Lemon desserts and sugar cookies are my two favorite types of desserts. This luscious cookie is packed with plenty of lemon flavor. Made from scratch, this quick and easy cookie is one of my most requested summer recipes. These cookies pair nicely with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream toppings.
If you are looking for a way to make the most out of your lemons this season, use fresh lemon juice in place of extract flavors. By doing this, the cookies will have a subtle floral flavor instead of tasting like regular sugar cookies with any artificial flavor. Along with the tart flavor, we also add lemon zest for texture and citrus notes.
I use fresh lemon juice and zest instead of extracts in my recipe. The cookies are very soft and moist. The technique I use is to roll the drop dough and bake it at 350°F for about 9-11 minutes or just until the edges turn brown. I recommend greasing a baking sheet or using a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to prevent spreading.
I list two ways to make these cookies. I have a homemade version that uses fresh ingredients like fresh lemons, and butter and I have an easier version to make a quick lemon cookie recipe. I prefer the homemade version because fresh lemons are amazing, but I’ve also made the cake mix cookie version when I just didn’t have all the ingredients and was short on time.
Lemon Cookie Ingredients
☑ LEMON: I used fresh lemon juice and zest instead of extracts to get the best flavor.
☑ BUTTER: Adds flavor and moisture which results in a cookie chewy.
☑ SUGAR: I use granulated sugar in my sugar cookie recipes. Using this sugar also helps sweeten the lemon juice so it’s not tart.
☑ FLOUR: All-purpose flour.
☑ EGG: Helps bind the ingredients.
How to Make Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
- Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Roll 1-inch balls of cookie dough.
- Bake in 350°F oven for 9-11 minutes.
- Mix together water and powdered sugar. Drizzle the glaze over the cookies using a spoon.
Easier Lemon Cookies – Made with a Cake Mix
Looking to make these luscious lemon cookies but don’t have the time or all of the ingredients? These Lemon Sugar Cookies can be made an alternative way and come out just as good and mix up in half the time. Using pre-made boxed cake mix is a super simple way to bake desserts ranging from this Peach Cobbler Delight to this Strawberry Shortcake Muddy Buddy recipe. A box of lemon cake mix from your grocery store will yield delicious lemon sugar cookies in just a few easy steps.
Ingredients
- Lemon Cake Mix, I like Pillsbury
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
Directions
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, place all of the ingredients together.
- Using a spoon, fold ingredients together until dough forms and everything is well incorporated.
- Grease a cookie sheet and form 1 inch round balls and flatten slightly.
- In a small bowl, roll the top of the cookie in powdered sugar.
- Bake for 5-6 minutes, don’t allow to turn golden brown.
- Mix glaze together and drizzle over cooled cookies.
For more cookie recipes, try my Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies. These cookies bake up thick and chewy, with just the right about of lemon notes, and remind me of bakery-style cookies.
The ultimate soft and chewy lemon cookies are great for any occasion. You are not done with summer until you have baked a batch of these decadent and cheerful sunshine cookies. Simply add poppy seeds for extra flavor and texture.
Glazed Lemon Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1/2 cup butter , softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar for rolling
For the Glaze
- 1 + 1/2 tablespoons water
- 3/4 cup – 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- For the Lemon Cookie Dough
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Slowly add flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Stir well to combine.
- Use a cookie scoop or roll dough into 1 inch balls, then roll in powdered sugar. Place on lightly greased baking sheets.
- Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes, or till set and crackly. After a couple minutes, remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
- For the Glaze – Slowly add powdered sugar to water until a thick consistency forms. Drizzle over cookies.
Notes
Ingredients
Lemon Cake Mix, I like Pillsbury
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, place all of the ingredients together. Using a spoon, fold ingredients together until dough forms and everything is well incorporated.
Grease a cookie sheet and form 1 inch round balls and flatten slightly. In a small bowl, roll the top of the cookie in powdered sugar. Bake for 5-6 minutes, don’t allow to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. Follow the recipe below to glaze these cookies.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate and it’s accuracy is not guaranteed to be exact.
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updated 6/2021
85 Responses
Tara, try 6-9 minutes.
Hi Jessica! All your recipes look super. The first thing I cook for my husband from your list will be Snickers Cookies. On your pictures it looks amazing. Hope I will do same! Thanks for sharing!
Should the cookies be a little brown on the bottom or not brown at all?
I made the from scratch recipe and love the taste of the dough and the cookie, but they spread out way more than yours look and did not keep a crinkle. They are also crumbly? I chilled the dough for pans 3 and 4 ( 9 small cookies to a pan) Same result. They do not look at all like your picture-are those from the box cake recipe? Wondering if I should try again as a pretty treat for my Mom or not waste the ingredients.??
Hi Laurel, Id keep what you have as they are pretty good. If you want cookies like the photo, try the boxed mix, although If the taste is alright with the first batch, I usually get the best review of those cookies.
these look delicious – i love lemon! question though…the recipe states that it makes 2. that can’t be right – is it??
Hi Emily, it makes about 24 or 2 dozen. I’ve updated the recipe. Hope you enjoy them 🙂
Lemon taste is awesome for Cookies. Thank you
I found this recipe on Pinterest when I was looking for something to bake. I bake so much when I’m pregnant and nesting. Anyways, I loved this recipe and so did everyone that tasted them. The few things that I changed was that I used a whole lemons zest, I doubled the lemon juice, and I made a lemon icing. I was really craving something very lemony and these hit just the spot. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Thanks, Tiffany. Yes a lot of people love using the lemon in the icing but I love it without. Glad it liked it!
I love these cookies! Just made the from-scratch version tonight. Great fresh lemon flavor, and soft chewy cookies. I used lemon juice and water for the glaze, but otherwise didn’t change a thing. So glad I found this recipe! Thanks for sharing.
They are one of my favorites, thanks, JoAnna. Glad you liked them!
These cookies are absolutely delicious. I’m making another batch right now because the other batch were gobbled up last week. I added lemon extract instead of vanilla into the batter and added lime juice into the glaze instead of lemon juice. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Omg these cookies sound amazing!!! Definitely giving this a pin to try myself. Yummy!
Oh my gosh! These look to die for! When I was little, there was a bakery that made cookies similar to these, and I loved them. I will have to try my hand at making them.
My favorite cookies are actually lemon cookies. We have a family recipe that is very popular. When I bring my lemon cookies to parties, they are gone in a flash. I think the secret is lots of lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Glade you liked them, thanks, Eva!
My husband loves lemon. Maybe I’ll surprise him.
These are so delicious! I make a similiar recipe with yogurt instead of the oil and they are fantatic. Thank you for the recipe
these look so amazing! I will have to make these soon as we love lemon anything lemon in this house! 😉
I just love the flavor of citrus in the winter time.
This looks yum and cute. It’s easy to make, and with the lemon taste, nothing can go wrong.
Yum! These lemon sugar cookies look delish! I’m always looking for another awesome cookie recipe
These look delicious! How should the cookies be stored? Is room temperature ok?
Room temperature is fine. I’d place them in an air tight container for up to 5 days for the best flavor. They also freeze well, too, if needed!
Hi Melanie, room temp is good. Store them in an air tight container to prevent them from getting stale or in a bag.
These are so yummy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
We make them all the time. It’s def a delicious cookie, thanks Jennifer!