Lemon cookies

Nut free
Peanut free
Sesame free
Soy free
Shellfish free
Seafood free
Vegetarian

These buttery lemon cookies are the perfect balance of citrus and sweetness – and only have 5 ingredients!

Makes25
Cook time15 minutes
Prep time20 minutes

Ingredients

125g butter, chopped
2/3 cup (150g) caster sugar
1 Coles Australian Free Range Egg
2 tbs finely grated lemon rind
1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flour

Icing

1/2 cup (80g) icing sugar mixture, sifted
1 tbs lemon juice
1 large lemon, rind finely grated

Nutritional information

Per serve: Energy: 448kJ/107 Cals (5%), Protein: 1g (2%), Fat: 4g (6%), Sat Fat: 3g (13%), Sodium: 70mg (4%), Carb: 16g (5%), Sugar: 9g (10%), Dietary Fibre: 0.4g (1%).

Check ingredient labels to make sure they meet your specific dietary requirements and always consult a health professional before changing your diet. View dietary information here.

Percentage Daily Intake information on our recipes is calculated using the nutrition reference values for an average Australian adult.

Method

Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar, egg and lemon rind together until pale and creamy. Add the flour and stir until well combined.
Step 2
Roll tbs of the mixture into balls. Place balls, about 4cm apart, on the lined trays.
Step 3
Bake for 15 mins or until golden brown. Set aside on the trays for 5 mins to cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 4
To make the icing, place icing sugar in a bowl. Add lemon juice a tsp at a time until you have a smooth spreadable icing. Pipe or drizzle the icing over the cookies. Sprinkle with lemon rind to finish.

Recipe tip

COOK. STORE. SAVE
Clever storage: Store iced lemon cookies in an airtight container for up to three days or freeze for up to 2 months. If you have more than one layer of cookies, place baking paper between the layers. You can also freeze uniced cookies, then ice after defrosting.

Lemon cookies recipe

If you are looking for a lemon cookie recipe that has just the right balance of citrusy bite and sweetness, look no further. Finished with a simple lemon icing, these easy-to-make lemon cookies are not too hard, not too soft. They are sweet, tart and refreshing.

How to make these easy lemon cookies

With just five ingredients in the cookie dough, these are so simple to make. All you need to do is beat the butter, sugar, egg and lemon rind until creamy, then mix in the flour. Roll into balls, place on trays and bake – and that’s it! The balls of cookie dough will flatten in the oven, forming lovely lemon cookies. Make the icing by mixing icing sugar and lemon juice and pipe or drizzle it over the completely cooled cookies, and your cookies are all done. Of course, if you can’t wait until they are cool, they are delicious warm and uniced, too.

Change up the icing

Other decorations also look lovely on these cookies. Try a little food colouring in the icing, or use melted dark or white chocolate instead of icing. With any of these options, you can add coloured sprinkles or hundreds and thousands before the icing or chocolate sets.

Now get cooking

Lemon is wonderful in all kinds of baking. Try it in a lemon and cardamom drizzle cake, mini lemon and raspberry cakes or, for an impressive dessert, a mandarin and lemon meringue layer cake.

FAQs

There are many ways to use up a bounty of lemons. They add zing to a wide variety of meals and baked goods, and you can also showcase them in an easy lemon curd. Freeze wedges or slices for popping into summer drinks by freezing the pieces on a baking paper lined tray. Once frozen, place into an airtight container and freeze. Squeeze the juice and freeze it in ice-cube trays to use whenever you need a small amount. The squeezed lemon halves can also be frozen. These can then easily be grated when you need a small amount of lemon rind.
Lemon extract has an alcohol base and a lower acidity than lemon juice, so it is often used where the acidity in juice might cause curdling, such as recipes that use dairy products. Lemon extract usually has a stronger flavour. If you don’t have lemon juice to hand, you can use lemon extract in the icing for these biscuits, or a mixture of lemon extract and water. The flavour may be a little different, but still delicious.
Everyone’s definition of a good cookie is different, but whether you like a hard or soft cookie, the key is to measure the ingredients carefully and follow the recipe. With this recipe, make sure you beat the butter, sugar, egg and lemon rind until creamy, to get the right texture in the final baked cookie. And allow the cookies to cool completely before icing, so that the icing doesn’t melt.