Zesty, sweet and simple Lemon Cookies that are crumbly with a slight chew and full of real lemon flavor. Lemon lovers rejoice!

A large white round serving plate piled with lemon cookies dusted with sugar. There are two lemon slices garnishing the plate on the upper right hand.

A Sweet Summer Lemon Cookie

When summer turns up the heat, I make a batch of these zesty, sweet Lemon Cookies. Flavored with fresh lemon zest and juice, dusted with sugar and baked til chew and perfectly crumbly, they’re a delicious retreat from the heat. Together with a tall glass of ice tea, it’s the perfect way to take an afternoon break!

A large white round serving plate piled with lemon cookies dusted with sugar. The top cookie has a bite out of it. There are two lemon slices garnishing the plate on the upper right hand.

A New Cookie to Crave

I’m usually one to choose cookies that are rich and oozing with chocolate and/or peanut butter, but during a hot summer afternoon, a light cookie is just what I need!

Almost everyone I know loves lemon. So it was due time I came up with a great lemon cookie recipe. They’re definitely different from the typical cookie I would crave to bake! But after fine-tuning the recipe and ensuring the lemon came through loud and clear, I became hooked and have been craving them ever since!

A hand holding a lemon cookie over a large white serving plate of lemon cookies that is garnished by several lemon slices.

Quick Tip: Zest to Impress

Before combining ingredients, zest your citrus (lemon, orange, lime) using a microplane grater/zester. Don’t have a zester? That’s okay! A vegetable peeler makes a fine stand-in.

How to zest a lemon with a vegetable peeler: place the sharp edges of the peeler on one end of the citrus and push slightly into the fruit. Pull down to the other end, paying close attention not to cut into the fruit too deep. You want to remove as little of the white part as possible. Repeat this process until the entire peel is removed and only the pith remains. Finely chop the lemon peel with a sharp knife to make lemon zest.

What Do I Need to Make Lemon Cookies?

(see recipe card for measurements and details)

  • All-purpose flour
  • Granulated sugar
  • Unsalted butter, softened
  • Fresh lemon zest
  • Fresh lemon juice
  • Vanilla extract
  • Baking sheets
  • Parchment paper
  • Wire cooling rack
Ingredients to make lemon cookie in small glass dishes on a white marble counter.

More Cookie Recipes

I am crazy about cookies! So I could not be more excited to share My Favorite Cookie Recipes. Crafted by a true cookie-lover, these treats are absolute cookie perfection.

M&M Cookies, Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies, Classic Peanut Butter Cookies and Carrot Cake Cookies

How to Make Lemon Cookies

  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the flour and 3/4 cup sugar.
  • Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly.
Steps to make lemon cookie dough.
  • Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Knead dough with your hands until it forms a smooth, soft ball.
  • Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a shallow bowl.
  • Break off two-tablespoon sized portions of dough and shape into a ball.
  • Place the ball on the parchment-lined baking sheet and flatten it with the bottom of a round glass.
Steps to make lemon cookies.
  • Dip one side of the flattened cookie into the sugar. Remove and shake off any excess.
One flat, circle shaped round of lemon cookie dough laying in a white, shallow, rimmed dish of granulated sugar.
  • Place non-sugar side down on the prepared cookie sheets a few inches apart from each other.
Eight un-baked lemon cookies on a parchment lined aluminum baking sheet.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cookies start to turn golden brown around the edges. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Eight lemon cookies on a parchment lined aluminum baking sheet.

My Favorite Lemon Recipes

Light, bright and zesty, lemon adds so much flavor to baked goods, drinks, and sauces! My Favorite Lemon Recipes are easy, flavorful and sure to be favorites in your house, too!

Lemon Lavender Poppy Seed Scones, Fresh Mint Lemonade, Skillet Chicken Piccata, Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

How to Store Lemon Cookies

These lemon cookies store great in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

To freeze baked lemon cookies, allow to cool completely, stack with parchment paper in between each layer of cookies. Store in a freezer safe container or resealable plastic bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw completely at room temperature before serving.

To freeze lemon cookie dough, wrap the cookie dough tightly in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer safe resealable plastic bag to freeze. Let defrost in the refrigerator overnight before shaping into balls and proceeding with the recipe as instructed.

Alternatively, roll into balls and flash freeze cookie dough balls in a single layer for about 1 hour and then transfer to a freezer-safe container or baggie for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then proceed with the recipe as instructed.

A large white round serving plate piled with lemon cookies dusted with sugar. There are several lemon slices garnishing the plate.

If you make these Lemon Cookies and post a picture to social, be sure to tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see! 😍 I just love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the recipes and ideas I share. Enjoy!

Enjoy!

xoxo,

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A large white round serving plate piled with lemon cookies dusted with sugar. There are two lemon slices garnishing the plate on the upper right hand.

Lemon Cookies

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  • Author: Maegan – The BakerMama
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 24
  • Category: Dessert

Description

Sweet and simple lemon cookies that are crumbly with a slight chew and full of real lemon flavor. Lemon lovers rejoice!


Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and 3/4 cup sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Knead dough with your hands until it forms a smooth, soft ball.
  3. Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a shallow bowl.
  4. Break off two-tablespoon sized portions of dough and shape into a ball. Place the ball on the parchment-lined baking sheet and flatten it with the bottom of a round glass.
  5. Dip one side of the flattened cookie into the sugar. Remove and shake off any excess. Place non-sugar side down on the prepared cookie sheets a few inches apart from each other.
  6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cookies start to turn golden brown around the edges. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

About The BakerMama

Maegan is the author of her best-selling Beautiful Boards, Spectacular Spreads and Brilliant Bites cookbooks. She started blogging in 2012 and features hundreds of original recipes on The BakerMama. She truly enjoys sharing her easy, family-friendly recipes, creative meal ideas, food board creations, and entertaining spreads to encourage others to get in the kitchen and make something memorable for their loved ones to enjoy together. Learn More

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Comments

  1. Like I promised, we tried your lemon cookies and they were delicious. The abundance of lemon zest makes them pop. I know a ton of lemon lovers and they will get to try these, too!
    After that, we tried your baked pizza taquitos and we liked them, too. So, we have tried your pizza toast, pizza crackers and now, baked pizza taquitos. Yep, we like pizza flavors. Thanks for all of your recipes.

    1. Hi, Carl! Thank you so much for the update! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the lemon cookies — definitely a spring favorite. And you sound like kindred spirits. We love pizza, too! ❤️

  2. Question….why add vanilla? What does the vanilla do for the cookie? Wouldn’t you want the lemon flavor to be the star of the show? I’m just asking because a while back I had made a strawberry crisp and it called for vanilla, too. So I added it. It took away some of the flavor of the strawberries. When I remade it, I left out the vanilla and then the strawberries were sooooo flavorful because they could shine without the vanilla. Just wondering if this would possibly be the same with these delightful sounding lemon cookies.

    1. Hi, Elizabeth! Feel free to leave the vanilla out! I like to add vanilla to complement tart flavors. Vanilla tones down the acid in lemon or other citrus, bringing out more of the tang and natural sweetness and deepening the flavor profile. But you can leave it out, and it will not affect the baking outcome. Enjoy!

  3. Wow these look amazing! My fiancé loves lemon so I will most definitely be making these 🙂

      1. Hi, Karen! I haven’t tested this recipe with flour or sugar alternatives so I can’t say. If you do, you’ll have to let me know how it turns out!