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Frosted Lemon Sugar Cookies are buttery soft, with the perfect hint of lemon. They’re a perfect treat for lemon lovers!
We love Sugar Cookies and especially love this Lemon Sugar Cookies 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 a favorite Sugar Cookie recipe and adapted it to make 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, delicious cookie topped with lemon frosting, it was hard not to love them.
One thing I love about Frosted Lemon Cookies is that you don’t have to roll them out with a rolling pin. No hassle at all. Just roll them into balls and place them on greased or silicone-lined cookie sheets.
Making these Chewy Lemon Cookies
With no rolling, these cookies are so simple!!
PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheets and set aside.
WET INGREDIENTS. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat in eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest until well combined.
DRY INGREDIENTS. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.
SHAPE. Roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place on cookie sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar.
BAKE. Bake for 9-10 minutes, or till barely light brown on the bottom. Let sit for 3-4 minutes on the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool.
Cool cookies completely before frosting.
LEMON FROSTING. Beat together butter, powdered sugar, salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice till creamy, adding milk if needed.
If piping the frosting, it needs to be thick. I piped frosting on with a 1M star tip. If spreading it on, add more liquid to make a Lemon Icing Recipe.
Recipe Tips
Lemon flavor. Each lemon contains about 2 tablespoons of juice and about 1 tablespoon of zest. The easiest way to zest a lemon is to use a citrus zester, the small side of a cheese grater, or scrape it with a paring knife. To adjust the lemon flavor decrease or increase the lemon zest.
Thin cookies. If the cookies come out too thin try adding a bit more flour or chilling the dough.
Do not overbake. 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.
Don’t overmix the dough as it can create a tougher texture.
Room temperature ingredients. Room-temperature eggs incorporate better into the dough. Use this post on How to Soften Butter Quickly.
Easy clean-up. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Cookie size. Use a cookie scoop to easily make equal-sized cookie dough balls.
Variations. These Frosted Lemon Cookies are simply yummy, but if 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.
- For other citrus flavors, try zesting and juicing oranges or lime.
Storing Info
STORE Lemon Sugar Cookies in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 4 days. Place in the fridge to extend that storing time for an extra day or two.
FREEZE. Unfrosted cookies will freeze better. Either way, stack them in an airtight container separated by sheets of wax paper. They should stay good for up to 3 months.
Let them defrost before adding frosting, and serving.
Recipe FAQ
Along with our frosting, we love a fun sprinkle or even some lemon zest.
Stored in the refrigerator, these cookies can last about a week. In a container, on the counter, they last about 4 days. These cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
For more lemon recipes
Lemon Sugar Cookies Recipe
Video
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
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- 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 for 9-10 minutes, or till barely light brown on the bottom. Let sit for 3-4 minutes on the 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The cookies were amazingly soft and the amount of icing was perfect. Everyone loved them
Awesome! I’m delighted everyone loved them.
I made the Lemon cookies with the Lemon frosting and they were a big hit with my friends. I did not press the ball with the bottom of a glass as the instructions state. I left them in a ball. They came out great just not perfectly round and thick. Once I added the frosting it didn’t matter what the cookie shape was, they were gobbled up. 🙂
Thank you Kristyn for sharing your recipe. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Awe, thanks so much!! I am glad they were a hit! Thanks for sharing what you did!
Just made these – I was looking for a way to use up our bounty of lemons from our backyard. They were SO YUMMY!! Not a cookie left after 24 hours. This recipe is a keeper!!
That’s what I love to hear!! How fun to have lemon trees!! Thanks!
Almost forgot to come back and review – I’ve been using this recipe for years now and LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!!! It’s one of the few recipes I haven’t modified much, other than to note on my copy it is best with salted butter in both the cookie and frosting.!
Thanks for the easy & delicious lemony cookie. Lemon anything is delicious
Made these cookies today and they turned out great! I bought the biggest lemon I could find and used every bit of the zest. For the frosting, I only used 3 cups of the powdered sugar, because I wanted it less sweet and more focus on the lemon. The consistency was perfect to spread on and no need to add milk. And I still had enough frosting to cover all the cookies. My small cookie scoop made close to 40. This recipe is a keeper 🙂
Can this cookie dough be made and refrigerated or frozen ahead of time?
I made a recipe that had lemon extract, my husband spit them in the trash.
This was my next attempt. They are soft,delicious. The frosting is as yummy. I had more frosting than cookies so I get to find something yummy to use it on. Thank you, I will be making these again and again!!!
Love lemon 🍋. These Lemon Sugar cookies are the best.
I think a little bit of raspberry swirled in would be a great pairing with the lemon.
Ooh that would be delicious!
Can you use cake flour?
I haven’t made these cookies with cake flour, so I’m not sure how they will turn out. I think they will still be fine, but the texture will be different than using all-purpose. You’ll have to let us know how they turn out if you use cake flour.
