MARTHASTEWART.COM

Glazed Lemon Cookies

For the true lemon lover, these crisp cookies are the perfect treat.
Everyday Food, May 2009
  • Prep Time 25 minutes
  • Total Time 45 minutes + cooling
  • Yield Makes 24
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Lemon Glaze

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until combined. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture.

  2. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 1 inch apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until edges are golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool 2 minutes on sheets, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Spread cookies with Lemon Glaze and let set, about 1 hour.

Cook's Note

Always zest the lemons (preferably with a Microplane tool) before juicing them. For orange- or lime-flavored cookies, substitute the zest and juice of those fruits.

Recipe Reviews

  • NolaLamb327
    21 Sep, 2012

    These cookies are delicious!! I have made them twice in 2 weeks!

  • Samsmom
    25 Aug, 2012

    This has become my signature cookie. My family and friends request them all the time. They're so lemony and delicious. It's the perfect summer time cookie.

  • snh
    24 Jul, 2012

    Do you think these can be frozen before baking or after w/o glaze? I like to freeze dough for "emergencies". Thank you.

  • Kacey
    27 Jun, 2012

    This is my FAVOURITE cookie recipe. Instead of dropping them from a spoon, I roll them into balls and press them slightly on the baking sheet. You get a much more uniform cookie. Has anyone ever tried rolling these out for cookie cutters?

  • Zappykins
    2 Jun, 2012

    So Lemony and Tasty! This is a great reason to get a Micro plane Zester if you do not have one. I made half the glaze and still had plenty, and recommend flattening the cookies a bit before you cook them as mine were a bit fluffy.

    I added Sanding Sugar for a nice decorative touch.

  • efds
    15 Mar, 2012

    These cookies were delicious and easy to make - will make them again! The recipe for the glaze can be cut in half - a lot left over.

  • VishnuRocks
    22 Sep, 2011

    WOW, this recipe is fantastic! If you like lemon desserts, you will LOVE this. And it's so easy to make!

  • nursesimona
    14 Jul, 2011

    Great for the extra summer lemons you don't know what to do with. I substituted with
    1C. whole wheat flour and 1C. instant oats instead of the flour. I also added poppy seeds and shaved coconut. Mmmmmm, my kids loved them.

  • Sandra7824
    9 Jun, 2011

    Great lemony flavour! Amazing reviews, this a make again cookie.

  • Bookstacker
    5 Jun, 2011

    I made all three varieties of these cookies and they are all beyond delish! I made them for a dedication I was hosting, and I am still getting requests for the recipe. I can't thank you enough for sharing this crowd pleaser recipe with us!

  • coastalcook
    9 Apr, 2011

    I made these yesterday and they are amazingly delicious. The recipe is simple, the dough was easy to work with. They were cooked to perfection in 15 minutes with just a slight crunch on the outside but soft and scrumptious on the inside. The cookies are great alone, but it is the glaze that gives them that true lemony flavor, so don't skip the glaze! I have gotten lots of compliments on these and plan to make them often!

  • LJC1213
    22 Jul, 2010

    Instead of 1 cup granulated sugar, I used 3/4 cup. I processed the remaining 1/4 cup in with 1 cup fresh basil leaves in a food processor. The cookies are green, but tasty!

  • cupcake101
    10 Jul, 2010

    They look pretty good so far! In all my baking, I always mix up how much butter I have to use, so I always end up with too much or too little butter. (I live in Europe) Anyway, I added a bit too much butter, but they're still in the oven so I haven't tried one yet. I hope they're fantastic!

  • missusmartin
    4 May, 2010

    These were absolutely delicious! The glaze was so good that I could not stop tasting/eating it by the spoonful while making the cookies. I don't even normally like lemon desserts, but these were very, very good. I took them to work and had rave reviews and an empty tray :)

  • granny-panny
    15 Mar, 2010

    These cookies are delicious. Easy to make! They are the perfect size for a cookie with tea or coffee for a break. I serve them at the Spa where I work and all of our clients are crazy about them.

  • 1gudcheesecake
    11 Mar, 2010

    Love the cookies. A little too much glaze but it all worked out. I love lemon cookies but i found this to not be 'lemony" enough. Next time maybe Ill attempt lemon extact instead.

  • mochafixgold
    24 Dec, 2009

    Super lemony! You can probably make a little less glaze-I felt bad wasting it because it was so good. I might put it on a pound cake :)

  • Ifancythetrio
    4 Dec, 2009

    These were delicious. Very tangy and bursting with lemon flavor. Would def make these again!

  • SeacoastChef
    31 Jul, 2009

    Simply awesome

  • kmallaber
    15 May, 2009

    These cookies are so good that I made them last week and my family was so pleased that I made them again today. I added 1/8 tsp of lemon oil to the glaze and it really popped the lemon flavor. Can this recipe be doubled without hurting the cookies?

  • vanillabiscuit
    15 May, 2009

    I reduced some quantity of cookie dough and the sugar of the final coating. Very delicious cookies were made. Thanks!

  • sbirdsell
    30 Apr, 2009

    Fabulous - its nice to have a light

  • 1Toffy
    29 Apr, 2009

    Made these. Good cookie. I cut back on the glaze by 1c P sugar, squeezed in the lemon juice from one lemon added the zest and used the mixer to beat it up. Was the perfect amount.

  • 1Toffy
    29 Apr, 2009

    These do look tangy and delicious. Makes me want to go out and pick some Meyer lemons and bake up the recipe...I just might go do that...

  • cupcakelady1987
    29 Apr, 2009

    Is there lemon zest in the glaze as well? It looks like it. I think I'm going to try this recipe this afternoon.

  • MarthaandMeBlogger
    28 Apr, 2009

    I tried to post this but it didn't show up. I made this recipe and loved it. You can see my results and tips for it at http://marthaandme.wordpress.com/2009/04/28/glazed-lemon-cookies/