thanks to a couple of secret ingredients, these cookies pack the perfect punch of lemon flavor. My biggest complaint with lemon cookies I’ve tried over the years is that they lack actual lemon flavor. Typically the cookies taste more like a sugar cookie than a lemon cookie. But not with this recipe! Achieving the perfect amount of lemon flavor without messing up the texture of the cookies can be tricky. Adding extra liquid (from lemon juice) into cookie dough will yield thin, crisp cookies– which isn’t what we are after with this recipe. But with a hefty amount of lemon zest and a good dose of lemon extract, plus a lemon-juice-filled glaze, we get the perfect lemon flavor. And with the perfect lemon flavor, you’ve got yourself the ultimate summer Lemon Cookies! The Secret Ingredients In Lemon Cookies There are two secrets to a strong lemon flavor while keeping the cookies thick, soft, and chewy: Lemon zest. Unlike a lot of recipes that use both the zest and juice of lemons, we only use the zest here. The zest packs a huge punch of flavor without adding liquid. There is a lot of zest — and it’s all needed here! See “quick tip” below. (We’ll also use the juice of a lemon for the glaze.) Lemon extract. Not to be confused with lemon juice, lemon extract is a flavor enhancer (just like vanilla extract) that gives these cookies an intense citrusy lemon flavor. We use lemon extract to pack in as much lemon flavor as possible without messing up the consistency of these cookies (like lemon juice would). Lemon extract can usually be found near other baking extracts and spices in the grocery store; I recommend using a pure lemon extract. QUICK TIP When zesting the lemon, avoid the white pith of the lemon — this is very bitter. Using a microplane (like this one) zest only the very outside yellow part of the lemon for this recipe. How To Make Lemon Cookies Below are our top tips for success in making this recipe: Use room-temperature ingredients. It’s really important that the butter and eggs are at room temperature to cream properly. Leave cold ingredients out for 45 minutes to an hour. Why room temperature eggs? At this temperature, eggs trap air and disperse more evenly into the batter. That gives these easy Lemon Cookies a lighter texture. Slightly under-bake the cookies. By keeping these cookies slightly under-baked, they remain soft and chewy with a vibrant lemon flavor (cookies lose flavor when over-baked). Visual cues for doneness: cookies should be set and the top no longer glossy or gooey looking. Allow the cookies to cool completely. Most cookies are the best right out of the oven, but these ones aren’t. We actually like these cookies best at room temperature or chilled! Lemon Cookies Recipe Tips, Continued Use a food scale if you have one! Measuring flour can vary from person to person and is usually the culprit for cookies not working out. If you have a food scale, use that instead of measuring cups. 400 grams is perfect for this Lemon Cookie recipe. A food scale is also helpful when measuring cookie dough balls to ensure they’re all the exact size (which helps them bake evenly and look more professional). Keep these cookies soft after baking. After baking the cookies, let them cool completely on a wire rack (this will keep the bottoms from getting soggy from the steam). Why Chill The Dough? Chilling cookie dough can definitely be a pain. I mean, when you want cookies, you want ’em now, right?! That said, chilling this dough is especially important. It’s like marinating meat; the wait is worth it! Here are a few reasons why we chill the dough: The dough becomes more flavorful as it sits. The baking extracts intensify the flavor of the dough. We want the fat (butter) to re-solidify. The longer the fat stays solid, the less the cookies will spread. The sugar in the dough also gradually absorbs liquid so when you chill the dough, the sugar has a chance to absorb more liquid and further prevent spreading. STORAGE Storing Soft Lemon Cookies Instead of freezing baked cookies, freeze the dough! Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake: You can bake these lemon cookies straight from the freezer. There is no need to thaw, but you may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Bake until the edges are lightly browned, and the center is still soft. The glaze doesn’t freeze and thaw well, so I recommend making that fresh. More Lemony Treats Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls with a sweet glaze Lemon Pie with a graham cracker crust Sparkling Blackberry Lemonade with fresh blackberries Lemon Bars with a shortbread crust Lemon Curd Cookies with a sweet glaze QUICK TIP This recipe has been recently updated. The previous version used LemonHead candies which are increasingly difficult to find. If you are able to find the candies and want to make the previous version; here it is! FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Lemon Cookies 5 from 2 votes - Review this recipe Big, thick Lemon Cookies have a vibrant, intense lemon flavor with the perfect chewy texture. These bakery-style cookies are coated in a sweet two-ingredient lemon glaze that melds beautifully into the cookie. SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Lemon Cookies 5 from 2 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Big, thick Lemon Cookies have a vibrant, intense lemon flavor with the perfect chewy texture. These bakery-style cookies are coated in a sweet two-ingredient lemon glaze that melds beautifully into the cookie. Course Dessert, treat Cuisine American, Vegetarian Keyword lemon cookie recipe, Lemon Cookies Prep Time 25 minutes minutes Cook Time 15 minutes minutes Chilling Time 40 minutes minutes Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes Servings 16 -18 cookies Chelsea Lords Author Chelsea Lords Ingredients▢ 1 cup (16 tbsp.) unsalted butter, room temperature (do not melt!)