By: Author Cyna
Posted on Last updated:
These delightful lemon lavender cookies feature a bright, citrusy-floral taste and a soft, buttery texture, topped with a sweet lemon lavender glaze. The recipe comes together quick, calls for simple ingredients, and doesn’t require chilling.
Want more lavender cookies? Check out my buttery lavender shortbread and lavender chocolate chip cookies next!
Lemon and lavender cookies
My lemon lavender cookies will put a smile on your face! They are full of beautiful lavender aroma and bright, zesty lemon flavor. The texture is soft and buttery, with a tender crumb and slightly crispy edges.
The glaze adds an extra hint of lavender and a refreshing zip of lemon aroma that is so lovely. You can enjoy the cookies without a glaze, but I love the additional floral, citrusy, sweet element the glaze gives the cookies.
And bonus: The cookies are super easy and quick to make because the recipe doesn’t require any chilling. You’ll be enjoying this treat in no time!
For more lemon lavender goodness, try my lemon lavender cake, lemon lavender cupcakes, and lavender lemonade.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks salted butter – Let your butter sit on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes beforehand. The butter should be at a cool room temperature and give in slightly when pressed but still keep its shape. If the butter is too warm and melty, the cookies can spread too much.
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar – sweetens the cookies and creates a soft texture.
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest – gives the cookies a delicious lemony flavor. You need to zest 3 to 4 medium lemons or 2 large lemons. I also decorated my finished cookies with extra lemon zest, which is optional.
- 2 tablespoons culinary lavender – You can find this online or in grocery stores (such as Walmart or Kroger). Fresh lavender from your garden is wonderful as well. Be sure to pick off just the small purple buds but none of the green.
- 1 large egg – This should be at a cool room temperature.
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour – It’s important to measure the flour correctly because adding too much flour results in dense cookies that don’t spread. Please use the spoon and level method or weigh the flour with a digital kitchen scale.
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch – gives the cookies that super soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Lemon Lavender Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar – Please sift the powdered sugar. Otherwise, you’ll have a lumpy glaze.
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice – Fresh lemon juice is a must for the best flavor.
- 1/2 teaspoon lavender extract – This is optional but will enhance the lavender flavor. I love the lavender extract from Angel Bake and use it all the time in my baking.
- a few drops of purple food coloring – To achieve a soft lavender color, you only need a few tiny drops of food coloring.
- additional lavender buds and lemon zest (optional) – It looks so beautiful when you decorate the glazed cookies with a bit of lemon zest and lavender. Plus, it adds even more aroma!
Variations
- Different citrus: Feel free to swap out lemons for lime, orange, or grapefruit. Just note that you may need to experiment a little to get the flavor perfect because other citrus fruits have varying levels of flavor and acidity.
- Vanilla: I don’t think these cookies need vanilla since the flavors of lavender and lemon are very prominent. Still, you can add 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for extra depth of flavor.
- White chocolate chips: Stir 3/4 cup of chocolate chips into the dough before baking.
- Cookie bars: To make lavender lemon cookie bars, line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Press the dough evenly into the pan and bake for 22 to 25 minutes (until the edges are lightly golden and the center looks no longer wet). Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely. Glaze once cooled and let the glaze set for 30 minutes before slicing.
Instructions
1. Prepare for baking
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine dry ingredients
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Set aside.
Measure flour accurately: The #1 baking mistake is adding too much flour. It will make cookies dry and dense. For the best results, weigh your flour with a digital kitchen scale. Otherwise, fluff, spoon, and level the flour into your measuring cup, but never pack it in.
3. Beat butter and sugar
Using a large mixing bowl and a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or an electric mixer), cream the butter, sugar, lemon zest, and lavender (medium speed) until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Zest before juicing: Always zest lemons before squeezing out the juice. It’s nearly impossible to do it the other way around!
4. Add egg
Mix in the egg until very well combined.
5. Incorporate dry ingredients
Using low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. The dough will seem slightly dry.
6. Scoop cookies
Use a small cookie scoop to drop 1-tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Space the dough balls 2 inches apart.
7. Flatten cookies
Gently flatten each ball with your palms until 1/3 inch thick.
