These Soft Lemon Cookies are chewy, fail-proof crowd-pleasers. Refreshingly zesty with a bright lemon zing and a dreamy lemon icing, they stay soft for days! These Chewy Soft Lemon Cookies are bursting with plenty of fresh lemon and lemon zest. In This Article Why This Recipe Stands OutKey Recipe IngredientsSubstitutions And VariationsStep-By-Step Recipe InstructionsHow To Prep AheadCommonly Asked QuestionsSoft Lemon Cookies RecipeMore to Bake And Eat View more This post may contain affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Why This Recipe Stands Out If you love refreshing lemon recipes, these cookies will be right up your alley. Here’s why we love them: Refreshingly Good: These lemon cookies are sweetly lemony; you’ll definitely taste the lemon flavor in these. Perfectly Chewy: If you like chewy soft cookies that stay soft and chewy for days, then you’ll appreciate these. They’re like our Chewy Soft Snickerdoodles. Incredible Lemon Flavor: Like our Lemon Poppy Seed Bread, these Soft Lemon Cookies are bursting with plenty of fresh lemon and lemon zest. Delicious Lemon Icing: The lemon icing is the shining star of these cookies, as it’s loaded with additional fresh lemon and zest. We use a similar one for our Lemon Zucchini Bread. True Crowd Pleasers: These lemon treats are so flavorful, that even kids chose them over the other more colorful cookies when I brought them on a picnic last weekend. Now, that’s saying something! Key Recipe Ingredients Butter – The butter adds richness and a soft, tender texture to the cookies. Make sure it’s at room temperature so it creams easily with the sugar. Lemon Zest – The lemon zest provides a bright, citrusy flavor that really makes these cookies stand out. Be sure to zest the lemons before juicing them. Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice not only enhances the lemon flavor but also activates the baking soda, helping the cookies rise and become soft and tender. Powdered Sugar – Powdered sugar adds sweetness and a soft texture to the cookies. Cornstarch – Cornstarch is the secret ingredient that helps to keep these cookies soft and tender. Substitutions And Variations Here are some of our favorite substitutions and variations: Butter: If you’re looking to make these cookies dairy-free, you can substitute the butter with a dairy-free butter alternative. Different Citrus: We love the bright lemon flavor, but you can use a different citrus fruit like orange or even lime for this recipe. Sugar: Swap granulated sugar with coconut sugar for a deeper flavor, though it may darken the cookies slightly. Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Beat butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Mix in egg, egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Gradually fold in dry ingredients until dough forms. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, and bake for 8-9 minutes until lightly golden. Let cool on the pan before transferring to a wire rack. Whisk powdered sugar, lemon juice, and zest until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies and let set. For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below. How To Prep Ahead Take a look at our best prep-ahead strategies for this recipe: Make the Dough in Advance: You can prepare the dough, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. When ready to bake, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes and then proceed with the recipe. Freeze the Dough: You can also roll dough into balls and freeze on a baking sheet. Once solid, transfer to a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1-2 extra minutes to the baking time. Make the Glaze: The glaze for these cookies can be made in advance. Store it in the fridge and when you’re ready to serve the cookies, give the glaze a quick stir and it’s ready to be drizzled over the freshly baked cookies. Drizzled with luscious lemon icing, these Soft Lemon Cookies are a zesty treat that stays irresistibly soft for days! Commonly Asked Questions What type of lemon juice should I use? We recommend using fresh lemon juice for the best flavor. You can also use bottled lemon juice if that’s what you have on hand, but fresh is always best. How do I know when the cookies are done? The cookies are done when they look puffy and are light golden. They may still look a little soft in the middle, but that’s okay. They will continue to set as they cool. How long do these soft lemon cookies keep? These soft lemon cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days, or they can be frozen airtight for up to a month. Print Soft Lemon Cookies These chewy soft lemon cookies are wonderfully refreshing, with a big burst of lemon in every bite. The fresh lemon icing is simply divine; a must-do for these cookies! Cookies stay chewy for days if wrapped airtight. Dough can be made ahead and chilled until ready for use. Course cookies, DessertCuisine AmericanDiet VegetarianMethod Bake Prep Time 10 minutes minutesCook Time 8 minutes minutesChill time 1 hour hourTotal Time 1 hour hour 18 minutes minutes Servings 36 cookies Calories 89kcal Author Amy Dong Ingredients2 cups all purpose flour + 2 TB 1 TB cornstarch½ tsp baking soda½ tsp table salt¾ cup salted butter softened to room temp but not melty1 ¼ cups granulated white sugar2 lemon zest zest of 2 whole lemons1 large egg1 large egg yolk2 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice1 ½ tsp vanilla extractFor the Lemon Icing:1 cup powdered sugar2 TB fresh lemon juice1 TB fresh lemon zest InstructionsPreheat oven to 350F, with rack on lower middle position.In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside.In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend together the butter, sugar, and zest on medium high speed using paddle attachment. About 3 minutes, or until mixture is light and fluffy. Add egg and egg yolk, and blend just until combined. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract. Blend until combined.Using a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients together with the wet ingredients. Fold together until no dry lumps remain and dough comes together in one big ball.Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour or longer. (At this point, dough can be chilled for a day or two before using.)Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Form dough balls about 1 inch round, and place 2 inches apart on parchment. Bake 8-9 minutes or just until cookie looks puffy and light golden. It will seem slightly underdone, but they will set upon cooling. Do not over bake.Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets until they are cool enough to transfer to wire rack.While cookies are cooling, make the icing. In a small bowl, whisk together the icing ingredients. If too thick, add a bit more lemon juice. If too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. Transfer to a Ziploc bag, seal it, and cut a tiny hole in corner tip. Drizzle over cookies. Once set, the icing will be firm enough to stack cookies on top of each other. Notes When adding the lemon juice, make sure to use freshly squeezed juice. This will give your cookies a bright, fresh flavor that you just can’t get from bottled juice. Chilling the dough prevents excessive spreading.  When rolling the dough into balls, lightly coat your hands with powdered sugar. It prevents the dough from sticking to your hands and also adds a subtle sweetness to the cookies. For a mess-free drizzle, transfer the icing to a small zip-top bag, snip off a tiny corner, and pipe it over the cookies for a clean, even finish. For an even more intense lemon flavor, add a few drops of lemon extract along with the fresh lemon juice for an extra punch. These cookies are best slightly under baked, which I habitually do with all my cookies. If you take care not to over bake them, they will come out chewy soft.  This recipe is part of our Lemon Recipes Collection.  These Soft Lemon Cookies pair wonderfully with other tasty lemon treats, such as Lemon Bars or Lemon Custard Cake.   If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating. We hearing from you!  Join our Free Recipe Club and get our newest, best recipes each week! NutritionCalories: 89kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 78mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 126IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.3mg More to Bake And Eat Easy Lemon Rolls – These Easy Lemon Rolls are unbelievably light, with an airy texture and a refreshingly lemony flavor. The crunchy topping offsets the tender bite inside perfectly. Lemon Icebox Cake – This Lemon Icebox Cake is a tangy, sweet, and refreshing no-bake dessert that is perfect for summer gatherings, picnics, and potlucks. Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust – These are the most luscious, lemony lemon bars with shortbread crust. Melt in your mouth, buttery shortbread is layered with a fresh, full-bodied lemon custard baked on top. Lemon Olive Oil Cake – This Lemon Olive Oil Cake is supremely moist, ultra lemony, and downright decadently delicious. It’s perfect for breakfast or dessert and uses no butter! The post Soft Lemon Cookies appeared first on Chew Out Loud.