These are so frigging delicious! I packed my lemon rind a bit too so they were nice and lemony. Oh man. I delivered variety trays of holidays cookies to friends and all were mostly exuberant about these of the 5 varieties!
Oh that makes us so happy to hear! Thanks for sharing. I’m glad the cookies were a hit!
Do you know if I could use cookie cutters with this recipe?
I love lemon and a great sugar cookie., so this one was a hit for me. I made them for the first time tonight and my husband and I love them.
So good!!! Def making these again!
Love them so much, tons of flavor.
Do you know if you can make them gluten free?
I haven’t tried, but I imagine you could use a gluten free flour instead. If you do, you’ll have to let us know how they turn out.
YUM-MY!!! They are amazing! I did subsitute cake flour for 1/2 cup of regular flour and topped them with powdered sugar instead of frosting. Next time… FROSTING.
So yummy!
They were somewhere between a cupcake and a cookie. AMAZING, and so pretty! I will be making these for the rest of my life.
These cookies are DELICIOUS! I usually don’t bake cookies I only bake cakes. My word I found a new recipe and it’s a keeper! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us. XOX
You’re welcome!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies!
I love lemon. I make lemon bars gor me and my daughter and grandson. I’m going to make these this weekend and I’m making a second batch but in orange!!
Hope you enjoyed the cookies! The orange is delicious too!
These cookies are seriously good!
I’ve made them twice already! Getting ready to make another batch! Everyone loves them!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that they are a hit!
We love these cookies! I made them for the first time, and my family keeps asking for more.
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!
Can these be frozen?
Yes!! Freezing instructions are included in the post too. 🙂
Sooooo good and easy! Family LOVED THEM! My brother is coming up from Miami in May, so I’m going to try making orange cookies for him since that is his favorite flavour. Excellent recipe.
That sounds yummy! Glad your family loved them!! I hope the orange ones are a hit!
I love to use these pages for the recipes BUT unfortunately it get so cluttered with thousands of ads all over the page… It is awful 😖
I made these lemon cookies and they were absolutely delicious! My grandchildren loved them and I will definitely be making them on Christmas Eve and other special occasions. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes.
Excellent
Best cookies I’ve EVER made!
Excellent cookies! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out perfect. Bravo Lilluna!
These are the best cookies! I’m trying them with oranges today! MMMMM!
Ooh that sounds yummy! You’ll have to let us know how they turned out.
I just made these and they came out great! Taking to a party today! I will make these again!
This is the best lemon cookie recipe that i have tried! My husband loves these cookies! Since i found this recipe for lemon cookies, its the only recipe i need, its absolutely perfect! i make these occasionally now! Thank you LIL LUNA!
These are such delicious cookies! I made them over a year ago, and can’t remember if I used salted or unsalted butter. Which do you recommend for the cookies and for the frosting? I’m going to make some for a neighborhood gathering, and I want to get it right.
Thanks! I. Can’t wait to enjoy this recipe again!
Not bad, but I have tasted better. The cookie has a bit to much of a flour taste. Not very rich and buttery.
These came out so good. Making them again.
I’ve made these 4 times now. Everyone loves them. I do making the cookies bigger then what the recipe say so it only makes about 18 cookies. I’ve tried it with limes instead of lemons and is just as good.
I’m not a fan of desserts that require fresh lemons. But in this cookie recipe I certainly made an exception.. delicious cookies!
They look yummy. I am going to make them when i am off next week.
I hope you enjoy the cookies!!
Recently made these lemon sugar cookies, so delicious, perfect amount of lemon flavor, the cookie was amazing, thank you for sharing this recipe
You’re welcome!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies!
What are the nutrition facts per cookie without frosting. My husband is diabetic. I am concerned about sugars & carbs.
These are so bright with lemon flavor and bake up great every time. I love them especially as springtime treats!
Ooh! I feel like the lemon would balance out the sweetness of a sugar cookie- these look so tasty!!
Let me know how you like them if you try the recipe out. I would love to hear!
These lemon sugar cookies were magical! My family loved them and I cannot wait to make them again.
I’m so glad you loved them as much as we do! Thanks so much for sharing!
Sounds wonderful
Thank you so much! I hope you like them!
Just made these lemon sugar cookies for my wife. She likes them! (Think I’ll try one or two out myself.). She likes anything lemony.
I’m so happy to hear she enjoys the cookies! I’m a lemon fan as well, so I’m glad the recipe was a hit!
Hi,
I can’t wait to try these cookies! For the frosting portion, what do I use the milk for?
Thanks
Can’t wait to try it
Delicious sugar cookie with perfect ingredients. I added just a bit more lemon juice
How many cookies per serving? Is 1 cookie 198 calories.
