These Lemon Meltaway Cookies are buttery, tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookies bursting with sweet lemon flavor and a lemony glaze. Perfect for snacking!
Spring is officially here but Sacramento, as per usual, did not get the memo. Instead of the usual heat, though, we have been dealing with atmospheric river rains.
I mean… I will take rainstorms ANY DAY over heat. So bring on the umbrellas and rubber boots, I say!
But don’t worry – even if I will be swept to sea this spring, I’ll still try and bring you springy recipes like these cookies 🙂
Making Lemon Meltaway Cookies
These meltaway cookies are divine! The texture is so tender and light and they practically melt in your mouth. You can achieve this with cornstarch (which this recipe does not have) or by creaming the butter and sugar properly which gives the airy, fluffy texture.
Of course, the flavor comes from fresh lemon zest which cannot be replicated! You could use lemon extract in a pinch, but it’s just not the same as fresh zest. You’ll use fresh lemon juice in the glaze.
This recipe has pretty standard pantry ingredients, including:
- Butter
- Sugar
- Egg
- Lemon Zest
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- All-Purpose Flour
The icing uses lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar for a little tart zing. The icing is very similar to royal icing in that it hardens on the cookies so they’re stackable. I love this kind of icing for cookies and it tastes especially delectable on these meltaways.
Tips for Lemon Meltaways
- You can store these meltaway cookies at room temperature, airtight, for up to 5 days… if they last that long! Mine were gone within a day or two because I handed them off to neighbors.
- To avoid dense or overly dry cookies, be sure to measure your flour properly. I recommend spooning your flour into the measuring cup, then leveling off the cup with a butter knife as opposed to scooping your flour from the container or bag. Doing the latter (scooping from the bag) will use too much flour and create a drier, denser cookie similar to a hockey puck… not good! For that light and airy texture, you definitely want to measure your flour!
- For the best flavor, use fresh lemons as opposed to lemon juice and/or extract.
Buttery, tender, melt-in-your-mouth… these sweet and tangy Lemon Meltaway Cookies will sure to put a smile on your face!
*recipe from Dixie Crystals
Lemon Meltaway Cookies
Ingredients
FOR THE COOKIES:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- Zest of one medium lemon
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
FOR THE LEMON ICING:
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add in the egg and the lemon zest and mix well, about 30 more seconds. Lastly, add in the baking powder and salt, then begin adding flour 1/2 cup at a time and mix on low speed until fully incorporated.
- Using a Tablespoon-size cookie dough scoop, scoop out rounded Tablespoon-size balls of dough and place 1" apart on the baking sheets. Gently flatten each dough ball with the bottom of a greased or sugared drinking glass.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure even cooking. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- For the icing glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice until soft and glossy. Dunk or spread the glaze on the tops of the cookies and let the glaze harden before storing or serving. Cookies can be stored airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days.
These lemon cookies are so dreamy!
Craving more lemony goodness? Check out this recipe!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
Cecile B Thibodeaux says
Perfect cookies to share with the Easter Bunny next weekend! Thanks for sharing such a sweet and bright cookie!
thedomesticrebel says
Thank you Cecile! They are perfect for Easter!
Priscilla says
These look sooooo good
Brenda Vincent says
Thinking this might be the one. Post update after I make them.
natasha stuurman says
I’m gonna try making it for my kids for Easter thanks it looks delicious
Fleurette says
Can they be frozen. I want to bake ahead
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Fleurette, yes, they can be frozen.
Anne-Marie Legault says
I just made these. They are delicious and wonderfully easy. For my oersonal taste, the lemon flavour wasn’t enough, so I added quite a bit of lemon juice to the cookie dough and less sugar/more lemon for the glaze. I also added craisins to the cookies just because I had them leftover and needed to use them. Thanks for a delicious Easter treat!
Andria Harris says
These were easy to make & delicious! They did not last long in my house, great recipe!
Brenda Vincent says
Update made these today very good.
Barb says
Haven’t iced them yet. But hubby and I shared the sample cookie 😊 and Love, love them. The texture and subtle lemon flavor. Just perfect.
Felicia says
These are delicious! I followed recipe exactly except added additional lemon zest to dough, and added zest to icing. I’ll definitely make these again- thanks for sharing this recipe!
Julie says
Can I freeze already iced cookies after they’ve hardened?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Julie, yes you can! I would freeze them in a single layer with parchment in between the layers.