Softbatch Glazed Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies
User Reviews
4.6
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
8 mins
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Chill Time
3 hrs
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Total Time
3 hrs 18 mins
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Servings
18
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Calories
180 kcal
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Course
Baked Goods
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Cuisine
American
Softbatch Glazed Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies
Description
Softbatch Glazed Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies are made by creaming together butter and full-fat cream cheese with sugar until light and fluffy, which lends them a tender and moist texture. The batter is flavored distinctly with lemon extract and lemon zest, providing a genuine lemon taste without using lemon juice. The addition of cornstarch and baking soda helps control texture, resulting in soft yet structured cookies.
Once scooped and flattened, the cookies are baked to a soft finish and then decorated with a lemon glaze made from confectioners' sugar and lemon juice, offering a glossy, tangy sweetness that complements the rich cookie base.
These cookies can be enjoyed as a bright, flavorful snack or dessert. They maintain freshness for up to a week when stored airtight, and leftover dough can be refrigerated or frozen for baking later, allowing for convenient fresh batches.
For optimal results, use brick-style cream cheese and avoid overly liquid lemon juice in the batter to preserve texture and flavor intensity. Yellow food coloring is optional and purely for appearance.
Ingredients
Cookies
- ½ cup butter softened, unsalted
- ¼ cup cream cheese softened (use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese not ‘spreadable’ or whipped cream cheese)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg large
- 1 tablespoon lemon extract do not substitute with lemon juice
- yellow food coloring optional and as desired
- 1 tablespoon lemon or 2 tablespoons if you want cookies very lemony, zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice or as necessary for consistency
- lemon for garnishing, zest
Instructions
- Make the Cookies
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) add the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, light, fluffy, and well combined, about 3 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, lemon extract, and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and optionally add the yellow food coloring (as many drops as necessary until desired shade is achieved), the lemon zest, and beat on medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute; don’t overmix.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop or your hands, form approximately 18 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly.
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 8 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake or undersides could become too browned. Cookies firm up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before glazing. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
- Make the Glaze
- To a medium bowl, add the confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and whisk until smooth and combined. Depending on preference and desired glaze consistency, you may have to play with the sugar and lemon juice ratios slightly.
- Using a small spoon, drizzle about 1 tablespoon of glaze over each cookie, and spread glazeout using the back of the spoon. Repeat until all cookies are glazed.
- Sprinkle a small pinch of lemon zest over all cookies before the glaze sets and before serving.
Notes
- Use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese (not spreadable or whipped) for best texture.
- Cookies keep fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- Unbaked dough can be refrigerated for up to five days or frozen for up to four months for later baking.
- Lemon extract is essential for authentic lemon flavor; avoid substituting with lemon juice in the batter.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 18Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 180 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1 | |
| Calories | 180kcal | 9% |
| Carbohydrates | 29g | 10% |
| Protein | 2g | 4% |
| Fat | 7g | 11% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Cholesterol | 27mg | 9% |
| Sodium | 145mg | 6% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 17g | 34% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.6
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