Depending on how large you make the cookie, that’s about what it would be. If they are smaller sized, the calorie count may be a little less. That include cookie and frosting. The recipe makes about 30 cookies.
These look really good. Will the icing hardened up so you can stack the cookies in a container.
It will a little bit, but we recommend freezing before adding the frosting. However, you can freeze with the frosting. If doing that, I’d probably just spread the frosting with a knife rather than using a tip and piping the frosting on. Either way, just stack them in an airtight container lined with wax paper and they’ll last for about 3 months in the freezer.
I made these for my daughter . very easy to make and they tasted delicious 😋 grandkids loved them 😋
Yay! I’m so glad to hear they were a hit with your family. Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
Hi! I’m planning on making these and was wondering if I can make the dough ahead and keep it in the fridge for a few days before baking? If so, how many days do you think it would keep?
Thank you!
You could! Cookie dough in the fridge should last 2-4 days. Another option is to bake the cookies and then once cooled, pop them in the freezer in an airtight container separated by sheets of wax paper. Pull them out and let them defrost when you are ready to frost the tops and they taste as fresh as when you baked them! They will stay good this way for up to 3 months.
Can these be frozen ahead of time and frosted later?
Yes!! They last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just make sure to thaw before frosting.
These cookies are nothing short of amazing! Everyone who has eaten them loves them! I love the simplicity of the recipe and how beautiful they look when then are finished with the icing on!
Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re so welcome! I’m glad to hear the cookies are a hit!!
Just love these cookies!!!! The lemon flavor is wonderful and they are not too sweet. I do have a question about the frosting. The frosting was nice and firm which I liked, but It was a bit sweet for my taste. I was wondering if I could eliminate some of the powdered sugar….maybe half as much?? Would if affect the ratio of the other ingredients?? Would it not be as stiff? I would appreciate any tips for making the frosting less sweet. Thank you in advance.
I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies!! I have not made the frosting with less powdered sugar, but you could certainly try that. It may slightly affect the texture. Another option is to add a little more lemon juice and/or lemon zest. The texture would be the same but it would be a stronger lemon flavor/not as sweet.
This is a perfect treat. I cannot wait to make them. Thank you for sharing this 🙂
You are so welcome! Thanks for trying them!
O.M.G. I made these a few days ago during my cookie escapades haha and let me tell you they are soooooo good! I was a little bit jealous I had to give them away to others 😆. They’re soft and chewy and the lemon flavour is just yummmm….my mouth is watering just talking about them!
These are delicious! A wonderful soft cakey cookie with soft fluffy lemon cream frosting (used heavy whipping cream instead of milk). I will be making this again. Thank you so much for sharing.
To flatten the cookies, I used a little plastic wrap and did two at a time. The first batch I forgot to flatten. Still yummy, just sitting up kinda high. I used a large round tip to pipe, and sprinkles to cover the lines. They’re very pretty.
Thanks so much for sharing that!!
I make these all the time for my husband and my work. This year – I have to make about 100 cookies for a Christmas distribution for the clinics and hospital in my area. This recipe NEVER fails me. They are a HIT.
That’s a lot of cookies! Glad they are a hit! Thank you!
I have one complaint:
they are too yummy 🙂
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.
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!
Looks yummy xxx
They are 🙂 Hope you try them! Thank you!
I made these cookies over a year-and-a-half ago, and they were fabulous!!!!
I will be making some later this week, and I don’t recall whether or not the butter was salted or unsalted for both the cookies and the frosting. Which do you recommend? (Apologies if it is stated above, but I did not notice that it was.)
Just made them and they are delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
You are so welcome!! Thank you for letting me know!
I just made these, i halved the frost reCipe, tHey are delicious . Great recipe?
Thank you for saying that!
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!
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!
Can you use lImoncello liquor inthe frosting or the cookie somehow???
I personally have not, but I am sure you could.
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 🙂
Wonderful LemOn flavor !! Easy to make….
Thank you for letting me know! I am happy you liked them!
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!
These cookies are so delicious! Just the perfect hint of lemon. No rollin out and there pretty.
If you didn’t already have me at LEMON the fact you can have finished sugar cookies in 30 minutes is awesome
I love sugar cookies, but adding the lemon makes them even better! Took them to a church function & they were a hit!
Love the hint of lemon in these! They are light & refreshing!
an amazing cookie!
So glad you think so 🙂 Thank you for letting me know!
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!
Are these cookies thick enough to make shapes?
You could certainly try. You can roll them out as thick as you want. You may want to chill the dough prior to rolling and making shapes.
Tasty
Glad you think so 🙂 Thank you!
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!
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!
Great cookies! love the lemon flavor, not too overbearing
Thank you for sharing that!! Glad you liked them!
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 addition of lemon to sugar cookies!
These look perfect! Super yummy! Pinning!
They are delish!! Thank you so much. Enjoy!
Thank you for trying them 🙂