▢ 1-1/2 cup granulated white sugar▢ 3 tablespoons lemon zest (~3 large lemons) (Note 1)▢ 2 large eggs▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (Note 2)▢ 2 teaspoons lemon extract (Note 3)▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder▢ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt▢ 3 cups all-purpose, white flour (Note 4)▢ 1/2 cup powdered sugarGlaze▢ 1 cup powdered sugar▢ 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juiceUS - Metric USMetric InstructionsWET INGREDIENTS: Add 1 cup (2 sticks or 16 tbsp) softened butter to the base of a stand mixer. Add in 1-1/2 cups white sugar and 3 tbsp lemon zest. Mix until creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape sides and add in 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, and 2 tsp. lemon extract. Beat until mixed. DRY INGREDIENTS: Scrape sides and add 2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt. Mix to combine. Finally, add in the 3 cups flour and beat just until combined and no streaks of flour remain. CHILL: Cover dough tightly and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. Line a large plate with parchment paper.FORM COOKIE DOUGH BALLS: Portion out the dough, measuring each ball to be exactly 1/4 cup (60 grams) of dough. (I don't recommend bigger or smaller cookies -- they work best at this size -- Note 5.) Repeat with remaining dough to get about 16-18 total cookie dough balls. Once dough balls are formed, roll each dough ball in the 1/2 cup powdered sugar and then set on a plate lined with parchment paper. CHILL AGAIN: Return dough balls to the fridge for 20 minutes or freezer for 10. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (162 degrees C). Line a large sheet pan with parchment or a Silpat liner.BAKE AND COOL: Add cookies to the prepared pan, only 6 at a time (they spread and need a lot of space!) Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cookies have puffed up and aren't gooey or wet looking on top. Bottoms/edges should be ever so slightly browning. Be careful to not overbake as you'll lose out on flavor and texture! Remove from oven and let stand on the sheet pan for 5 mins before removing to a wire cooling rack to fully cool. Do not glaze until completely cooled. Repeat to bake all the cookies or save some for later (See Instruction #8). GLAZE: Combine 2 tbsp lemon juice with 1 cup powdered sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk until smooth. Transfer to a small zip-top bag and seal without air. Cut the tip off the bag and drizzle glaze evenly over all of the cookies. If desired, add a touch of lemon zest to the top. Enjoy at room temperature or chilled.STORAGE: Instead of freezing baked cookies, freeze the dough! Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake: You can bake these lemon cookies straight from the freezer. There is no need to thaw, but you may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Bake until the edges are lightly browned, and the center is still soft.The glaze doesn't freeze and thaw well, so I recommend making that fresh. Video Recipe NotesNote 1: Lemon zest: The zest packs a huge punch of flavor without adding liquid. There is a lot of zest --and it's all needed here! When zesting the lemon, avoid the white pith of the lemon — this is very bitter. Using a microplane (like this one) zest only the very outside yellow part of the lemon for this recipe. Note 2: Vanilla: I'll often use vanilla bean paste (3/4 teaspoon) instead of extract for even more flavor. Use vanilla extract or paste--whichever you prefer. Note 3: Lemon extract: Not to be confused with lemon juice, lemon extract is a flavor enhancer (just like vanilla extract) that gives these cookies an intense citrusy lemon flavor. This extract can usually be found near other baking extracts and spices in the grocery store; I recommend using a pure lemon extract. Do NOT substitute with lemon juice -- the two aren't the same. Note 4: Flour: Use a food scale if you have one! Measuring flour can vary from person to person and is usually the culprit for cookies not working out. 400 grams is perfect for this recipe! (Having a food scale is also helpful when measuring cookie dough balls to ensure they're all the exact size (which makes them look more professional and bake evenly).) Note 5: Cookie size: Cookies work best at this size. While you may want smaller cookies, know that the texture is not the same. The "sweet spot" for this recipe is exactly 1/4 cup (60 grams) of dough. Big, I know, but totally perfect! We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
Hi I’m from the UK and don’t think we have lemon head candy but we do have sherbet lemons would they work ? Reply
Did you change your recipe?! This no longer mentions lemon candy and emulsion…. I can probably work through it but why the change? Reply
Yes, there were a lot of issues finding the candies! There is a note above the recipe: This recipe has been recently updated. The previous version used LemonHead candies which are increasingly difficult to find. If you are able to find the candies and want to make the previous version; here it is! https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2022-06-27-at-5.16.43-PM.png Reply