Glazed Lemon Cookies Recipe (With Video)

Prep Time:

25 mins

Total Time:

45 mins

Servings:

24

If you love citrus, you'll love these easy-to-make lemon cookies from decorvow. They're a simple treat that anyone who loves the bold, bright flavors will adore. No rolling or shaping needed—these treats are a basic drop cookie and come together fast.

They bake up cakey, sweet, and packed with lemon flavor—there's fresh lemon juice and lemon zest in the cookie dough. Then they're finished with a two-ingredient lemon glaze made with just lemons (juice and zest) and confectioners' sugar. Enjoy them without the lemon glaze if you prefer a less-sweet dessert. Everything about these cookies is simple—except waiting those few minutes for the glaze to set so you can eat one.

Drop Cookies

Drop cookies are an easy type of cookie to make. They're perfect for beginners or impatient bakers who need a homemade dessert fast. They don't require rolling or shaping. Drop cookie dough is easy to transfer from the mixing bowl to the baking sheet using either a spoon or a cookie scoop (or a small ice cream scoop).

Many of the best-known and most-loved cookies are drop cookies (think oatmeal-raisin and chocolate chip cookies). Drop cookies contain butter, sugar, egg, vanilla or another flavoring, flour, salt, and a leavener such as baking soda or baking powder.

What Is a Glaze?

A glaze is a simple touch used to finish a baked good. A basic iteration contains confectioners' or powdered sugar and a liquid. More liquid is added to make the glaze thinner. More sugar is added to make it thicker. The lemon glaze used to finish our lemon cookies has plenty of lemon flavor from the lemon juice that is used as the liquid for the glaze. The most common liquids used for glazes are water or milk.

Other types of glaze can be made using sugar and liquid with melted chocolate, extracts, or jams.

Always zest the lemons (preferably with a microplane tool) before juicing them for the glaze.

The Right Way to Store Lemons

Lemons are available at the grocery store year-round and keep well—but they'll keep even better if you store them properly. Doing so results in fresher lemons, which means tastier zest and juice for all kinds of lemon recipes.

Lemons can be stored on the kitchen counter, but they will start to dry out after a couple of days. Our advice is to store them at room temperature only if you plan to use them in a day or so. Generally, lemons should be stored in the refrigerator, which helps to maintain the soft texture of the rind and their flavor.

Directions

Glazed Lemon Cookies ingredients — Brie Goldman

Preheat oven and whisk dry ingredients together:

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.

Brie Goldman
Beat butter and sugar:

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Brie Goldman
Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix:

Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until combined.

Brie Goldman
Add flour and mix:

With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture.

Brie Goldman
Drop dough onto baking sheets:

Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 1 inch apart, onto two baking sheets.

Brie Goldman
Bake:

Bake until edges are golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.

Brie Goldman
Cool cookies:

Let cool 2 minutes on sheets, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Brie Goldman
Spread with glaze:

Spread cookies with Lemon Glaze and let set, about 1 hour.

Brie Goldman

Variations

For orange- or lime-flavored cookies, substitute equal amounts of the zest and juice of those citrus fruits for the lemon.

How to Store Glazed Lemon Cookies

These glazed lemon cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Before storing, check that the glaze has completely dried. If you want to prevent the cookies from touching each other and damaging the glaze, we suggest only putting one layer of cookies in the container, rather than stacking them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use lemon juice from a bottle?

Yes, you can use lemon juice from a bottle if you don’t have fresh lemon juice, but we wouldn't recommend it for this recipe. We prefer to use fresh lemon juice because it has a fresh, bright flavor that is front and center in this cookie recipe. Bottled lemon juice is convenient, but it doesn't have the same truly lemony flavor.
What is the difference between lemon juice and lemon extract?

The difference between lemon juice and lemon extract is that juice is brighter, more acidic, and less concentrated than the extract. Lemon extract is made from the essential oil of lemon mixed with alcohol. It is very potent, similar to vanilla extract. While a recipe might call for several tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, one teaspoon of lemon extract is a lot.
Can you use lemon extract instead of lemon glaze?

No, we would not recommend using lemon extract instead of lemon glaze in this recipe. The fresh lemon flavor of just-squeezed juice is very different from lemon extract, which is more powerful. If you substituted it one-for-one, the cookies would be overwhelmingly lemony. Also, this recipe requires lemon zest, which you won't have if you don't use fresh lemons.
Can I use a different glaze or icing?

Yes, you can add a different glaze or icing for these lemon cookies. The cookies are delicious without a glaze, but if you want to finish them with something, add another glaze or frosting, making sure the flavor complements the lemon in the cookies. Other glaze and icing flavors you could use are our Simple Sugar Glaze (which can be tinted in whatever color you prefer), Brown-Butter Glaze, or Simple Vanilla Frosting.