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Lemon Meltaways ~ Light and buttery, these lemon bite-sized cookies are a real treat! Easy to make and the perfect little bite of lemon!
Do you think if I post bright lemony recipes, spring will come early? Probably not but it’s nice to dream. The forecast is calling for -4 degrees tomorrow night, we have about 7 inches of snow on the ground and a cold front coming in. I’m really not complaining because we’ve all wished for a good snow this year. Now that we’ve had our snow – I’m ready for blooming dogwood trees, tiny tomato plants in the garden, asparagus peaking out from the frozen ground and I can’t wait to go camping and kayaking again! It seems like it has been a long, long winter. But who wants to talk about the cold when there are delicious, lemony, melt-in-your-mouth cookies to share?!?
I’m envious of my west coast friends with citrus trees in their yards. How fun would it be to go outside and pick a few lemons and whip up a batch of these sweet gems?
These truly do melt in your mouth and are similar in texture to a buttery shortbread cookie. The lemon brightens the cookie and gives it an irresistible freshness. Simple to make with just a few pantry ingredients they come together in no time. Roll the dough into balls or flatten into discs and bake until barely browned around the edges.
The warm baked cookies can be tossed in confectioners’ sugar like a Russian Tea Cake or Mexican Wedding Cookie.
Or drizzle with a lemon glaze and have a memorable lemon experience! The glaze can be thin or thick – it’s all up to you!
Rolling the cookies into a small single-bite size treat makes it super easy to pop them in your mouth. That can also be bad if you keep the entire batch for yourself. They are not overly sweet so they’re the perfect light ending to any meal. And they won’t make your tummy hurt if you have a few for breakfast. Not judging – just saying!
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Light and buttery, these lemon bite-sized cookies are a real treat! Easy to make and the perfect cure for that craving when you need a little something sweet.
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, packed - about 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, about 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest for garnish if desired
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Gently blend on low until incorporated, scrapping down sides with a spatula as needed.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, cornstarch and salt. Whisk together.
- Add the flour in four batches to the creamed butter and lemon mixture. Blend on medium low until each is incorporated.
- Place the cookie dough in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
To bake the cookies, preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop a level spoonful of dough using a 1-inch cookie scoop. Roll each into a tight ball and place two inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheet.
- If you want to make cookie discs, press each dough ball to the desired thickness using the bottom of a flat glass covered with a small piece of wax paper.
Bake for 13 minutes at 350F until lightly browned around the edges. Slide the parchment paper and baked cookies onto a wire rack to cool.
Repeat with a new piece of parchment paper placed on a cooled cookie sheet. Cool cookies completely if using a glaze. If covering in confectioners' sugar, allow the hot cookies to cool for a minute then toss in 1 cup of powdered sugar to coat. Cool completely on the wire rack.
To make the glaze, mix together 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice. Add more lemon juice or sugar as needed to reach desired consistency. Spread on each cookie and garnish with lemon zest if desired.
- Allow the glaze to fully set then store cookies in a cool place or refrigerator.
Prep time does not include 1 hour chilling time for the dough.
Recipe adapted from Southern Living
Here are a few more of our favorite Meltaway Cookie recipes you might also enjoy:
Peanut Butter Chocolate Meltaway Cookies – for the chocolate and peanut butter lover in your life! These light little bite-sized cookies are not too sweet and get a nice salty bite from the crushed roasted peanuts. Click HERE for the Peanut Butter Chocolate Meltaway Cookie Recipe.
Coconut Key Lime Meltaways – a light and buttery bite-sized cookie with a big tropical flavor. Click HERE for the Coconut Key Lime Meltaway recipe.
Hope you’re having wonderful weather and these dreary winter days are on the way out. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Tricia
delicious….literally melted in my mouth. Iced some and tossed some in powdered sugar. Great recipe. Easy. Must try!!
Thanks Michelle! Fresh lemons make a big difference – so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
My cookies had a bitter aftertaste :(.
Honestly though, that could be the result of a weird lemon or something. So I’m not sure it’s the recipe that has a problem. Hmm
Lemons can taste off sometimes. Hope you’ll try again soon with fresh lemons 🙂
Is it ok to use bleached flour instead of unbleached flour? And is ok if the cookie dough stayed in the refrigerator for such a long time unbaked?
