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4.9 from 24 votes

Soft Lemon Cookies

These chewy soft lemon cookies are wonderfully refreshing, with a big burst of lemon in every bite. The fresh lemon icing is simply divine; a must-do for these cookies! Cookies stay chewy for days if wrapped airtight. Dough can be made ahead and chilled until ready for use.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Additional Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 18 mins
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 89 kcal
Course: Dessert , Baked Goods
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour + 2 TB
  • 1 TB cornstarch
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp table salt
  • ¾ cup salted butter softened to room temp but not melty
  • 1 ¼ cups granulated white sugar
  • 2 lemon zest zest of 2 whole lemons
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
For the Lemon Icing:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 TB fresh lemon juice
  • 1 TB fresh lemon zest

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350F, with rack on lower middle position.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend together the butter, sugar, and zest on medium high speed using paddle attachment. About 3 minutes, or until mixture is light and fluffy. Add egg and egg yolk, and blend just until combined. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract. Blend until combined.
  4. Using a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients together with the wet ingredients. Fold together until no dry lumps remain and dough comes together in one big ball.
  5. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour or longer. (At this point, dough can be chilled for a day or two before using.)
  6. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Form dough balls about 1 inch round, and place 2 inches apart on parchment. Bake 8-9 minutes or just until cookie looks puffy and light golden. It will seem slightly underdone, but they will set upon cooling. Do not over bake.
  7. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets until they are cool enough to transfer to wire rack.
  8. While cookies are cooling, make the icing. In a small bowl, whisk together the icing ingredients. If too thick, add a bit more lemon juice. If too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. Transfer to a Ziploc bag, seal it, and cut a tiny hole in corner tip. Drizzle over cookies. Once set, the icing will be firm enough to stack cookies on top of each other.

Notes

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  • When adding the lemon juice, make sure to use freshly squeezed juice. This will give your cookies a bright, fresh flavor that you just can't get from bottled juice.
  • Chilling the dough prevents excessive spreading. 
  • When rolling the dough into balls, lightly coat your hands with powdered sugar. It prevents the dough from sticking to your hands and also adds a subtle sweetness to the cookies.
  • For a mess-free drizzle, transfer the icing to a small zip-top bag, snip off a tiny corner, and pipe it over the cookies for a clean, even finish.
  • For an even more intense lemon flavor, add a few drops of lemon extract along with the fresh lemon juice for an extra punch.
  • These cookies are best slightly under baked, which I habitually do with all my cookies. If you take care not to over bake them, they will come out chewy soft. 
  • This recipe is part of our Lemon Recipes Collection. 
  • These Soft Lemon Cookies pair wonderfully with other tasty lemon treats, such as Lemon Bars or Lemon Custard Cake.

Nutrition Information

Calories 89kcal (4%) Carbohydrates 16g (5%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 4g (6%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g Monounsaturated Fat 1g Trans Fat 0.2g Cholesterol 15mg (5%) Sodium 78mg (3%) Potassium 12mg (0%) Fiber 0.2g (1%) Sugar 7g (14%) Vitamin A 126IU (3%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 4mg (0%) Iron 0.3mg (2%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 36cookies

Amount Per Serving

Calories 89

% Daily Value*

Calories 89kcal 4%
Carbohydrates 16g 5%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 4g 6%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g 1%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Trans Fat 0.2g 10%
Cholesterol 15mg 5%
Sodium 78mg 3%
Potassium 12mg 0%
Fiber 0.2g 1%
Sugar 7g 14%
Vitamin A 126IU 3%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 4mg 0%
Iron 0.3mg 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.