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–+ servings
Bite taken out of a Italian lemon cookie stacked on other cookies.
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5 from 4 votes

Italian Lemon Cookies

Try a classic taste of Italy with these Italian Lemon Cookies. Soft, chewy, and bursting with fresh lemon flavor.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Cooling Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 27 minutes
Course: cookies
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Italian Lemon Cookies
Servings: 20 cookies
Calories: 169kcal
Author: Erica Walker

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter (softened)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (or more if you like it really lemony)
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the Icing

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1-2 teaspoons water
  • lemon zest for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
    Cream together butter and sugars until smooth and fluffy. This can take up to 3-4 minutes. 
    Add eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.
    Mixing bowl with butter, sugar and eggs combined with a wooden spoon.
  • In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt together.
    Sifted dry ingredients in a glass bowl.
  • Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. 
    Italian lemon cookie dough in a glass mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.
  • Using a cookie scoop, drop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet so the cookies are 1-2 inches apart.
    Chill for at least an hour or even overnight. If chilling overnight, cover with plastic wrap so the cookies don't dry out. 
    Baking sheet with scooped out balls of Italian lemon cookie dough with a cookie scoop.
  • Bake cookies in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through and the bottom of the cookies are lightly browned.
    Cool cookies completely (you don't want them warm at all). 
    Baked Italian lemon cookies on a cooling rack.
  • Whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add water 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. You want the icing to be quite thick so don't thin it much if you an help it.
    Glass bowl of lemon icing.
  • Dip the tops of the cookies into the icing or spoon the icing over the top. Add lemon zest over the tops before the icing dries onto the cookies.
    Dipping Italian lemon cookies into a bowl of lemon icing.

Video

Notes

The cookie dough for these Italian Lemon Cookies can be prepared up to 2-3 days in advance. Simply wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. Allow the dough to come to near room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before scooping and baking. After baking and the frosting is set, you can keep the cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to a month. Tip: Adding a piece of bread to the container at room temp can help keep them soft.

Nutrition

Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 63mg | Potassium: 70mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 182IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg