Glazed Lemon Cookies

These glazed lemon cookies are buttery, soft cookies topped with a fresh lemon glaze! Made with simple ingredients they are a light and sweet dessert with fresh, citrusy taste.

We love lemon cookie recipes! Other favorites include lemon cake mix cookies, this recipe for lemon crinkle cookies and my soft lemon sugar cookie recipe.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

As much as I love plain soft sugar cookies and these Swig sugar cookies, there’s just something special when you add the fresh lemon flavor. Just like my lemon brownies, it gives it a bright and refreshing taste and leaves a zesty zing of citrus on the tip of your tongue.

These lemon cookies are bursting at the seams with bright spring flavors. The freshly squeezed lemon juice adds just the right amount of tartness to balance out the sweetness of the light and fluffy cookie base. With the powdered sugar icing on top, they literally melt in your mouth!

Easy Lemon Cookies Ingredients

Take your sugar cookies and lemon and mix them together to make the best lemon cookies ever! These have all the zest and flavor you need for a light and tasty cookie.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Salted butter: This gives a richness, tender cookie, and structure to the dough while it is being baked.
• Sugar: Added for sweetness! It also locks in moisture and keeps the cookies softer.
• Egg yolks: Acts as a binder to hold the cookie dough together and forms the shape when baking.
• Vanilla extract: Mainly added in for flavor and gives a sweet and savory balance to the cookies.
• Grated lemon zest: This is best fresh. Use a grater to lightly shave the outside of the lemon skin. It will be a fine lemon zest. You will be able to smell the lemon and feel its softness from the lemon.
• Lemon juice: Fresh is best for lemon juice! This will give it that beautiful flavor from the lemon of sweet and zesty.
• Salt: It is a flavor enhancer as well as makes the cookies tender.
• All-purpose flour: Thickens the cookies and helps them raise in the oven as they are baking.

How to Make Glazed Lemon Cookies

Combine the ingredients together to make a light and tasty lemon cookie drizzled with a glaze over top!

1. Mix. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Then slowly mix in flour. Mix just until combined.
2. Refrigerate. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Roll the cookie dough into a 1 1/2-inch ball. Then press down with a cup. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly golden. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
4. Lemon glaze. To make the lemon icing for cookies, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon zest, and juice in a medium size bowl. Add a teaspoon of water at a time, until you reach a nice and smooth glaze. Then drizzle or spoon on top of the cookies. Allow the glaze to set before serving. Enjoy!

Baking Tips

Fresh is best with this recipe! These lemon cookies are bright and sunny with so much flavor.

• Fresh lemons. Use REAL lemon juice and zest (instead of lemon extract). It makes all the difference and gives these cookies the absolute best flavor. Learn how to zest a lemon for the best flavor.
• Chill the dough. It’s important to chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This keeps them from spreading in the oven and helps make a thick and delicious cookie.
• Press the dough down. Instead of rolling out the dough, scoop it into balls and then use the bottom of a cup to press the cookies down. The edges will crack a little, but that’s totally okay. Just make sure not to press down too hard…we don’t want thin cookies!
• Don’t overbake. These are definitely not the crispy type of sugar cookies. They should be super soft and almost melt in your mouth when you take a bite. Bake them until the centers are set and the bottoms are lightly golden. They’ll continue to cook and set up as they cool.
• Let cool. Make sure to let the cookies cool completely before adding the glaze on top. If they are still warm, the glaze could melt.
• Glaze. There are several ways to drizzle the glaze over the cookies. You can spoon it on top of the cookies, use a whisk to drizzle it over or use a piping bag (or plastic baggie with the corner snipped off). You can even dip the tops of the cookies in a bowl of glaze.

Variations

If you are in need of making some changes, substitutions, or learning some variations, then this is the place to come. There is always going to be a need for variations I would love for you to do it the best way possible. Follow these variations for more ideas!

• Omit the glaze for a cookie that’s a little less sweet.
• Mix in white chocolate chips for a fun twist.
• Roll the cookies in powdered sugar before baking.
• Spread a classic buttercream or lemon cream cheese frosting on top. A coconut frosting would also pair wonderfully with the bright lemon flavor!
• Try substituting different citruses such as orange juice and zest to mix up the flavor.

Storing + Freezing

Make sure the glaze has dried completely, then place it in an airtight container or bag. If stacking in layers, use a piece of parchment or wax paper in between to avoid sticking.

They will stay fresh at room temperature for about 5 days. If your kitchen is humid, you may want to store them in the fridge so that the glaze doesn’t soften. You can also freeze the cookies for up to 3 months.

More Desserts to Try

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