Bold lemon flavor in an incredibly soft and chewy cookie! This lemon cookie recipe is made with cream cheese for a perfectly tangy, sweet, lemony cloud of deliciousness! This is a low sugar cookie recipe using gluten-free almond flour.
If you like the sound of this recipe you have to try this olive oil lemon cake recipe or this vegan and raw key lime pie recipe!
I felt the sunshine yesterday for the first time in a looooonnnngggg time and oh man did it feel good! Spring is somewhere in the near future and that means I want all the lemon things all the time. If you are a lemon recipe lover like me then you have to try these doughy clouds of lemon perfection.
I'm talking about:
- Iced lemon cookies that are tart and sweet
- Chewy and soft and undeniably delicious
- All wholesome ingredients, including gluten-free almond flour
- Only 1/4 cup of maple syrup in the whole recipe (plus sugar in the icing)
- Happiness in the form of lemon cookies reminding me of the first warm spring sunshine on my shoulders.
Ok, enough of my attempt to wax poetic about lemon cookies … Let's Get Cooking!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:Detailed measurements and ingredients can be found within the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Almond Flour – My preferred brand is Bob's Red Mill super fine almond flour.
- Cream Cheese
- Butter
- Maple Syrup
- LEMONS – Only the real deal will work in this recipe. I also add a pinch of lemon extract for even more lemon flavor
- Egg – I've been LOVING Vital Farm's pasture-raised eggs lately
- Arrowroot Starch – Also called arrowroot powder, if you don't have this ingredient in your healthy baking pantry I highly recommend purchasing it. Arrowroot helps improve the texture of gluten-free baked goods and is the perfect thickener for sauces, soups, and gravies.
- Salt and Baking Powder
TOOLS YOU WILL USE:
- Mixing Bowls
- Wooden Spoon
- Electric Mixer
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper – or Silpat Pads
HOW TO MAKE LEMON CREAM CHEESE COOKIES
- Whisk together dry ingredients
- Cream butter and cream cheese together, add other wet ingredients, and mix until creamy
- Combine dry and wet ingredients
- Add lemon zest (I ALWAYS add zest last, if you add it in the creaming step the majority of zest will stick to the beaters)
- Stir well to combine and chill the dough
- Once the dough is chilled (about 30 minutes, but I often make the dough in the morning and bake the cookies later in the afternoon) bake for 13-15 minutes
EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZY!!!
HOW TO BEST STORE LEFTOVER LEMON COOKIES
Store the cookies in a sealed container in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, but I promise they will never last that long 😉
CAN I SUBSTITUTE A NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER TO MAKE THIS RECIPE KETO-FRIENDLY?
You can, but I haven't tested the recipe as such. I would imagine monk fruit would be the best sugar substitute. If you try it comment below and let me know how it turned out.
CAN I SKIP THE CHILL THE DOUGH STEP?
CAN I SKIP THE CHILL THE DOUGH STEP?Sure can, if you want a cookie cake 😉 The dough is very soft and will need some chilling time so DO NOT skip this step.
NUTRITION NERD CORNER 🤓 🍋
A few fun lemon 🍋 facts:
- Lemon trees can produce up to 600lbs. of lemons every year
- Lemons are rich in vitamin C
- Lemons are a hybrid between a sour orange and a citron
- Lemons are native to Asia
DIETARY MODIFICATIONS FOR THIS RECIPE:
This recipe is naturally gluten-free.
- Vegan – Substitute a vegan cream cheese and vegan butter or coconut oil
- Keto – As I've mentioned in other recipes I'm not a fan of non-nutritive sweeteners and think most people are able to stay in ketosis with small amounts of maple syrup, you would have to alter or eliminate the frosting. If you try this as a keto recipe comment below and let me know how it turns out!
MORE LEMON RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE:
Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Creamy Lemon Pasta
My Favorite Lemon Risotto
Roasted Shrimp with Meyer Lemon Salsa (you seriously need to try this salsa!)
Lemon Turmeric Energy Bites
I can’t wait for you to try this Almond Flour Lemon Cookie Recipe! When you make it, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @abrapappa or use the hashtag #abraskitchen so I can feature your photo!
If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t forget to rate and leave a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!
Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter (2 ounces - softened)
- 10 tbsp cream cheese (5 ounces - softened)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp lemon extract
- 2 cups almond flour fine ground
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (plus more for topping)
LEMON GLAZE
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp oat milk or any milk
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- lemon zest to top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone silpat pad.
- In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients and whisk to combine (almond flour, arrowroot starch, baking powder, and salt). Set aside.
- Add butter and cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and using an electric mixer beat together until soft and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add maple syrup, egg, lemon juice, and lemon extract and beat until well combined, about 1 more minute.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and using a wooden spoon or a spatula stir to mix. Add lemon zest and stir until well combined.
- CHILL THE DOUGH FOR 30 MINUTES TO SEVERAL HOURS. The dough will be very soft and needs some chilling time!
- Remove the dough from the refrigerater and using a small cookie scoop, scoop out balls of dough onto prepared baking sheet (you should have 24 cookies). Press down gentley with the palm of your hand to flatten the balls of dough slightly.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookeis are slightly brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool completely.
- While the cookies are cooling prepare the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and oat milk.
- Once cookies are cooled, dip each cookie in the glaze and top with additional lemon zest.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
DIETARY MODIFICATIONS FOR THIS RECIPE:
This recipe is naturally gluten-free.- Vegan - Substitute a vegan cream cheese and vegan butter or coconut oil
- Keto - As I've mentioned in other recipes I'm not a fan of non-nutritive sweeteners and think most people are able to stay in ketosis with small amounts of maple syrup, you would have to alter or eliminate the frosting. If you try this as a keto recipe comment below and let me know how it turns out!
Nutrition
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These are so delicious! I can totally relate about craving lemon in the spring time. Also — thank you for the arrowroot flour tip. It really makes a big difference with gluten-free baking.