Italian Lemon Cookies for St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day is next weekend, and what better way to honor the day than with something green! I decided to make a batch of our Italian Lemon Cookies for St. Patrick’s Day and decorate these treats with green sprinkles to honor the day.
Italian Lemon Cookies…
These Italian Lemon Cookies have a soft, cake-like texture, and offer a subtle taste of sweetness and lemon flavor. Topped off with a lemon-flavored glaze and decorated with fun, green sprinkles.
They turn out perfect every time.
This happens to be our family recipe for Italian Lemon Cookies passed down from generations, and even though you may find many variations to this recipe, it’s always made with the simplest ingredients such as flour, butter, sugar, eggs, baking powder, and lemon extract.
Notes and Tips:
- These cookies are perfect to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with something sweet.
- No need to “chill” the cookie dough. Just make a batch and bake!
- Keep in mind, that the cookie dough will be smooth and sticky, making it a little more challenging to shape each one into balls.
- Best to use the back of the spoon to help me finish them off before going into the oven.
- For Gluten-Free flour, be sure to use the same amount in the measurements listed in the ingredients below.
Ingredients Needed:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 + 1/2 tsp. pure lemon extract
- 3 cups, plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour (or GF flour)
- 5 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Directions to make these cookies: (*full recipe card below!)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190.5C)
2. In a large mixing bowl. Beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until each egg is well combined. Stir in the lemon extract.
3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt with a fork. Slowly add flour mixture to the egg mixture, and beat until the dough is smooth and sticky.
4. Drop by teaspoons onto an ungreased baking sheet, and space them apart, about 2-inches. Shape each one into a ball as best as you can, using the back of a spoon to assist you.
5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and cool, before adding the glaze.
Make the Lemon Glaze:
- 2 + 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
- 3 Tbsp. milk
- 1/2 tsp. pure lemon extract
- 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
- Optional: green sprinkles
Directions to Make the Glaze: In a small bowl, mix the first four ingredients until smooth. Set aside for 2 minutes, allowing the glaze to thicken. Then glaze each cookie with some, about 1 teaspoon. Garnish with green sprinkles on top. Set them aside for the glaze to dry.
Yields: 34 to 36 cookies
Storing & Freezing:
- Store these cookies in a container, and at room temperature. They will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks. You can also store them in a sealed container, and the fridge.
- You can freeze these cookies as well. They will freeze for up to 1 month.
Every holiday allows us to create something with festive colors!
Bake up these cookies this week because everyone celebrates St. Patrick’s Day! Enjoy these “Irish-Italian Lemon Cookies.” And have a fun holiday!
Cheers!
More Treats for St. Patty’s Day!
Try our no-bake Irish Cream Tiramisu!
And our delicious cocktail, the Frozen Grasshopper!
Your comments help us! If you try Italian Lemon Cookies for St. Patrick’s Day, let us know and leave a comment and a star rating on our recipe card!
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Happy Baking! 🙂
Italian Lemon Cookies for St. Patrick's Day
These lemon cookies have a soft, cake-like texture, and offer a subtle taste of sweetness and lemon flavor. Topped off with a lemon-flavored glaze and decorated with fun, green sprinkles. Fun, easy to make and a delicious way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 + 1/2 tsp. pure lemon extract
- 3 cups, plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose unbleached flour (or GF Flour)
- 5 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Lemon Glaze
- 2 + 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
- 3 Tbsp. milk
- 1/2 tsp. pure lemon extract
- 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
- Optional: green sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl. Beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until each egg is well combined. Stir in the lemon extract.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt with a fork.
- Slowly add flour mixture to the egg mixture, and beat until the dough is smooth and sticky. Drop by teaspoons onto an ungreased baking sheet, and space them apart, about 2-inches.
- Shape each one into a ball as best as you can, using the back of a spoon to assist you.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and cool, before adding the glaze.
Directions for Lemon Glaze:
- In a small bowl, mix the first four ingredients together until smooth.
- Set aside for 2 minutes, allowing the glaze to thicken. Top each cookie with some glaze, about 1 teaspoon. Garnish with green sprinkles on top. Set them aside for the glaze to dry.
- Yields: 34 to 36 cookies
Notes
Storing & Freezing:
- Store these cookies in a container, and at room temperature. They will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks. You can also store them in a sealed container, and the fridge.
- You can freeze these cookies as well. They will freeze for up to 1 month.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16 servingsServing Size:
1 serving (2 cookies)Amount Per Serving: Calories: 161Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4.2gCholesterol: 108mgCarbohydrates: 25.5gFiber: .9gSugar: 5.9gProtein: 4.6g
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We always eat corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day and after a filling meal, these little cookies would be just right.
Thank you, Karen! We love corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day, and the Irish soda bread too! Thanks again.
This is my first time here. You have a very a beautiful blog. And this is the first time I have come across a blog run by two sisters just like us ( Yay!!! I am so happy:))
Yay!! Welcome to our blog! Thank you for your lovely compliment now I will come over to see what's cooking in your kitchen!
Cookies look so colourful and catchy…. Love their texture
Thank you!
So festive and so much fun. 🙂 love anything with lemon flavor!
So do we! We love lemon- and use them in most of our recipes. Thanks Amy and enjoy!
Love how you've merged two cultures with these!! Makes them extra festive, I think.
Thank you Jo! Enjoy!
They look so pretty with the green sprinkles so and delicious too. I love the idea of making these for Easter!
Thank you Sue! You are the best! When my girls were younger, they loved baking in the kitchen, and would decorate these cookies with colorful icing to appear as Easter eggs. It was and still is a fun treat to do. Traditions are fun and so memorable, aren't' they?
So fun! I thought about making a lemon version because it seemed to go with green so well.Love the idea of adding lemon to the glaze as well.
Thank you Barbara for inspiring me to make them again !
Mom's recipes are always the best, aren't they? Tried and true, and they remind you of home. I love the way you've dressed these up for St. Patrick's Day- so pretty! Lemon is such a happy flavor and perfect for springtime! 🙂
So true! Thank you so very, very much Betty!
The texture of these cookies looks perfect. I love the icing and the green sprinkles are very festive. There is nothing like a simple treat – sometimes less complicated tastes so much better! Have a wonderful (warm) weekend!
Thanks you Tricia for your sweet comment! You too enjoy the weekend and we hope it will be warmer for you as well! Cheers!