Yes and yes! The cookie dough may need to sit out for a little while to soften before rolling into balls. Good luck!
Thank you, for responding
How many does this recipe make? Thanks!
Hi Sue – about 36 cookies, or 3 dozen. Enjoy
I have made these lemon meltaways twice, and they are fabulous! Anything that can get me to turn on my oven when it’s 100+ degrees outside has to be great. They’re easy to make and even easier to eat. They don’t last longer than a day at my house. 🙂
Wish you could see me doing a happy dance Julie! Thanks for the feedback, and the 5-star rating! These cookies have a way of disappearing fast – LOVE them! Just pop one in your mouth, then another, and another :0
I would love to make the lemon melt away cookies but would like the nutritional value please calories
I don’t have that option on my site Susan.
I’d like to make the Lemon meltaways for a wedding reception. How far in advance can I make them and how can I store them if I don’t ice them? Do they freeze well so that I can frost them the day before the wedding?
Hi Carol. These cookies will keep well at room temperature for up to 3 days. I would refrigerate or freeze them for better, longer storage. Frosting / glazing the day before sounds perfect! Hope you enjoy these delicious cookies and good luck on the wedding prep!
Just made these. They are cooling now. This makes a beautiful cookie. They will get a dressing up with lemon glaze once cooled. I just had to try one right out of the oven and they are very good. The go together easily. The dough is so clean and white that any significant browning, in my opinion, spoils the pureness of them.
Next time I will kick up the lemon just a tad.
Thank you Sarah! I love feedback, and appreciate you taking the time to let us know. More lemon zest may do the trick – in the icing too 🙂 Thanks so much!
My husband is IN LOVE with these cookies. He would eat them all in one sitting if I allowed it. The third batch of dough is chilling in the fridge now. The recipe has entered into the hallowed ground of my handwritten recipe book. Thanks again Tricia!
Haha! Thanks for the feedback Sarah – we LOVE them too! I once had a hand written recipe book and it somehow made it’s way into a recycling pile and was gone forever. I was so upset! Many of my mom’s recipes were in there and were never recovered. My husband can put the hurt on these too. Enjoy and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and for trying our recipe.
These look so good! Can the dough be rolled out and cut out with cookie cutters?
I can’t answer that question for certain Sahar. I’ve never tried rolling it out. It seems like it would be okay – just not sure. Good luck!
This is the same recipe that was published in Food and Wine Magazine. I though it looked familiar. They are very tasty cookies. https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lemony-butter-cookies
Hi Debbie – my cookies were made from a Southern Living recipe which I noted in the printable recipe. Guess Food and Wine has one too!
I make these as teacher gifts… always a hit! My family loves them as well- so light, and the perfect hit of lemon. Thanks for a delicious recipe!
We love them too – thank you so much Deborah!
Made the lemon cookies. Added a little bit of vanilla and it really made the lemon flavor pop!
Thanks so much for trying the recipe Annie. I love the addition of vanilla – sounds great! I really appreciate you taking the time to let us know how they turned out for you. Thanks!
just wondering how much vanilla you used in these Lemon Meltaway cookies.
Thanks
Hi Mary! I do not add vanilla extract in these lemon cookies – the recipe is correct as written. Thanks!
To all that wondered why the cookies turned out a bit bitter:
I made some just now, and they turned out a tad bitter. I decided to taste my powdered sugar, which was from a plastic bag, that was used before, and I had tied the top with a clip. It was a tad bitter, I thought.
So I made a new batch with a brand new bag of powdered sugar, never been opened before. And Voila! My second batch of cookies were not bitter at all!
So I think it has to do with the freshness of the powdered sugar.
I’m keeping all my unused powdered sugar in a tight sealed jar from now on!!!!
FYI!
Thanks so much for the great tip Sandra! I truly appreciate your help and suggestion. And thanks for trying this recipe! Have a wonderful week.
Tricia..i cant seem to find the link forthe lemon meltaway cookies🤔
Hi Priya – If you’re looking for the printable recipe, it’s at the bottom of the post, shaded in beige just above the area where you left a comment. Let me know if you can’t find it there!
Thanks..i found it and made cookies …14 gms each ..baked at 350 F for 12 mins..rolled in powdered sugar…lovely cookies…excellent recipe…
Can you tell me how many ml has your cup ? I’m from Austria and we are using here different cup sizes. Thank you
Hi Sonja – I’m not an expert on ml but in looking it up online, I found a converter via Google. 1 cup is 236.588ml according to one formula. Hope that helps!
