Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies with Almond Flour

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:

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

1. Whisk together dry ingredients
2. Cream butter and cream cheese together, add other wet ingredients, and mix until creamy
3. Combine dry and wet ingredients
4. 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)
5. Stir well to combine and chill the dough
6. 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?

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!