Glazed Lemon Cookies

These glazed lemon cookies are soft, chewy cookies made with both fresh lemon juice and zest in the dough and lemon glaze! They are light and sweet with fresh citrus taste.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read disclosure policy.

Easy Glazed Lemon Cookies

As much as I love plain soft sugar cookies there’s just something special when you add a fresh lemon flavor. Just like my lemon brownies and lemon crinkle cookies, it adds a bright, refreshing taste and leaves a zesty zing on the tip of your tongue.

These glazed lemon cookies are bursting with bright spring flavors. The freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest adds just the right amount of tart to balance out the sweet, chewy cookie base. With the powdered sugar icing on top, they literally melt in your mouth!

Ingredient Notes

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Salted butter: I used room temperature salted butter, if you use unsalted butter increase added salt by 1/4 teaspoon.
• Egg yolks: For a soft and tender cookie, this recipe uses only the egg yolks.
• Grated lemon zest: This is best fresh. Use a microplane grater to lightly shave the outside of the lemon skin. It will be a fine lemon zest.
• Lemon juice: Fresh is best for lemon juice! This will give the lemon cookie recipe that beautiful flavor from the lemon of sweet and zesty.

How to Make Glazed Lemon Cookies

1. Mix. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Then slowly mix in flour. Mix just until combined.
2. Refrigerate. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Roll the cookie dough into a 1 1/2-inch ball. Then press down with a cup. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly golden. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
4. Lemon glaze. To make the lemon glaze for cookies, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon zest, and juice in a medium size bowl. Add a teaspoon of water at a time, until you reach a nice and smooth glaze. Then drizzle or spoon on top of the cookies. Allow the glaze to set before serving. Enjoy!

Baking Tips

Fresh is best with this recipe! These glazed lemon cookies are bright and sunny with so much flavor.

• Fresh lemons. Use REAL lemon juice and zest (instead of lemon extract). It makes all the difference and gives these cookies the absolute best flavor.
• Chill the dough. It’s important to chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This keeps them from spreading in the oven and helps make a thick and delicious cookie. Short on time? Make these no chill lemon and poppy seed cookies, instead.
• Press the dough down. Instead of rolling out the dough, scoop it into balls and then use the bottom of a cup to press the cookies down, similar to my Swig cookies.
• Don’t overbake. These lemon glazed cookies should be super soft and almost melt in your mouth when you take a bite. Bake them until the centers are set and the bottoms are lightly golden.
• Let cool. Make sure to let the cookies cool completely before adding the glaze on top. If they are still warm, the glaze could melt.
• Glaze. Spoon the lemon cookie icing on top, use a whisk to drizzle it over or use a piping bag. You can even dip the tops of the cookies in a bowl of glaze. Sometimes I add some coconut on top like my lemon coconut bars.

Storage

• Store: Make sure the glaze has dried completely, then place iced lemon cookies in an airtight container or bag. If stacking in layers, use a piece of parchment or wax paper in between to avoid sticking. They will stay fresh for about 5 days. Refrigerate if your kitchen is humid.
• Freeze: Freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. I like to flash freeze first then place in a freezer safe bag.