I was just yet baking this cooking and i can only say so much delicous. Best cookies ever, it melt in mouth !!
Thanks Sonja – so glad you enjoyed the cookies! Love all that lemon flavor 🙂
I made these tonight for the first time. I thought I followed the recipe correctly. However after letting them cool for one minute then when I went to put them into the powdered sugar they fell apart. Any idea what I could have done wrong?
Maybe let them rest for two minutes or three. They only fall apart when not cooled enough. Be careful when placing them in the powdered sugar. I usually just drizzle with icing which has additional lemon flavor. I have another lemon cookie that does well in powdered sugar. Try these LEMON COOLERS sometime – I bet you’ll love them.
I made these cookies and they were delicious, melt in your mouth. I used the glaze. I will keep a batch in the freezer. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Zella! So happy they turned out for you 🙂 Happy baking!
How much is 14 tbsps in cups
Hi Tammy. 14 tablespoons is 3/4 cups of butter. Enjoy!
sorry but 14 Tablespoons is 3/4 c. plus 2 tabl.
Don’t apologize! You’re right – thanks for correcting
These are wonderful just rolled in powdered sugar! Next time I’ll try them glazed.
Tender, buttery cookies are the best! Thanks for trying them Terri and for letting us know how they turned out for you.
Made these for my Christmas party and they looked fabulous but had a strange after taste… disappointed, as I love lemon!
Sorry Donna. When you zest a lemon, be sure you don’t get to much of the white pith. Also, cornstarch gives a little different mouth feel, but not usually an aftertaste. Sorry you didn’t like these – we love them.
These were so easy to make, and the texture is awesome! I made the dough the day before and let it sit in the fridge till the next day because I ran out of time. The cookies have a great lemon flavor, but they are bitter. Could this be because I let it sit to long? I made sure not to get the white of the lemon while zesting. I’d like to try making these again if they aren’t bitter.
Thank you so much for the feedback Marie. I’m not sure why they would be bitter, especially if you made sure you didn’t zest the pith. Perhaps you can try using less zest next time. Fruit and citrus flavors can vary from season to season. Perhaps you got a bad lemon somehow. The lemon flavor in these cookies is usually pretty mild. Hope you’ll try again! I don’t think it has anything to do with the dough being refrigerated for a longer period of time. Good luck and hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
It was most likely the lemon. I just placed my dough in the fridge and I used Meyer lemons. Totally mild lemon taste from scraping the paddle.
Thanks for the followup Rose. Glad these are going to turn out better for you. Have a very Happy New Year!
These were awesome cookies!
Thank you Laura – we love them too!
Your directions are wonderful – easy to follow with explicit directions. Adding these to my Easter cookies list!
Thanks Kath! Such a great little cookie – we love them 🙂
Have you ever tried them with lime instead of lemon? Thinking of trying that!
Hi Jessica – yes I have – check out this post for Key Lime Coconut Meltaways – and here’s another recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Meltaway Cookies – such a great cookie!
Can you refrigerate the dough longer than an hour?
Yes Carolyn – even as long as overnight would be fine. It may need to warm up at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before rolling into balls. It’s a very forgiving cookie dough. Enjoy!
They were a little dry, what would you recommend to make them a little more chewy? Delicious taste. And still a very good cookie. I just prefer a chewier cookie.
Hi Kathleen – since these cookies are eggless, I don’t think they’ll ever be chewy. If they were dry, I would cut a few minutes off the baking time. Meltaways have a very different texture due to the corn starch. They truly melt in your mouth and are typically not real chewy. Thanks for trying them!
The looked and sounded lovely. I attempted them yesterday for Motger’s day. They melted down flat, and when I tried to remove them from the parchment paper they crumbled. Where did I go wrong? I was surprised there was no egg for a binder. Thanks for any tips-would love to try again.
Hi Alane – so sorry you had trouble with this recipe. I’m not sure what went wrong but here are my thoughts. These cookies should not “melt down” and stay pretty much in the same form as when raw. As you see in the photos, the cookie dough balls are pressed to flatten because they really should not spread. No eggs are needed, as the cornstarch helps act as a binder. It almost sounds like something was omitted by mistake, or too much butter was added. I use Land-O-Lakes unsalted butter for all my baking. I’ve found the moisture content in butter products varies greatly. Again, so sorry you had trouble, especially when baking for an event like Mother’s Day. Good luck!
They were ok my husband thought it was a keeper I would of put more lemon zest
Feel free to add more zest Antoinette 🙂 Thanks for the feedback and for trying our recipe.
These look delicious! I am wondering if they can be frozen as I have an upcoming wedding I’d like to make them for. Any insight is appreciated?
Hi Missy – I think it would be great to freeze the baked cookies but I would wait to ice them until the day before the event. Good luck and I hope they love them!
I only have a hand mixer not a stand mixer with a paddle…how would that change the blending/mixing instructions? Or doesn’t it matter?
Great question Kathryn – it really doesn’t matter. Just mix by hand. I have both a hand mixer and a stand mixer and sometimes I just use the hand mixer anyway. It will work fine – no worries. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I made these today and they were so delicious we loved them.
Thanks so much for the feedback Erica! We love them too and I wish I had some right now 🙂 Enjoy and thanks again.
Delicious! Made these for a holiday party and they were a hit. There is always so much chocolate these were a welcome light edition. Thanks!
Thank you Karen – and hope you have a very Happy New Year! All our readers appreciate feedback so thanks for taking the time to comment. We LOVE these cookies!
I made these this morning after chilling overnight. The texture is chalky. Maybe the dough shouldn’t have been left in the fridge overnight?
Hi Randi – I have never chilled the dough that long, so perhaps. But these do have cornstarch in them which adds a little different texture in some cookies. I don’t remember these being chalky, only buttery and tender with a nice bite of lemon. Hope you have a wonderful holiday season and maybe you can try these again without the long chill time.
Hi, I have made this recipe three times and the cookies are everything you said they would be.
However my batter/dough is very soft and sticky, i certainly could not roll it into balls like you have or use a cooking press. Please advise..
with sincere thanks
Ann Meintjes
Hi Ann – try refrigerating the dough longer, and maybe add 2 tablespoons of flour when mixing. Humidity levels are different all year, also the moisture in butter varies by brand. I always use Land-o-Lakes unsalted butter. Good luck!
Seriously, these are like little bites of sunshine on a plate. They look so delicious and are perfection for spring and summer! I must try them ASAP!
You are going to love them Karly – nothing better than a lemon dessert, well maybe chocolate 🙂
This was so easy and so good. Beautiful, tender cookies that melt in your mouth. Now I just have to remind myself I can’t have one EVERY time I pass thru the kitchen. Thank you for a great recipe that turns out as written.
Woohooo! Thank you so much for the feedback Nancy – I LOVE these cookies and I truly understand about picking one up each time you pass by. They know my name and call to me! Hope you had a wonderful holiday and thanks so much for stopping by and commenting 🙂
Hello!
These were just super yummy! I am just curious what should I add to make them more ‘stif’ and cut shapes from the dough. Should I put more flour only or do you recommend something else? I would love to have them in shape of hearts!
Hi Justyna! I am not sure this would be the kind of cookie you want to cut out. It is very light and tender and they really melt in your mouth. I think a regular sugar cookie with lemon zest and juice added may be what you want. But extra flour may be just fine too – I haven’t tried any variations. Thanks so much for stopping by!
These look good and I can imagine how sweet and tart they taste. Would be perfect to savor with a cup of hot tea!
They truly melt in your mouth Cali – thanks for stopping by!
Ahhh any cookie that is lemony, buttery, and melts in your mouth – is pure heaven to me! It’s so cold here in the South and in NY – I think its a perfect day to make some cookies and make the kitchen even warmer! 🙂 PS… I think I will buy a lemon tree also! ( our parents always had one growing outside and one inside) So you can say you have another friend with a citrus tree in her yard too! lol….
Lemons make the best desserts! Let’s grow trees!!
We just spent the past week in California where the trees were heavy with citrus – especially oranges. How tough it was to trade mid to upper 80s and wake up to -7 this morning! These lemon cookies would certainly lift my spirits! Hopefully, March will bring some welcomed changes in the weather 🙂
I sure hope so Susan! This cold, wet, dreary weather is starting to get old – scratch that – it is old! Have a wonderful, warmer week and thanks for stopping by!
