These lemon cookies are chewy and soft on the inside with a burst of delicious lemon, almond flavors. They are easy to make and have less sugar than typical cookies.
Why Make These Lemon Cookies.
I always keep a big bag of lemons in my refrigerator. They keep a great shelf life and they come in handy for so many recipes. These Lemon Cookies are easy to make.
They are allergy friendly and can be made with almond flour or with flax eggs to be gluten free and vegan. Just read the instructions in the recipe ones.
They are great with tea or coffee in the morning.
They are festive for spring and kids love to make them (according to you all you have made these!)
Lemons have a high amount of vitamin C and soluble fiber so I even squeeze a little in my water and tea daily. As the spring temps roll in it's the perfect brightness to so many different recipes. These cookies can be made gluten free and vegan. Please read the notes in the recipe portion!
Ingredients For Lemon Cookies.
- Flour. All purpose flour. You can use gluten free all purpose or almond flour as well, just be sure to follow the substitution instructions.
- Sugar. Coconut or white sugar works great. We only use 1/2 cup for the entire recipe.
- Lemons. Fresh lemons, one should be plenty.
- Almond pieces. For some texture and added almond flavor.
- Almond Extract. This is optional but it is delicious in this recipe and makes up for the lack of sugar in the sweet department.
- 2 eggs. You will use one whole egg and then one egg yolk for this recipe.
- Coconut oil. This recipe is dairy free and uses coconut oil. You may use butter if you'd like in place of coconut oil.
- Powdered sugar. For topping the cookies. You can either dip them in the sugar before baking to get a crinkled top or you can sprinkle them once they are out of the oven for a different look.
How To Make Lemon Cookies
Step 1. Mix the sugar, oil and egg and egg yolk and almond extract together in a bowl.
Step 2. Mix the leftover dry ingredients together and slowly add them to the west mixture. Dough should be thick and slightly crumbly. Refrigerate.
Step 3. Once mixture has been chilled for a bit, make equal size 1 inch balls. To get a crinkle top, dunk the cookie in the powdered sugar prior to baking. If you want the tops lightly sprinkled with sugar, wait until after baking.
FAQs & Tips For Lemon Cookies.
- I don't have almond extract or almonds, can I still make this? Yes! you will have delicious lemon cookies.
- I don't have lemons, can I still make this without lemons? Yes! You will have almond cookies without the twist of lemon to it.
- Can I make these Gluten Free? Yes, use all purpose gluten free flour.
- Can I use egg whites? No, unfortunately you need the egg and its yolk to make these cookies nice and chewy.
- How do I get the crinkle top? You will dunk your raw cookie ball into powdered sugar and bake it. This is also why we refrigerate the dough a little.
- I am having issues with the dough forming into balls! Try forming the cookie with your hands, this dough can come out quite crumbly so it may need a little more help with rolling into your hands. The coconut oil sometimes can solidify
Other Cookies To Try.
If you loved this recipe let me know! Also, follow me on Instagram & Pinterest for even more fun recipes to make you feel good from the inside out. Thanks for being here!
Almond Lemon Cookies
Equipment
- cookie sheet
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut sugar (or white sugar!)
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- 3 tbs lemon juice + lemon zest
- 1½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 room temp egg
- 1 egg yolk (discard ALL the white!)
- ½ tsp almond extract * optional
- ¼ cup raw sliced almonds
- ¼ cup powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- Mix the sugar, oil, egg and egg yolk, lemon juice and zest and almond extract. Mix in flour, salt, baking powder and all other ingredients including the almonds into the wet ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or mix by hand. Make sure all flour is coated well, use hands to form a dough ball.
- Place dough ball covered in the bowl, in the fridge for 30 minutes. It will be crumbly and a bit dry when you take it out. set oven to 350º.
- Once dough is chilled scoop out tbs size balls (I used an ice cream scooper). If the dough is a bit flaky, use your hands to form the cookie balls, the coconut oil just needs a little help warming up to be more sticky. Next, dip into powdered sugar on a plate or bowl and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350º for 11 - 12 minutes. 12 minutes was perfect for me! You also have the option to skip the powdered sugar dip before the baking process and sprinkle them after baking with sugar for a different look to the cookie.
