Almond Flour Lemon Cookies with bright citrus flavor and soft and chewy texture. The perfect lemon dessert for Spring!
Lemon dessert lovers, I have a new way to enjoy citrus fruit!
These iced lemon cookies are soft and chewy with a delightful crispy edge and are positively jam packed with sweet lemon flavor.
Made with almond flour, eggs, sugar, and butter, these cookies turn out very similarly to cookies made with regular all-purpose flour.
Delicious as is and even sweeter with the optional lemon glaze, you get to decide the level of sweetness and the amount of lemon flavor.
Make them for a weekend brunch to serve guests, or enjoy with no special occasion necessary.
A heads up for planning purposes. The dough needs to chill ahead of time for at least 15 minutes, so plan your baking session accordingly.
If you love classic chocolate chip cookies and adore the concept of almond flour cookies, make my Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts! They are a reader favorite!
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for almond flour lemon cookies! The great news is you can find the full list of ingredients at any grocery store.
Almond Flour Lemon Cookies Ingredients:
Almond Flour: Taking the place of all-purpose flour, almond flour adds healthy fats, protein, and some fiber to these tasty lemon cookies. It is a great option for those who have dietary restrictions and it works marvelously in cookie recipes.
I recommend sticking with finely ground almond flour instead of almond meal for the best results. I use Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour.
Unsalted Butter: In order to achieve soft and chewy cookies, we need butter. This is the magical ingredient that gives cookie recipes their chewy texture!
If you follow a dairy-free diet, you can replace the butter with softened coconut oil. Just know that the cookies won’t spread as well as they do with butter.
Brown Sugar: The sweetener. While I often use pure maple syrup to sweeten cookie recipes, I find the texture of these grain-free lemon cookies turns out the best with granulated sugar.
You can replace the brown sugar with regular white sugar, sugar-free sweetener such as monk fruit sweetener, or maple sugar. Coconut sugar works too although the texture turns out slightly crumbly, and the color of the cookies is darker.
Eggs: A couple of large chicken eggs add to the chewy texture of the cookies and ensures the dough holds together nicely through the baking process. See the recipe at the bottom of the post for an egg-free lemon cookies recipe.
Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice: The majority of the lemon flavor comes from fresh lemon zest, and the lemon juice aids in the chemistry of this baking recipe.
Be sure to measure the lemon zest to get the best results. It is easy to go too light on the lemon here. The lemon zest does all of the heavy lifting, so there’s no need for lemon extract.
Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla extract brings warm flavor to counterbalance some of the acidity. Skip it if you don’t have it on hand.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: The leavening agents! Baking powder and baking soda aid in the final texture of the cookies, producing a lovely crisp on the outside and a soft, chewy inside. Check the expiration date on both to be sure they are still active.
Optional Lemon Glaze:
Powdered sugar, and fresh lemon juice are all we need for the amazing powdered sugar glaze. While these almond flour lemon cookies are delicious on their own, iced lemon cookies are a whole new treat!
Now that we’ve covered the simple ingredients, let’s bake a batch of almond flour lemon cookies!
How to Make Almond Flour Lemon Cookies:
Add the softened butter and brown sugar to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on medium speed and beat until completely combined and creamy.
Scrape the sides of the bowl using a rubber spatula and beat in the eggs one at a time on medium-high speed. Mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and pure vanilla extract.
Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl again. In a separate bowl, stir together the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until a thick, sticky dough forms.
Transfer the cookie dough to the refrigerator and chill for at least 15 minutes.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop mounds of dough onto the parchment-lined sheet. Leave each ball of dough plenty of room to expand.
Bake for 11 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies begin to turn golden-brown around the edges and reach your desired level of doneness. For soft chewy cookies, bake 11-13 minutes, and for crispier cookies, bake 14-15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool completely. If you try moving the cookies while they are still warm, they may crumble, so be safe and allow them to cool to room temperature unless you are okay with some breakage.
Make the Optional Lemon Glaze
Stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until all the lumps are out and a thick, sticky glaze forms. If the mixture isn’t runny enough, add a small amount of additional lemon juice or water. A little goes a long way!
Drizzle desired amount of glaze over each cookie or use a butter knife to frost the cookies. I like to frost the tops completely for iced lemon cookies, but you can also make fun designs on the cookies if you’d like.
Serve these lemon almond flour cookies with a mug of tea and enjoy!
Storage Options:
- Room Temperature: Store leftovers cookies in a large zip lock bag or airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days
- Refrigerator: Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Freezer: Transfer any remaining cookies to a zip lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Looking to customize this recipe without eggs? How about using pure maple syrup instead of sugar? Follow the recipe below for a paleo vegan lemon cookies recipe.
Lemon Cookies with Pure Maple Syrup:
I already know some of you will want to make the cookies with pure maple syrup instead of cane sugar. I’m with you! The recipe below is for healthy lemon cookies, omitting the refined sugar, butter, and eggs.
Simply combine these ingredients in a large bowl and bake at 350 for 15 to 16 minutes:
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 4 Tbsp melted butter or melted coconut oil
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp sea salt
And that’s it! The next time you’re craving a light and refreshing lemon dessert, make these delicious gluten-free lemon cookies.
If you love homemade cookie recipes, also try these reader favorites.
More Cookie Recipes:
- 5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Almond Flour Blueberry Cookies
- Paleo Morning Glory Cookies
- Peanut Butter Protein Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies
- 6-Ingredient Peanut Butter Chickpea Cookies
Ring in springtime with these soft, chewy iced lemon cookies!
Almond Flour Lemon Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup brown sugar packed*
- 2 large eggs *
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups finely ground almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Optional Lemon Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ Tbsp fresh lemon juice or water
Instructions
- Add the softened butter and brown sugar to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on medium speed and beat until completely combined and creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl using a rubber spatula and beat in the eggs one at a time on medium-high speed. Mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and pure vanilla extract.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl again. In a separate bowl, stir together the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until a thick, sticky dough forms.
- Transfer the cookie dough to the refrigerator and chill for at least 15 minutes.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop mounds of dough onto the parchment-lined sheet. Leave each ball of dough plenty of room to expand.
- Bake for 11 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies begin to turn golden-brown around the edges and reach your desired level of doneness. For soft chewy cookies, bake 11-13 minutes, and for crispier cookies, bake 14-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool completely. If you try moving the cookies while they are still warm, they may crumble, so be safe and allow them to cool to room temperature unless you are okay with some breakage.
Make the Optional Glaze:
- Stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until all the lumps are out and a thick, sticky glaze forms. If the mixture isn’t runny enough, add a small amount of additional lemon juice or water. A little goes a long way!
- Drizzle desired amount of glaze over each cookie or use a butter knife to frost the cookies. I like to frost the tops completely for iced lemon cookies, but you can also make fun designs on the cookies if you’d like.
- Serve these lemon almond flour cookies with a mug of tea and enjoy!
Notes
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 4 Tbsp melted butter or melted coconut oil
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Nutrition
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Easy to make and absolutely delicious! I will be making these again.