I think if we eat enough of these cookies, and close our eyes and wish real hard, Spring will come early! These look, and sound, soooooo good!
I think I’ll go get another one of these cookies and see if that works! Come on spring 🙂
It’s been snowing off and on most of the day, so a bit of sunshine would be welcome. These lovely lemon gems would be a bright spot in my day! 🙂
Now comes the ice – hope you enjoyed your break from school this week. Hope you get to try these cookies sometimes – they are a bite of sunshine Betty!
LOOOOOVE the thought of these!! Not too sweet. Melt in your mouth. Bright lemon flavor. Oh, yes!!
Stay warm and safe, Tricia!! blessings ~ tanna
They have it all Tanna! Just like you – practically perfect in every way! Enjoy your lovely weather there in Texas 🙂
I think it’s -3 degrees here tonight. We are definitely warming ourselves up with plenty of food and bright citrus helps, especially in the form of cookies. : ) I have heard so much of meltaways but never tasted one! I can just picture that melting texture from the confectioners’ sugar. Great choice of treat, Tricia. Stay warm!
Thanks Monica – Sitting here watching it snow right now – with rain in the forecast for tomorrow. Heading into the kitchen to make some soup 🙂
I would not trust myself with these in the house. They look amazing Tricia and melt aways are some of my very favorite cookies. Add lemon icing and I’m over the moon!
Thanks Chris – I am sure Scott would help you with a few!
How many cookies does this recipe make?
About 36 cookies Sue.
Tricia! LOOOVE these cookies! I remember my grandmother used to make Orange cookies like this! LOOOVE your pictures of the process too! It is COLD here too; HOPEFULLY, it’ll thaw out soon. But, we have to remember, long cold bouts will kill ofF the bugs & that’s the up-side of the cold! LOL STAY WARM!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😉
I was thinking about all this cold weather killing ticks and other pesky bugs. Maybe mosquitoes won’t be as bad this summer – we can hope!
Tricia I can’t wait for Spring either, we also have 7 inches of sleet and snow on the ground. The morning we had a low of 14 and tonight we are suppose to be 4 degrees! Not quite as cold as you!! The lemon meltaways look really delicious. Love the photos with your barn wood table!! 🙂
Love my new barn wood table too! Love these cookies – love that spring will soon be here – I am happy 🙂
I also have citrus envy! 😉 I would love to have a little meyer lemon tree that could live in a pot on wheels. In the summer it could live outside and it would winter in the garage. If it works, I will send you some midwestern lemons! While I wait on my tree to bear fruit, I am more than willing to go to the store for some lemons to try these sunny cookies!
Lemons on wheels – great idea Wendy! Let me know if that works for you 🙂
Hi Tricia, we have lemons coming out of our ears here, making these next.
SO jealous of your lemons – hope you get to make these – they are so easy and delicious!
These are totally my kind of cookies! And yes, a whole batch could be very dangerous for me, too.
Make sure you have someone to share them with – they disappear so quickly 🙂
What a great name! You can really imagine their gorgeous texture 😀
They are so tasty Lorraine – lemon desserts are the best (well chocolate too)
We had dogwoods in Louisville, miss them, but definitely none here in Chicagoland. I miss warm weather, but am not complaining either, I love it here, esp. in the other seasons.
Your lemon cookies are perfect for now! I’d take lemon over chocolate any day, and that glaze puts them over the edge. Wish I had one now, thanks for the recipe, Tricia!
Dogwoods are one of my favorite trees. They are one of the early bloomers so they announce spring is just around the corner! These lemon cookies are very good – they truly do melt in your mouth!
I think sunshine food is the best way to beat the winter blues… these look glorious and I bet that sharp citrus icing was a pick me up akin to any Sping morning!
You have a wonderful way with words Dom – I could not say it any better! Thanks!~
These look so simple and so delicious! From what I see from the recipe, the texture must be awesome. I may very well give them a try soon, since I have been craving lemony cookie dough for over a week 🙂
Thanks Ines – they are super simple and tangy – just what you want in a lemon cookie. Enjoy!
Actually Spring is almost over here :-)) These lemon meltaways look wonderfully delicious, Tricia.
I can’t wait Angie! It’s just around the corner. Hope you’re having great weather!