Bailey
Serene, I haven't heard of this issue yet from anyone. Try chilling it and see if it will form a dough ball better that way. You can also add a little more flour to it, No more than 1/4 cup of flour if it's super sticky that should help soak up the moisture. I am wondering if you maybe added 2 whole eggs instead of 1 egg + 1 yolk? Let me know how it turns out!
Liz Shepard
Love all your lemon recipes but this one i make the most! These cookies are SO GOOD.
Bailey
These are a favorite for us too! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Amy
These cookies were a huge hit for my cousins birthday! I made them this weekend. Used the almond flour version. They were chewy ans soft and lots of lemon flavor.
Nicole
I tried this recipe twice, using butter instead of coconut oil. Both times, the batter was super sticky, even after refrigeration. I'm guessing that butter is not a good substitute. Will try with coconut oil next time
Bailey
Hi Nicole! I haven’t tested this recipe with butter so this could be the culprit. Coconut oil will be your best bet, you can also use canola oil. However, butter shouldn't be the reason it's sticking after refrigeration. Are you using one egg and one egg yolk only? That is typically the issue when the dough is too sticky, if the white of the 2nd egg isn't properly discarded. Let me know if I can help more!
Stephanie Randall
So freakin’ yummy!! I doubled the recipe and they came out perfectly! Made these on Friday night and they only lasted two days in my house! Make these-you won’t regret it!!
Emily
I also had an issue forming these into balls because of how sticky the dough was. The first few right out of the refrigerator were fine, but it quickly became impossible to work with. The recipe might need some tweaking BUT the cookies were light and yummy. Good small batch recipe.
beachcomber
just made the lemon cookies today. they came out perfect and are soooooo delicious!
Bailey
So happy you enjoyed the cookies! I have some dough chilling in the fridge now so I can have them this weekend.
Victoria
Hi! I want to make these today but I want to use almond flour instead. Is it the same amount?
Bailey
Hi Victoria! I am so excited to hear that - I haven't made them with almond flour, only with the ingredients listed so I am not quite sure the substitute measurements, however I have been told they are great when made with almond flour from some other viewers! Keep me posted!
Victoria
I made them! DELICIOUS!!!! I just did 2 cups of almond flour as the dough was too sticky with only 1 1/2, and kept it in the fridge for 3/4 hours. I also used coconut sugar in the recipe and skipped the powdered sugar on top, they are perfect!!
Bailey
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks for letting me know it worked with almond flour - I will have to give it a try next time I whip them up.
Kirsten
This recipe is amazing! Delicious and oh so easy to make! The ingredient measurements were spot on. I love that it is dairy free as I'm transitioning into a dairy free lifestyle. Thank you for sharing.
Bailey
I am so happy to hear that - I have a lot of great dairy free recipes here. I appreciate you coming to let me know what you thought (they are my favorite recipe on the blog!)
Tina
So good, so easy!!! I had a bunch of lemons left over from making limoncello that had to be used and what a great recipe for it. I added a bit more lemon juice cause I love the flavor so much. Texture reminds me of a traditional Italian cookie that my family makes!
Bailey
Thank you so much for coming back to let me know! It is one of my favorite recipes on the blog.
Rose
Is there a substitute for coconut oil, my husband can't have it?
Bailey
Hello! Yes you may use softened butter or olive oil in place of the coconut oil. Xoxo
Jess
Hi Bailey, I was wanting to make these with the egg substitution. Do you have any measurements for that? Thanks
Bailey
Hi Tina,
This recipe in particular relies heavily on the egg + egg yolk. I haven't tried a sub for this one yet. I am working on a vegan version but haven’t gotten to it yet. Typically a chia or flax egg works wonderfully, but this one may not work with that. it would need two flax or chia eggs.
Mary
Recipe looks great! How much melted butter would I substitute for coconut oil? Is it just equal parts?
Bailey
Hi Mary! Yes, it would be equal parts for this one, I would use softened butter (room temp) don't melt it entirely. Let me know what you think when you make them.
Melissa Thienel
Made these for Easter and they were delicious! I made a double batch. I made the dough the night before and let it chill in the fridge overnight. Love how quickly they bake and are done in a flash! Next time I might try adding more almonds into the dough, or even placing a few on top of the cookie before baking.
Bailey
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed them!
dbeachcomber
Lemon Almond cookies are one of my favorites and these are wonderful!!