Lemon Cut Out Sugar Cookies made with basic ingredients and topped with a sweet royal icing tinted in darling Spring colors. Lovely, frosted cookies with a hint of lemon flavor!

These lemon sugar cookies are a delightful treat that combine the sweetness of sugar with the zesty flavor of lemon. They are not only easy to make but also have a chewy texture and a burst of citrus flavor that leaves you craving more. They are topped with a homemade royal icing that takes these cookies to the next level of deliciousness!

Tips for those who’ve never made Cut Out Cookies

• Chill the Dough: After mixing, refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour. This helps the cookies keep their shape during baking and gives time for the flavors to develop too. I wouldn’t recommend skipping this step.
• Rolling skills: Make sure to lightly dust your work surface with flour, this prevents sticking and makes rolling out the dough easier. Also try to roll the dough to an even thickness, about ¼ inch. This ensures uniform baking and results in perfectly chewy cookies with crisp edges.
• Practice Patience: I know it’s hard but be sure to allow the cookies to cool completely before decorating. This helps prevent icing from melting. And remember, decorating can be intricate work, so take your time and don’t rush the creative process.

Key Ingredients for Lemon Sugar Cookies

Sugar: You need 2 cups of sugar for perfectly sweet, chewy cookies.

Butter: Add 1 cup of butter, softened, to create rich tasting treats.

Lemon zest & juice: Using grated lemon zest and juice gives these cookies amazing flavor.

Vanilla extract: Enhance the flavors in this dough with vanilla extract.

Eggs: You need to include 2 eggs in this cookie dough.

Flour: The structural base of this cookie recipe is 3 ½ cups of flour.

Salt: Balance the sweetness by adding some salt.

Baking soda: Use 1 tsp of baking soda to help these cookies rise nicely as they bake.

Cream of tartar: The trick for making soft, pillowy cookies is the addition of cream of tartar.

Royal Icing Ingredients

Powder sugar: For this icing you need 8 cups of powdered sugar (2 lbs).

Meringue powder: Use meringue powder or egg whites, to create a stable and thick icing.

Water: Adding ½ cup of water will give this icing a nice consistency.

Important steps for making Lemon Cut Out Cookies

To make Lemon Cut Out Cookies, start by gathering all the ingredients. This helps ensure a smooth process. Full instructions on how to make these cookies are in the recipe card below, but here are some highlights to know before getting started.

1. Mixing & chilling the Dough: The dough comes together quickly; it’s the chilling part that requires some patience. It is an important step in making cut out cookies, it ensures the cookies hold their shape and gives the dough time to soak in the citrus lemon flavor.
2. Rolling and Cutting: Investing in quality baking tools makes a huge difference in the results of any recipe but especially cut out cookies. Buy quality cookie cutters, they come in various shapes and sizes, adding fun to your cookies!
3. Baking time: You want to place the cookies in a preheated oven, this affects the outcome of your cookies greatly. The cookies are done when the edges are lightly golden, remember they will bake a little longer once removed from the oven while they are on the baking sheet.
4. Icing cookies: For royal icing, ensure the mixture is smooth and free of lumps. Using a blender is essential for this step, whisking won’t get it to the thick consistency we are aiming for. Making sure the cookies are fully cooled before adding the icing is important too, you don’t want it melting right off!

HOW LONG ARE FROSTED LEMON COOKIES GOOD FOR?

These frosted cookies can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. I recommend eating them within 2 to 3 days for the best tasting results as the cookies will soften and possibly become soggy after a few days thanks to the moisture in the frosting.

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Lemon Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Lemon Cut Out Sugar Cookies made with basic ingredients and topped with a sweet royal icing tinted in darling Spring colors. Lovely frosted cookies with a hint of lemon flavor!

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Lemon Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Chill Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 58 minutes minutes

Servings 60 cookies

Calories 147kcal

Author Jessica & Nellie

Ingredients

• 2 cups Sugar
• 1 cup Butter softened
• 1 TBSP Lemon zest
• ¼ cup Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 2 Eggs
• 3 ½ cups Flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Cream of Tartar

ROYAL ICING INGREDIENTS

• 8 cups powdered sugar 2 lbs
• 10 TBSP Meringue Powder Or 4 eggs whites
• ½ cup water