8. Bake
Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies are ready when the center is just set and the edges appear slightly golden. Bake only 1 cookie sheet at a time.
Watch the baking time: Each oven bakes differently, and oven temperatures are all over the place. What takes 10 minutes in one oven, needs 15 in another, and this is normal. So watch your cookies carefully and start checking on them at the 10-minute mark.
9. Cool
Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then, transfer the cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Mix glaze
In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lavender extract. The consistency should be thick, but pourable. Tint the glaze with a few drops of food coloring.
Don’t use bottled lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is the way to go here! The bottled variety doesn’t taste as good.
Ultra-smooth consistency: For an ultra-smooth icing, strain the lemon juice through a fine-mesh strainer.
11. Decorate cookies
Spoon each cookie with glaze. If desired, sprinkle the cookies with lavender buds and lemon zest. Let the icing set for 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Storage
- Store: The cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. Make sure the glaze is fully set before storing. I like to place wax paper between layers of cookies to prevent them from sticking.
- Freeze: You can freeze the glazed cookies, but the glaze can become sticky after freezing and thawing. For this reason, I prefer to freeze the unbaked cookie dough. Portion the dough into balls, arrange them on a cookie sheet, and freeze for 1 hour. Then pop the frozen dough balls into a zip-top bag or freezer container and freeze for up to 2 months.
More lavender recipes
- Lavender Milk
- Lavender Truffles
- Lavender Tea
- Lavender Hot Chocolate
- Lavender Popcorn
Lemon Lavender Cookie Recipe
Yield: 25 cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes
These delightful lemon lavender cookies feature a bright, citrusy-floral taste and a soft, buttery texture, topped with a sweet lemon lavender glaze. The recipe comes together quick, calls for simple ingredients, and doesn’t require chilling.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 ¼ cups / 270 g / 9.5 oz all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
- 2 tbsp / 10 g / 0.6 oz cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 sticks / 225 g / 8 oz salted butter, at cool room temperature
- 3/4 cup / 150 g / 5.3 oz granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon zest (from about 3 medium lemons)
- 2 tbsp dried culinary lavender buds
- 1 large egg, at a cool room temperature
Glaze
- 1 ½ cups / 180 g / 6.3 oz powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 to 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp lavender extract (optional)
- 3 to 4 drops of purple food coloring
- lavender buds, to garnish, if desired
- lemon zest, to garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Prepare for baking. Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C / gas mark 4. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar. Using a large mixing bowl and a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or an electric mixer), cream the butter, sugar, lemon zest, and lavender (medium speed) until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add egg. Mix in the egg until very well combined.
- Incorporate dry ingredients. Using low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. The dough will seem slightly dry.
- Scoop cookies. Use a small cookie scoop to drop 1-tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Space the dough balls 2 inches / 5 cm apart.
- Flatten cookies. Gently flatten each ball with your palms until 1/3 inch / 1 cm thick.
- Bake. Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies are ready when the center is just set and the edges appear slightly golden. Bake only 1 cookie sheet at a time.
- Cool. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then, transfer the cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Mix glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lavender extract. The consistency should be thick, but pourable. Tint the glaze with a few drops of food coloring.
- Decorate cookies. Spoon each cookie with glaze. If desired, sprinkle the cookies with lavender buds and lemon zest. Let the icing set for 30 minutes. Enjoy!
- Store. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Separate layers of cookies with sheets of wax paper.
Notes
Zest before juicing: Always zest lemons before squeezing out the juice. It’s nearly impossible to do it the other way around!
Measure flour accurately: The #1 baking mistake is adding too much flour. It will make cookies dry and dense. For the best results, weigh your flour with a digital kitchen scale. Otherwise, fluff, spoon, and level the flour into your measuring cup, but never pack it in.
Watch the baking time: Each oven bakes differently, and oven temperatures are all over the place. What takes 10 minutes in one oven, needs 15 in another, and this is normal. So watch your cookies carefully and start checking on them at the 10-minute mark.
Don’t use bottled lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is the way to go here! The bottled variety doesn’t taste as good.
Ultra-smooth consistency: For an ultra-smooth icing, strain the lemon juice through a fine-mesh strainer.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 25Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 134Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 72mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g
