Lemon Powdered Sugar Cookies
I love lemon, and I love cookies, so these Lemon Powdered Sugar Cookies are my perfect cookie! They’re light, crisp and buttery, and with lovely lemon flavor, they’re deliciously different! This recipe makes about 40 cookies, so there’s plenty to share, but they also freeze nicely so you can enjoy them later.
So many cookies claim to have a lemon flavor in them, but the flavor all seems to bake out! The secret ingredient in these tasty cookies is lemon extract. It’s more concentrated in flavor than lemon juice or zest, so the finished cookies have plenty of lemon flavor.
Lemon Powdered Sugar Cookies
These cookies are so good! They’re dunked in powdered sugar and lemon zest at the end, so you get another bit of lemony sweetness that’s oh-so-good!
I love baking these cookies as gifts, but I also usually keep some on hand in the freezer because they go so well with a cup of coffee or tea or for a light bite of something sweet after dinner as dessert.
Why I love this recipe
- This lemon sugar cookie recipe is really quite easy to make, and you can even make the cookie dough a day or two in advance.
- They’re so pretty! There’s nothing cuter than a plateful of these Lemon Powdered Sugar Cookies.
- You can control the sweetness by rolling them once or twice in the powdered sugar.
Gather these ingredients
- Unsalted butter – At room temperature.
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon – You’ll need lemon juice and 4 teaspoons of zest from a fresh lemon.
- Lemon extract – You can find this in the baking aisle of your grocery store.
- Vanilla extract – Pure or artificial vanilla.
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
How to make the best Lemon Powdered Sugar Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350-F, and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Beat the butter, ½ cup of powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon extract, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until combined and smooth.
- Stir in 2 teaspoons of lemon zest.
- Add the all-purpose flour and mix until the dough is very stiff.
- Roll 1 tablespoon balls of dough and place them 1-2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes until golden brown around the edges. Cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes.
- Combine the powdered sugar and the remaining lemon zest in a small bowl and mix well with a fork to break up and coat the zest in sugar.
- Roll the cookies in the powdered sugar and zest mixture and set them aside to finish cooling. You can roll them twice if you want a heavier, sweeter coating.
- Enjoy!
Tips & substitutions
- Don’t forget to wash the lemon before zesting it. You can use a zester to remove the zest or the fine holes on a box grater.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough. Mix it until just combined and smooth.
- You can make the cookie dough ahead of time and refrigerate it until ready to use. Let it come to room temperature on the counter before rolling the dough balls.
- If you’re baking 2 baking sheets of cookies at the same time, rotate the position of the sheets halfway through the baking time.
Serving suggestions
I never need a reason to serve cookies! I love lemon cookies after a hearty dinner of pasta or even a lighter meal of seafood. Of course, I also serve cookies on dessert boards or just with a cup of coffee.
Storage
Store your cookies for up to 3 days in an airtight container on the counter. Or freeze them! You can freeze these lemon cookies in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to a month. Just thaw and serve!
Check out these awesome cookie recipes while you’re here
Get the Recipe:
Lemon Powdered Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 large lemon, 1 teaspoon lemon juice + 4 tsp zest
- ½ tsp lemon extract
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 1-2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lay down parchment paper on two cookie sheets.
- With a stand or hand mixer, beat butter, powdered sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice, lemon extract, vanilla, and salt until smooth, then stir in 2 tsp lemon zest.
- Add the flour and mix until the dough is very stiff.
- Take one tablespoon of cookie dough and roll into a ball and place on the cookie sheet, about 1-2″ apart.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes. If baking both pans at the same time, rotate the pans halfway through baking. Allo cookies to cool for 10 minutes.
- Next, add the powdered sugar and remaining 2 tsp lemon zest in a small bowl, and mix together with a fork.
- Roll cookies to coat. Optional to roll twice, if you want a heavier coating.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to one month.
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I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
Instead of using lemon extract which can leave a fake taste, try using lemon juice powder by King Arthur. I used 1 tblsp. for the 2 cups of flour just to make sure they weren’t too lemony or bitter and increased the fresh lemon juice and rind. I know, I know. Is there any such thing as too lemony!
But I erred on the conservative side with the KA powder.