Glazed Lemon Cookies

These light and fluffy Lemon Cookies With Glaze are made with fresh lemon juice and zest, and have the perfect balance of sweet and sour. They’re bright, refreshing, and perfect for springtime and summer.

If you’re on the hunt for more irresistible lemon cookies, be sure to try my Lemon Cookie Cups, Lemon Meltaway Cookies, or these Lemon Cooler Cookies.

Lemon Cookies With Glaze

If you love lemons, it will be impossible to resist these buttery, sweet, and perfectly tart glazed lemon cookies.  The dough itself is made with a hefty dose of fresh lemon zest. But, as if that weren’t enough, we top it all off with a light, bright lemon glaze. 

Between the bold lemon flavor and the insanely soft texture, thanks to the cornstarch, these cookies may just become your new favorites.  They’re equally perfect to make during the hot summer, or any time you’re craving a burst of lemon goodness. 

Key Ingredients You Will Need

• Butter – you want your butter to be at room temperature so that it will cream properly with the sugar.  We prefer to use unsalted butter in this recipe.
• Sugar – use plain white granulated sugar.
• Eggs – it’s helpful if your eggs and yolks are at room temperature so that they will mix smoothly into the butter and sugar.
• Fresh Lemon – use fresh lemons for both the juice and zest as they have a much better flavor than the bottled juice.  If you can find them, you could also try using Meyer lemons for a slightly different flavor.
• Cornstarch – this helps to make the cookies nice and soft.
• Baking Soda – this helps the cookies to rise a bit in the oven.
• Powdered Sugar – for the glaze, I use powdered sugar to keep it super smooth. I recommend sifting it before mixing the glaze to remove any lumps.

How to Make Lemon Glazed Cookies

1. Mix the wet ingredients. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, or about 3-5 minutes. Slowly add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and lemon zest and mix on low, scraping the bowl as needed to make sure it is all mixed.
2. Add the dry ingredients. In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Mix until combined, then add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low until the dough is well-combined. Do not overmix.
3. Scoop the cookie dough. Using spoons or a small ice cream scoop, scoop 1″ balls, place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet about 3 inches apart and then flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand.
4. Bake. Bake in a preheated oven for 9-11 minutes, or until slightly golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Make the lemon glaze. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.  Well until completely smooth, adding a little extra lemon juice or water to thin down as necessary.
6. Drizzle lemon cookies with lemon glaze. Use a spoon to drizzle the cooled cookies with the glaze, then let the glaze set at room temperature before storing.  Enjoy!

Recipe Variations To Try

• Incorporate poppy seeds into the cookie dough for added texture and a nutty flavor.
• Infuse the cookie dough with dried lavender for a floral note. I like to add it to the granulated sugar and pulse them together in a blender or food processor.
• Fold dried or fresh blueberries into the cookie dough.
• Add shredded coconut to the cookie dough and then sprinkle more over the top of the glaze.
• Swirl in raspberry preserves or fresh raspberries into the cookie dough.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

• Glaze the cooled cookies. Make sure your cookies have cooled completely before glazing them. Otherwise, the glaze will run off the edges and become very thin.
• Use room temperature ingredients. Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature so that you can make a cohesive dough. It will also help to prevent you from overmixing.
• Fresh lemons only! For best results, always use fresh lemons. It doesn’t take much more effort, will taste much better and the lemon zest from the lemons adds so much tart flavor.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

• Storing at room temperature.  Store Glazed Lemon Cookies in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.  Make sure the icing has been set completely before transferring them.
• Storing in the freezer.  You can freeze completely cooled cookies before glazing them for the best results.  Store in freezer bags either in a single layer or in 2 layers separately by parchment paper.  Once you are ready to eat them, thaw them at room temperature and glaze them.
• Freezing the dough.  You can freeze the unbaked dough to be baked at a later time.  Just make and scoop the dough as directed, then place it on a baking sheet to chill for about 1 hour.  Once they have firmed up slightly, transfer them to freezer bags and store them frozen for up to 2 months.  You can bake them from frozen whenever you get the urge!  Just add a couple of minutes to the baking time.

More Lemon Recipes

• Lemon Bars
• Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Muffins
• Lemon Raspberry Parfait
• Lemon Curd
• Lemon Blueberry Bread
• Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars
• Lemon Syrup Recipe
• More Cookie Recipes
• More Easy Dessert Recipes

Between the bold lemon flavor and the insanely soft texture, these Glazed Lemon Cookies may just become your new favorites.  They’re made with fresh lemon juice and zest and have the perfect balance of sweet and sour.