Italian Lemon Cookies with Lemon Glaze are made with a few staple ingredients such as flour, sugar, eggs, butter, lemon extract, and lemon zest then baked until lightly golden and topped with a lemon glaze and green colored sprinkles to make them festive for Christmas! These cookies are very light and delicate with a soft texture that melts in your mouth with every bite. YUM!
What are Italian Lemon Cookies?
These are cookies also known as Anginetti (Italian Lemon Drop Cookies), and glazed with some icing with lemon zest added. They’re soft texture with a crumbly crust and they practically melt in your mouth with every bite.
These Italian lemon cookies happen to be one of our favorites for the holidays! And, I make them every year around this time!
It’s no secret, we love the flavor of lemon. Every time we make these Italian lemon cookies, they quickly disappear.
The subtle lemon flavor throughout the cookie along with its delicate texture, melt in your mouth and it is what makes these cookies so addicting. They’re irresistible!
Reasons to LOVE these Italian Lemon Cookies?
- Italian lemon cookies with lemon glaze are so simple to make, simply because it’s one step!
- No need to chill the dough beforehand or roll it out either.
- Just whip up a batch and bake!
- Once they are completely cooled, then you can quickly glaze them.
- This recipe will yeild about 36 cookies, enough to serve a crowd.
- Perfect for cookie exchange parties.
- You can easily can the color of the sprinkles for the holidays.
- They bake in 10 minutes.
How to Make Italian Lemon Cookies with Lemon Glaze?
For this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
Ingredients for these Lemon Cookies (*full recipe card below!)
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1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
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3/4 cup of sugar
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4 eggs
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2 + 1/2 tsp. pure lemon extract
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3 cups, plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
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5 tsp. baking powder
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1/2 tsp. salt
Directions to Make these Lemon Cookies…
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (185 C).
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 a non-stick 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 set aside to cool before topping with glaze.
Ingredients Needed for the Lemon Glaze:
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2 + 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
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3 Tbsp. milk
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1/2 tsp. pure lemon extract
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1 Tbsp. lemon zest
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green colored sprinkles
1. In a small bowl, mix the first four ingredients together until smooth.
2. Set aside for 2 minutes, allowing the glaze to thicken.
3. Top each cookie with some glaze, about 1 teaspoon. Garnish with green sprinkles on top. Set them aside for al least 10 mintues for the glaze to dry.
Yields: 34 to 36 cookies
Your family and friends will go bonkers for these Italian Lemon Cookies, and kids will enjoy making them too.
Italian Lemon Cookies are not just for the holidays, you can make them throughout the year, and they freeze well too!
An old Italian recipe that goes back for generations, these Italian Lemon Cookies are very popular these days! A super easy recipe that bakes in 10 minutes!
Store these cookies is a sealed container. They will freeze for up to one month.
You’ll have to try them and see for yourself!
Enjoy!
Additional Delicious Cookie Recipes… try these:
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Ultimate Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Lemon Thyme Tea Cookies
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Dulce de Leche Butter Cookies
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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
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Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies – No flour & No butter!
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Snow Ball Christmas Cookies
Yield: 3 dozen
Italian Lemon Cookies with Lemon Glaze
Italian Lemon Cookies with Lemon Glaze ~These cookies are very light and delicate with a soft texture that melts in your mouth with every bite. Easy to decorate with colored sprinkles to make them festive for the holidays! Enjoy!
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Total Time
20 minutes
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 flour
- 5 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
For LEMON GLAZE:
- 2 + 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
- 3 Tbsp. milk
- 1/2 tsp. pure lemon extract
- 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
- green colored or red colored 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 set aside to cool before topping with 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 colored sprinkles on top. Set them aside for the glaze to dry. When ready, store cookies in sealed containers.
- Yields: 3 dozen cookies
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21 Comments
Wendy
December 29, 2019 at 1:39 pmFabulous ! Big hit at the cookie exchange!
by Anna and Liz
December 29, 2019 at 2:21 pmThank you so much Wendy!! And welcome to our blog!! Hope you’ll come back to try more recipes! Enjoy!!
🙂 Anna and Liz
Barbara
December 4, 2017 at 8:07 amI’m crazy about lemon cookies too! These sound great.
by Anna and Liz
December 29, 2019 at 2:21 pmThanks Barbara!!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
November 30, 2017 at 8:08 amSo pretty! I love lemon cookies. So fresh tasting and your festive sparkles are just perfect 🙂
2 Sisters Recipes
December 1, 2017 at 4:30 pmThank you Jennifer! Have a great weekend!
cheri
November 29, 2017 at 4:42 pmThese look similiar to a cookie my mother in law used to send us every year but she passed before we could get the recipe, thank you they are beautiful.
2 Sisters Recipes
December 1, 2017 at 4:29 pmThank you Cheri! I hope these cookies with bring you joy and fond memories of the past holidays!
Claudia
November 28, 2017 at 8:47 pmmy brother loves lemon and the Italian drop cookies like these. I will have to make them and surprise him he will go nuts!
by Anna and Liz
November 29, 2017 at 3:31 amHello Claudia! Welcome to our blog, it’s so nice to meet you! I hope your brother will enjoy them as much as we do and Thanks for stopping by!
Valery
August 13, 2017 at 2:42 amLooks amazing! I should try to make that snacks)
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Roz Corieri Paige
December 27, 2016 at 5:31 pmI have to say that Italians have some of the MOST delicious cookie recipes . . . including yours with all of the lemon! Lemon is so wonderful during winter! I hope that your Christmas was full of love and that you have a most blessed 2017!
annaliz
December 28, 2016 at 3:25 amYou are so sweet Roz, thank you for your lovely comment, and hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well.
SavoringTime in the Kitchen
December 23, 2016 at 4:30 pmI love how puffed and beautiful Italian cookies look! This lemony version sounds so delicious and lemon is my 2nd favorite dessert after chocolate 😉 Wishing both your families a very wonderful Christmas!!
annaliz
December 23, 2016 at 4:35 pmOurs too!! Thank you and we wish you a wonderful Christmas this weekend!!
Xoxo
Barbara Bakes
December 22, 2016 at 12:49 amI love lemon cookies. These would be a hit at my house. Merry Christmas!
annaliz
December 23, 2016 at 1:58 pmThank you Barbara! And the same to you, have a very Merry Christmas !!
Elaine Pittman
December 21, 2016 at 8:57 pmJust made a batch of these. Thought I was through baking for the season but have been craving sonething lemon and these were wonderful! Thanks
annaliz
December 21, 2016 at 9:13 pmSo glad to hear! And thanks Elaine for leaving a sweet comment!!
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Tricia Buice
December 20, 2016 at 2:41 pmHow simple and I bet they are delicious! I adore lemon desserts so these cookies are perfect for me! Merry Christmas ladies – hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends.
annaliz
December 20, 2016 at 8:44 pmHi Tricia! We adore your lemon desserts too!
Have a wonderful Christmas with family and friends!!
Enjoy!!