Instructions

• Dough: In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and eggs. Mix together until smooth, it may look a little curdled but it will smooth out with the addition of the rest of the ingredients.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the salt, baking soda, cream of tartar, and flour. Pour the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture in batches, mixing between additions.
• Once they have mixed well, place the dough into a large ziplocked bag and place in the refrigerator. Chill for at least one hour, but if you have time you can chill overnight to let the flavors develop.
• Bake: Preheat the oven to 335°F and line baking trays with parchment and set aside.
• You can either roll the cookie dough into 1 inch balls & dip them in granulated sugar or roll the dough out to about ¼" thickness on a floured surface and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place the dough 2 inches apart on prepared tray.
• Place the cookies in the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or just until the edges appear browned. Be careful to not overbake them.
• Remove them from the oven and carefully place them on a cooling rack. Allow them to completely cool before frosting them.
• Royal Icing: Place all the icing ingredients in a blender and mix for approximately 5 minutes. This makes a thicker consistency which will be used for the border of the cookie. Transfer about ⅓ of the icing to a piping bag. We use this (white frosting) for a dam to hold in the thinner frosting that you use to flood the cookie with (pink and purple). You can also make them the same color if you’d like.
• Add about 2 TBSP- ¼ cup more water to the remaining icing in the blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to bowls and add food coloring to create the colors you’d like.
• Decorate: Using the thicker frosting (white), create a border around the cookie. Fill in with the thinner frosting (pink or purple). When filling in the cookies with icing, use a small amount of icing at first and spread it around. Using too much icing will cause the dam to break, so to speak! Use the thicker frosting (white) to create details in the cookie.
• Allow the frosting to completely dry before plating them. This could take a couple of hours, but you can also place them in the fridge to harden. Enjoy!

Notes

Leftover frosted cookies should be stored in and airtight container, in the fridge, and they will last up to 3-5 days. 

If you want to freeze these cookies, I suggest leaving the icing off until you are ready to enjoy them. Stored in a ziplocked bag, in the freezer, they will last 2-3 months. Defrost at room temperature, add the icing as directed. 

Nutrition

Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 103IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.4mg

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THE COOKIE IS DONE BAKING?

The cookie will look just barely golden around the edges and the top may even look a little undone, but as the cookie sits and cools on the pan, the baking process will finish. The most important thing is that the top of the cookie doesn’t look glossy, wet, or like raw cookie dough.

How can I ensure my cookies have that perfect crispy edge?

To achieve a crispy edge, it’s essential to chill the dough before cutting the cookies. This helps the cookies maintain shape and promotes even baking. Also, consider baking at the correct temperature to ensure that the edges crisp up nicely while keeping the center chewy.

WHAT IS LEMON ZEST?

Lemon zest is small bits of the outside rind of lemons. It is used in recipes to add a stronger lemon flavor. You can get lemon zest by grating the rind off a lemon using a fine cheese grater or lemon zester. Grate zest into a bowl, then measure it out as needed using measuring spoons.

Can I still make lemon sugar cookies if I don’t have lemon zest?

If lemon zest isn’t available, alternative citrus zest like orange can be used to provide a similar flavor profile. The cookies will still be delicious, though the taste will vary slightly. Additionally, a few extra drops of lemon juice can help enhance the citrus flavor if zest is substituted.

HOW DO YOU SOFTEN BUTTER?

I like to soften butter by using the defrost function on my microwave. If you need the full cube of butter, you can leave it in the paper wrapper, otherwise, place the amount of butter you need in a glass or porcelain bowl. I use the lowest defrost setting on my microwave and just let it run for 20 seconds. Check the butter and see how soft it is by pressing it with a rubber scraper. If it is still not soft to the touch, meaning it doesn’t indent when you press into it, let it warm for another 5-10 seconds. Watch it closely! Butter softens very quickly.

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Need more lemon cookies recipes? Try some of these favorites:

• You can’t go wrong with more frosted cookies, these lemon sugar cookies are not only delicious, but stunning too!
• I’m pretty sure that lemon and poppyseeds belong together, is there a more amazing pairing? Try our lemon poppyseed cookie recipe and tell us what you think!
• When you find yourself with an over abundance of lemons, whip up these lemon blueberry muffin cookies to serve as dessert, or extra special breakfast treat!
• A great dessert to serve at an event are these lemon sugar cookie bars. They call for basic ingredients and the prep work is minimal, easy to slice and share too!
• Elevate your dessert game with these lemon raspberry cups, the combination of lemon and cherry flavors is simply heavenly!

Lemon Cut Out Sugar Cookies are topped with a lovely royal icing colored with amazing Spring colors! This incredible sugar cookie recipe is made with hints of lemon flavor.

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