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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
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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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!