Lemon drop cookies are soft and buttery cookies filled with bright and fresh lemon flavor. Enjoy these bite sized Italian lemon cookies plain or with a sweet and tart lemon glaze. Make these wonderfully refreshing and beautifully fragrant glazed lemon cookies for a taste of spring and summer all year long.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I absolutely love baking with lemon and lemon cookies are one of my favorite recipes to make and enjoy. My Lemon Blueberry Cookies, Lemon Cooler Cookies, Lemon Lavender Cookie Bars and Lemon Raspberry Cookies. These buttery lemon drop cookies are another delicious lemon cookie recipe I know you’ll because:
- They are quick and easy to make. All you need to do is bring the butter to room temperature, mix everything up in one bowl, chill for 30 minutes, scoop and bake!
- Layers of flavor and texture. From the soft and buttery lemon filled cookie, to the sweet and tart key lemon glaze, these glazed lemon cookies are full of light and refreshing flavors and textures I know you’ll love.
Ingredients
This lemon drop cookie recipe requires only a handful of pantry basics to make. Make sure you have these ingredients ready to go.
- Dry ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather unsalted butter, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and lemon extract.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these wonderfully buttery lemon ball cookies:
- All purpose flour: This recipe hasn’t been tested with an alternative flour. However, if you want to make this recipe gluten free, use a good 1-1 flour and measure by weight rather than cups.
- Baking Powder: Do not substitute with baking soda. Omit if you do not have baking powder.
- Granulated Sugars:This recipe hasn’t been tested using alternative sugars. However, I love using maple sugar as a refined sugar free option in my other cookie recipes. Maple sugar bakes very similarly to light brown sugar.
- Lemons: Feel free to use meyer lemons or any other citrus in place of the lemons.
- Unsalted Butter: You can use the same amount of salted butter as written in the recipe, but omit the added salt. To make these Italian cookies vegan or dairy free, use a plant based butter.
- Egg: Feel free to omit, but know the final texture will be more crumbly like a shortbread.
- Vanilla or Lemon Extract: This is more for flavor. Use vanilla to enhance the buttery flavor or lemon to enhance the lemon flavor.
Variation
Lemon Drop Cookies with Cake Mix: Follow my recipe for Lemon Cake Mix Cookies. Rather than roll in powdered sugar, roll in granulated sugar and top with the lemon glaze.
How To Make
Learn how to make lemon drop cookies in a few easy steps.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters, mix the granulated sugar and lemon zest together until they are the consistency of wet sand. Cream the room temperature butter and lemon sugar until well combined. This takes about 3 - 4 minutes on medium speed. On low, mix in the egg, extract and lemon juice until smooth and well combined. Mix the dry ingredient into the wet ingredients until just combined. Cover the dough and chill in the fridge for 30 - 60 minutes.
- While the cookies chill, preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. I like to use a small cookie scoop to get perfectly portioned cookies. Bake the glazed lemon sugar cookies for 11 - 13 minutes. The bottom of the cookies will be very lightly golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven onto a cooling rack. After 3 - 4 minutes, transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
- Make the lemon glaze for the lemon drop cookies by mixing 2 - 3 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice with 1 ½ cups (180 g) of powdered sugar until well combined. Top each cookie with the lemon glaze.
How To Store, Make Ahead, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 - 4 days.
- Make Ahead: Simply prepare the cookies according to the recipe directions through to chilling and store covered the cookie dough in plastic wrap in the fridge for a day or two.
- Freeze: Once the cookies are baked and have fully cooled to room temperature, place the baked cookies into an airtight, freezer safe container. Store the cookies without the glaze for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: Transfer your desired amount of frozen cookies onto a plate to thaw at room temperature for a few hours. Top the lemon cookies with the lemon glaze once the cookies are thawed.
M’s Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. Room temperature butter is soft, but still cool to the touch. This results in a soft, tender and delicious cookie.
- Mix the flour until just combined. I like to mix the flour into the sweetened butter just there are a few stray pieces of flour coated butter. Then mix the rest of the flour by hand or with a flexible spatula.
- Chill the cookie dough. This helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
- Fully preheat the oven. Use an oven thermometer to double check the temperature.
- Use a cookie scoop. To get perfectly round cookies, use a cookie scoop to drop the lemon cookies onto a cookie sheet.
- Cool the cookies. Make sure the cookies are completely cooled before glazing them.
FAQs
How are drop cookies different than regular cookies?
Drop cookies are simply cookies that are dropped from a cookie scoop or spoon onto a lined baking sheet. This is different from cookies that are rolled or cut out.
How do you know when drop cookies are done?
Drop cookies are done when the edges of the cookies are set and lightly golden brown.
How much space to leave between drop cookies?
Leave at least 2 inches of space between each drop cookie.
Other Lemon Recipes To Try
If you try this Lemon Drop Cookies recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
Lemon Drop Cookies Recipe
Lemon drop cookies are soft and buttery cookies filled with bright and fresh lemon flavor. Enjoy these bite sized Italian lemon cookies plain or with a sweet and tart lemon glaze. Make these wonderfully refreshing and beautifully fragrant glazed lemon cookies for a taste of spring and summer all year long.
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
- 1 zester
- 2 baking sheets
- 2 parchment paper sheets
- 1 small cookie scoop (1 tbsp, 15 ml)
Ingredients
Lemon Drop Cookies
- 2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 lemons, zested
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon or vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
Lemon Glaze
- 1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar
- 2 - 3 tablespoons (30 - 45 ml) lemon juice
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined.2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour , 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters, mix the granulated sugar and lemon zest together until they are the consistency of wet sand.1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 2 lemons, zested
- Cream the room temperature butter and lemon sugar until well combined. This takes about 3 - 4 minutes on medium speed. On low, mix in the egg, extract and lemon juice until smooth and well combined. Mix the dry ingredient into the wet ingredients until just combined. Cover the dough and chill in the fridge for 30 - 60 minutes.¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 large egg, room temperature, 1 teaspoon lemon or vanilla extract , 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
- While the cookies chill, preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of cookie dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. I like to use a small cookie scoop to get perfectly portioned cookies.
- Bake the lemon drop cookies for 11 - 13 minutes. The bottom of the cookies will be very lightly golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven onto a cooling rack. After 3 - 4 minutes, transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
- Make the lemon glaze for the lemon drop cookies by mixing 2 - 3 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice with 1 ½ cups (180 g) of powdered sugar until well combined. Top each cookie with the lemon glaze.1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar, 2 - 3 tablespoons (30 - 45 ml) lemon juice
Notes
Store: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 - 4 days.
did you make this recipe?tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram
Danielle Davies says
These are so so yummy!! Thank you for putting the grams for each ingredient! They turned out perfect
Megan says
Hi Danielle, thanks so much for the kind review. I am so happy to enjoyed them!
Carla says
I made these last night as well as another lemon cookie recipe. I taste tested both and your recipe was my favorite. I like that your recipe has lemon zest in the dough itself. Its more tart with a clean lemon flavor. The second recipe called for lemon extract instead of zest. I brought samples of both recipes to my office today. I'm not the only one who preferred your recipe! Your LEMON DROP cookie recipe is easier to prepare than the second recipe so this is now my go to lemon cookie recipe. Thank you. -C
Megan says
Hi Carla, I am so happy to read how much you love the lemon drop cookies. They are so refreshing to perfect for summer baking. What a treat to know this is your new go to lemon cookie recipe!
Phyllisz says
It says, baked the glazed lemon cookies. Is that a mistake?
Megan says
Hi Phyllis, thanks for catching that error. The glaze is applied after baking the cookies. It should read "bake the lemon cookies." Hope this helps.