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Bite-size Glazed Lemon Drop Cookies are soft not-too-sweet cookies dipped into a sweetly tart glaze. (Traditional and gluten-free recipes are included below.)
Lemon Drop Cookies
These Lemon Drop Cookies were so irresistible, that I happily ate cookies in lieu of my dinner. (shhhh, don’t tell the kids, they thought I ate my dinner after they went to bed.)
I’ve been craving a lemon dessert for a couple of weeks now and I had the recipe for these cookies scribbled out and waiting to try.
I’m happy to say that the cookies were an awesome success and I managed to eat an embarrassing number of them before I finally packed the remaining cookies in a container and sent them home with friends!
Lemon Drop Cookie Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
- Add the egg, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- The dough will be somewhat dry and crumbly, but can easily be pressed together. Scoop into 1″ balls and gently roll them smooth between your hands. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until the cookies are set, but not browned. These will be small, round cookies and shouldn’t flatten or spread much at all. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Easy Lemon Glaze
- Slowly add the lemon juice into the powdered sugar, stirring until the glaze can be easily stirred and poured.
- Drizzle the glaze over the top of each cooled cookie.
- Allow the glaze to set completely and then transfer the cookies to an airtight container.
- They should keep well at room temperature for a few days, or in the freezer for up to two months.
If you love lemon desserts, you’ll want to check out the Lemon Ice Cream, Lemon Crinkle Cookies, and this 5-Minute Lemon Curd. (I’m serious, FIVE minutes to perfect lemon curd. Make it now and you can thank me later!)
And if you do take my advice and make the lemon curd, you can then make these Lemon Blueberry Parfaits by Baking a Moment.
Lighter than a traditional pound cake, this Glazed Lemon Cake is tender with a bright sweet flavor and the lemon glaze adds the perfect touch–the literal icing on top.
For a dessert that will leave your guests grinning every time, try the Lemon Angel Pie or the Layered Lemon Cheesecake.
Check out all of the Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes on this website!
Glazed Lemon Drop Cookies
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest finely minced, about 1 large lemon’s worth
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Glaze Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
*Gluten-Free Alternative
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- ¾ cup oat flour
- ½ cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup potato starch
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
Instructions
Cookie Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- The dough will be somewhat dry and crumbly, but can easily be pressed together. Scoop into 1" balls and gently roll them smooth between your hands. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until the cookies are set, but not browned. These will be small, round cookies and shouldn't flatten or spread much at all. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze Instructions
- Slowly add the lemon juice into the powdered sugar, stirring until the glaze can be easily stirred and poured. Drizzle the glaze over the top of each cooled cookie.
- Allow the glaze to set completely and then transfer the cookies to an airtight container. They should keep well at room temperature for a few days, or in the freezer for up to two months. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 8/17/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 5/31/22}
Mine tasted good but they came out flat. Next time I will refrigerate the dough before baking.
I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies, Jeani.
Very good. Came out perfect. The only thing I had to change was the glaze. I had to add way more lemon juice to make a glaze.
But they were delicious
I’m glad you are enjoying the cookies, Maria.
Cooked at 350 for 10 minutes like it says and they were doughy in the middle.
It sounds like they needed a little longer in the oven. This can vary depending on oven and the size of each cookie.
Delicious and easy to make.
The only thing I did was add a little more liquid to the glaze.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the cookies, Diane.
My family love these delicious little lemon cookies. A perfect combination of sweet and tart!
I’m so happy to hear that, Shelley!
Made those for the Holidays and they were such a hit! Those and chocolate crinkle cookies were the clear winners amongst the tasters. They’ll be a staple in my Holiday cookie boxes from here on out. Thank you!
I’m so glad you like the cookies!
Hi Mary,
Amazed at how delicious these cookies are, I made them and I promised to make them for my family and friends. Thank you so very much for this recipe. Keep them coming.😍
I’m thrilled to hear that the cookies are a hit.
They came out greasy and flat.
Oh, no! I’m so sorry to hear that. There have only been a few commenters with this experience over the past 10 years, and it almost always had something to do with not enough flour or possibly too much butter was added. Or is it possible that you substituted margarine for the butter in this recipe? Hopefully your next batch turns out better!
Lemon is a favorite in my household, but cake is just to heavy for the two of us. These cookies were perfect little treat with a few to share… I also edited the recipe and made an Orange cookie as well. My kitchen smelled like Florida for 2 days. It was great. I did notice the glaze recipe was a little thick, I thinned it down with another Tbls of its respective juice.
I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying the cookies. I bet the orange variation was terrific too!
These glazed lemon drop cookies sound perfectly zesty, sweet, and refreshing—such a delightful treat for any time of year. Loved this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you like the cookies!
I’m going to make these again for about the 4th time. I love them as do everyone of my family members and friends who have had them. I’m wondering if they would freeze well? Thank you.
You bet! They will freeze beautifully, Deb. I’m thrilled that you like them.
Oops, just saw that they can be frozen. Thank you.
I don’t have lemon jest so can they still be made?
Yes, you can make these without the zest, Rebecca. They just won’t be quite as tart.
Hi Mary! These cookies sound wonderful! I am considering making them to sell at our Cafe Deli case, as I work as a baker in a commercial kitchen.
Since you said the dough will be somewhat crumbly, it sounds like the cookie texture will be somewhat like shortbread. Since these cookies may be showcased in our Deli case for several days, I wonder if in making the dough, a dollop of sour cream might be added to help maintain moisture so that the cookies don’t dry out too quickly? What do you think about that? Thank you so much!!
I think you’ll just need to play with the recipe a bit and see what works best for your situation. I hope you love them!
You replied to Miriam that her cookies were flat possibly from not chilling the dough. I went back to see where it says to chill the dough and can’t find it. Im ready to make these, but need to know whether chilling is a step we should do before baking…. These look delicious and I want to try them. Thank you.
oh! Thank you for catching that, Peg. I’ve corrected our reply to that comment. Sometimes when we’re replying to so many questions, mistakes are made and I apologize for the confusion. There is not a chilling step to this recipe. It’s very uncommon for these cookies to spread out at all and it is almost always the result of ingredients being measured improperly or substitutions made.