These Lemon Sugar Cookies are buttery and soft, with the perfect hint of lemon. The lemon frosting makes them over the top delicious. A perfect cookie recipe for lemon lovers!
We love sugar cookies, and especially love this lemon version. If you love sugar cookies as much as we do, you’ll also love our sugar cookie bars and sugar cookie fruit pizza!
Soft Lemon Sugar Cookies
If you love lemon desserts, I have the perfect cookie for you! I took my favorite sugar cookie recipe and adapted it to come up with today’s recipe for Lemon Sugar Cookies.
I am a huge fan of anything lemon, and I was thrilled with how these cookies turned out. They are the perfect cookie for anyone who loves lemon. With such a soft cookie and a delicious lemon frosting on top, it was hard not to love them.
One thing I love about these cookies is that you don’t have to roll them out with a rolling pin. Nope, no hassle at all. Just roll them into balls and place them on greased or silicone lined cookie sheets.
How to make Lemon Sugar Cookies
With no rolling, these cookies are so simple!! Here is what you need to do to make them:
WET INGREDIENTS. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat in eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest till well combined.
DRY INGREDIENTS. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.
NO ROLLING OUT. Roll dough into tablespoon sized balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar.
BAKE. Bake at 350° for 9-10 minutes, or till barely light brown on the bottom. Let sit 3-4 minutes on pan, then remove to cooling racks.
Cool cookies completely before frosting.
Recipe Tips
Lemon Flavor To adjust the lemon flavor just decrease or increase the lemon zest.
My cookie came out too thin: If your cookie is thinner that you would like you can do a couple of things:
- Add a bit more flour to the dough
- Chill the dough
Don’t overcook: be sure to remove the cookies before they begin to brown. They may even seem to be a little undercooked, but they will finish cooking as they cool on the hot pan.
Lemon Buttercream Frosting + more additions
After they are baked and cooled you top them with a delicious lemon buttercream frosting.
I used a star tip to pipe my frosting on, and they turned out so pretty, don’t you think? But of course you can just spread the frosting on with a knife, they will still taste incredible!
To make it, just beat together butter, powdered sugar, salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice till creamy, adding milk if needed. If you are piping the frosting, it needs to be thick. If you are just spreading it on, you can add more liquid.
Beautiful and Delicious additions: These cookies are simply yummy, but if you want to change them up I have a few ideas:
- Add poppy seeds to the dough
- Top the frosting with fresh raspberries
- Drizzle white chocolate onto the cookie then top with frosting
- Sprinkle sliced macadamia or almonds on top
How to Store + Tips
Place your sugar cookies in an air-tight container and STORE them on the counter for up to 4 days. They can be placed in the fridge to extend that storing time for an extra day or two.
If you’re planning on FREEZING your cookies, try to freeze them before you add the frosting. They’ll hold up better unfrosted. Either way, stack them in an airtight container separated by sheets of wax paper. They should stay good for up to 3 months.
Let defrost before adding frosting and serving.
These sugar cookies aren’t only gorgeous, but they’re delicious. I promise all lemon lovers will be obsessed!! ;D
We hope you agree!! Let us know what you think of them.
For more lemon recipes, check out:
- Lemon Cookies
- Lemon Cheesecake
- Lemon Sheet Cake
- Lemon Bars
- Lemon Brownies
- Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Lemon Sugar Cookies Recipe
These Lemon Sugar Cookies are buttery and soft, with the perfect hint of lemon. The lemon frosting makes them over the top delicious. A perfect cookie recipe for lemon lovers!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Lemon Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 dash salt
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1-2 Tbsp milk, if needed
Instructions
-
Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat in eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest till well combined.
-
Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.
-
Roll dough into tablespoon sized balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar.
-
Bake at 350° for 9-10 minutes, or till barely light brown on the bottom. Let sit 3-4 minutes on pan, then remove to cooling racks.
-
Cool cookies completely, then frost. I piped frosting on with a 1M star tip.
Lemon Frosting
-
Beat together butter, powdered sugar, salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice till creamy, adding milk if needed. If you are piping the frosting, it needs to be thick. If you are just spreading it on, you can add more liquid.
These look perfect! Super yummy! Pinning!
They are delish!! Thank you so much. Enjoy!
Great addition of lemon to sugar cookies!
These may be the best cookies I have ever made! They were a huge hit. The buttercream icing was amazing. I accidentally added too much lemon juice and I couldn’t roll them into balls, so my first batch, the cookies were kind of messy. I added more flour to remaining batter and they turned out perfect. Next time, i will follow the measurements exactly. Thank you!
Thank you for saying that! I am glad you tried them.
Great cookies! love the lemon flavor, not too overbearing
Thank you for sharing that!! Glad you liked them!
Good thing i made these for my granddaughter’s 4h bake sale. To yummy to have in my kitchen
LOL..Thank you so much for trying them! I hope they were a hit!
Does the icing harden at all? I am looking for a lemon cookie for an annual cookie baKe our neighbor does but people stack their take home cookies in containers and i don’t want the icing to get all SMASHED and messy.
No, it doesn’t harden, like other icings. It would get smashed, but it is so yummy!
Tasty
Glad you think so 🙂 Thank you!
I made these for Christmas this year and they were a big git. Sever pe comment gow good they are. I think they are very good too.
Glad they were a hit!! Thank you for making them!
an amazing cookie!
So glad you think so 🙂 Thank you for letting me know!
Love the hint of lemon in these! They are light & refreshing!
I love sugar cookies, but adding the lemon makes them even better! Took them to a church function & they were a hit!
If you didn’t already have me at LEMON the fact you can have finished sugar cookies in 30 minutes is awesome
These cookies are so delicious! Just the perfect hint of lemon. No rollin out and there pretty.
I’ve made these cookies several times and they always come out wonderful! Every one loves them! Best lemon cookie recipe ever! Thank you!
Yay! I am glad you think that. They are one of my favorites! Thank you!
Wonderful LemOn flavor !! Easy to make….
Thank you for letting me know! I am happy you liked them!
Heya i’m just cUrious if these can Become Roll out cookies if i wanted to use cookie cutters instead. Thanks
I personally have not tried, but I bet they could 🙂
Can you use lImoncello liquor inthe frosting or the cookie somehow???
I personally have not, but I am sure you could.
Amazing cookies!!!
My son did all the mixing & placing cookies on sheet, i did the sugar on bottom of cup part.
He said he never enjoyed eating a cooking so much. “Like biting into a pillow”. We loved this recipe.
1st time making sugar cookies
Yay!! I love that! Thank you for trying this recipe with him!
These cookies are amazing! Easy to make and so delicious! Will definitely make these again and again! Thank you for the recipe!
You are so welcome! Glad you like them! Thank you!
I just made these, i halved the frost reCipe, tHey are delicious . Great recipe👍
Thank you for saying that!
I made a double batch of these last night. We loved them. The lemon flavoR is just right and not overpowering. It takes a little time to zest and juice lemons but it is well worTh the time to do It.
One comment about using a glass to flatten The cookEs: I’ve baked a lot but have never done that. I recommend doing it for this recipe. It is a great way to both flatten and even out your cookies. i found it best to Dip the Bottom of the glass in a little water. Shake off the excess, Then dip the glass in white granulated sugar. Dip the glass in sugar before EACH Cookie or the dough will stick to the Glass. only dip the glass in water before the first cookie.
Perfect!! Thanks for saying that! So glad they are loved!
Going to make these soon! It says to flatten with a Glass , how flat do You suggest?
It’s just enough to press them down to a circle. Hopefully, that helps 🙂 It’s maybe 1/2in.