Lemon Sugar Cookies – these perfectly soft and chewy cookies have a hint of lemon, and they are so easy to make. Topped with a luscious lemon frosting, they are unbeatable!
Lemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon Frosting
I am a sucker for just about any lemon dessert, and homemade cookies are one of my very favorite treats. I tweaked a favorite sugar cookie recipe by adding some lemon zest and fresh lemon juice. The cookies have just a hint of lemon flavor, and they are so good.
But of course, I didn’t stop with just the cookie. I topped them with some melt in your mouth lemon frosting that is just out of this world. Trust me, if you love lemon you will want to just eat it by the spoonful. These incredible lemon cookies are a new favorite!
A soft, homemade buttery lemon cookie topped with creamy lemon frosting. What lemon lover can resist? I took them to a church potluck and they were gone within minutes! They were a hit with both adults and kids alike.
One of the best things about this sugar cookie recipe is that you don’t have to roll out the dough with a rolling pin and use cookie cutters. No need to chill the dough, no messy counter to clean off, and no cookie cutter to wash. You will love how easy they are!
After the cookies are baked and completely cooled you top them with a delicious lemon buttercream frosting. I used a star tip to pipe my frosting on, and I think they turned out so pretty! But of course you can just spread the frosting on with a knife or offset spatula, they will still taste amazing!
(To skip my tips and just see the full recipe card, scroll to the very bottom of the post.)
How to make Lemon Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
- butter (I used regular salted butter.)
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- fresh lemon juice
- lemon zest
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest; beat till well combined. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Roll dough into tablespoon sized balls and place on lightly greased baking sheets about 1 1/2 – 2 inches apart.
Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar. No cookie cutter required!
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.
I told you it was easy!
Cool cookies completely, then frost. I piped frosting on with a 1M star tip.
How to make Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients:
- soft butter
- powdered sugar
- lemon zest
- fresh lemon juice
- salt
- milk
Beat together butter, powdered sugar, salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice with a hand mixer!!!!! 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 milk.
How can I store my lemon sugar cookies?
I like to layer leftovers in a large tupperware container with parchment paper between each layer. If I’m taking them to a bridal shower or potluck, I don’t stack them because I don’t want the frosting to get smashed. They will last at least 3-5 days at room temperature.
Can I freeze these sugar cookies?
You can definitely freeze them, but I recommend freezing them before you frost them. Carefully place them in a gallon sized freezer ziplock bag and squeeze out as much air as you can before sealing the bag. They will last up to four months. When you are ready to serve them, let them thaw, then frost them.
Not only are these sugar cookies gorgeous, they taste incredible. I promise all lemon lovers will be in heaven with every bite!!
If you give them a try, let me know what you think.
For more lemon recipes, check out:
- Pink Lemonade Pie
- Butter Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Berry Puff Pastries
- Lemon Pound Cake
MORE TASTY COOKIE RECIPES
- Pecan Sandies
- Toasted Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Double Chocolate Kiss Cookies
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Lemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon Frosting
Lemon Sugar Cookies
Soft, buttery sugar cookies with a hint of lemon, topped with creamy lemon frosting.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 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
- Frosting:
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.
Frosting:
- Beat together butter, powdered sugar, salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl 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.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
30Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 194Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 127mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 0gSugar: 21gProtein: 2g
The cookies turned out great. We will be making some again soon. I did use a small cookie scoop to form the balls, then floured my hands to finish up the ball. The sugar topped glass worked great to flatten them. Great recipe. I shared with my mother and she loved them too.
What is the yield on little cakes and sugar cookies?
I usually get about 30 cookies, but you can definitely make them smaller if you need the recipe to serve more. Just decrease the baking time.
Best lemon cookie! Kids love them, grands love them, husband loves them and I love them!
Yay! So happy to hear that they were such a huge hit at your house!
I MUST try these, my honey is a super fan of anything lemon! Good work!
If he likes lemon, I bet he’ll love them! I sure do. 🙂
I made these for my father tonight and he loved them. I did some with cranberrys and lemon frosting and some with chocolate ganache. Thank you so much for great recipie
So glad he loved them! Thanks for sharing your variations – they sound amazing!
I LOVE these cookies. Is there a way to make them so a cookie cutter can be used? I want to make them in shapes for a themed party, but I really love this specific recipe!
I made these cookies without the frosting and my family raved about them. I want to try vanilla and anise extracts to see if this recipe is versatile enough to still taste good.
I made a half batch and used 3 tablespoons of lemon extract. Great lemon flavor once I added more. I also used more flour to counteract the additional liquid, in small amounts until no longer sticky. Great cookie recipe otherwise. Will be frosting them later, after they cool. Will taste test the frosting too to ensure the lemon flavor is not just a hint lol.
Hi. I tried your recipe making sure all ingredients were correct. My dough is thin so I can’t roll it up. Should I add another 1/2 cup flour?
How many does it make?
I got about 30 cookies, but it depends on the size you make them.:)
These turned out amazing! Definitely one of my favorite cookies so far. Some crazy people in my family don’t like lemon so I made another batch but swapped out the lemon stuff for vanilla and they also are amazing.
Thanks for the recipe!
So happy to hear that you loved them! And it’s good to know that they are still tasty as vanilla cookies. 🙂
These sound amazing and the recipe seems easy enough…but i dont see the measurements on how much of each ingredient..is that just me or is it missing? Thanks, id love to try and make these
You will find the recipe card at the bottom of the post. 🙂
Very good I was looking for soft sugar cookie recipe after being diagnosed with Achalasia and having surgery on my esophogus. I’m more than a month past and was hungry for soft cookie. These are delicious thx u!
Oh goodness, so sorry about your surgery. That sounds awful! I’m glad these cookies were able to bring you a little happiness!
These soft and chewy lemon sugar cookies is my FAVORITE recipe. My kids love these cookies, especially the frosting! 🙂
This recipe was perfect! Soft, perfect flavor and my family all loved it!
These cookies are great. I love that I can enjoy the lemon flavor without it being so overpowering.
The cookies have a very light lemon taste. I increased the lemon taste in the frosting by adding 1/4 t. of lemon extract.