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Lemon Meltaways – a delicious little cookie

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Easy Lemon Meltaways – the perfect little bite of lemon!

A wooden bowl of lemon meltaway cookies with icing on top

Lemon Meltaways ~ Light and buttery, these lemon bite-sized cookies are a real treat!

Do you think if I post bright lemony recipes like these Lemon Meltaways, 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?!?

a bowl of lemons and lemon zest on a cutting board

Zest only the yellow outer skin of the lemon, and no white pith.

If you get carried away with your zesting, you may end up with a bitter taste instead of the bright lemon sunshine flavor you’re looking for.

I always use organic lemons and oranges when planning to include the zest in a recipe. Call me crazy but I can still taste the pesticides. Organic or not, you should always wash your citrus with a vinegar solution or soap and water. Be sure to rinse and dry the lemons before zesting and only remove the outer layer.

Each lemon is different. Some are thick skinned while other are not. Different growing regions produce varied sizes of lemons, as well. I prefer the smaller, thin skinned lemons for zesting. The flavor seems better to me but I have no scientific proof to back that up.

A red bowl of cookie dough with dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Lemon Meltaways are easy to make with just a few pantry ingredients.

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.

lemon meltaway cookie dough pressed to flatten with the bottom of a small glass

These lemon meltaways can be presented several ways.

The warm, baked cookies can be tossed immediately in powdered sugar like a Russian Tea Cake or Mexican Wedding Cookie. If planning to serve this way, there’s no need to flatten the cookie before baking. You can leave them in a ball shape.

Lemon meltaway cookies on a cooling rack being drizzled with lemon icing

My favorite way to serve these cookies is with a lemon drizzle.

The lemon icing really adds a lot of lemon flavor to the meltaway cookies. The icing is easy to make and drizzle or spread on the baked, cooled cookies. The glaze can be spread on thick or drizzled on a little thinner – it’s all up to you! Either way, you’ll have a memorable lemon experience!

A wooden bowl of lemon meltaway cookies with icing on top

Lemon Meltaways are bite-sized treats that freeze beautifully!

Rolling the cookies into a small single-bite size treat makes it super easy to pop them in your mouth. Not overly sweet, these cookies are the perfect light ending to any meal.

A wooden bowl of lemon meltaway cookies with icing on top

Can you substitute other kinds of citrus for the lemon?

Feel free to substitute lime, key lime or orange for the lemon in these cookies. We’ve made Coconut Key Lime Meltaways with great success and enjoy Peppermint Meltaways during the holiday seasons too. I hope you’ll give these cookies a try. Enjoy!

Thanks for PINNING!

A wooden plate filled with iced lemon cookies

4.12 from 72 votes

Lemon Meltaways

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 13 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 33 mins
Yield: 36
Course: Cookies, Dessert
Author: Tricia
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Light and buttery, these bite-sized lemon cookies are a real treat!

Ingredients

For the cookie dough:

  • 14 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
  • ½ cup powdered sugar (57g)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest packed - about 2 lemons (no white pith)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice about 1 lemon
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (196g)
  • ¼ cup cornstarch (4 tablespoons)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

For the lemon glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar (115g)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus more if needed for desired consistency
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest for garnish, if desired

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add ½ 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 350°F. 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 11-13 minutes or 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.

Recipe Notes

  • Cookies can be frozen before adding the lemon glaze. They'll keep for up to two months well sealed.
  • Recipe adapted from Southern Living
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 9mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 136IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg

 

Here are a few more of our favorite Meltaway Cookie recipes you might also enjoy:

A stack of peanut butter chocolate meltaway cookies with chopped peanuts on top

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.

 

A plate full of Coconut Key Lime Meltaway Cookies with flaked coconut and lime zest on top

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.

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205 Comments

  1. Gail P says

    Our family gathers often and I like to bring a container of assorted cookies. I make cookies and freeze some so I don’t have to bake when something comes up. I made these cookies this morning and oh my goodness…they are delicious! So delicate and light and bursting with flavor. I did add about 2 tbsp more powdered sugar to the dough but otherwise followed your recipe. The only thing I would do differently is double the recipe because I’m not sure how many of these are going to make it to the freezer! Thank you for posting this recipe. Going to make the peanut butter chocolate ones next.

    reply to this comment >

  2. Laura S says

    5 stars
    Made these with wheat flour, cuz that’s what I had. They are fantastic!! Melt in your mouth delicious! Oh wait… maybe that’s why they’re called “melt always” :0}

    reply to this comment >

  3. Christine says

    5 stars
    I absolutely loved these cookies and everyone I shared them with did too. I like that the cookie itself isn’t overly sweet and the tangy sweetness of the glaze is perfect. I’m not a huge sweet eater so these are the right size for me to just have one or two to take the edge off needing to have something sweet, without feeling guilty for eating a lot of some thing I shouldn’t. As an FYI I am typically a terrible baker, yet these turned out beautifully, which means the recipe a solid if you follow it. I do think it’s important to add slightly more powdered sugar to the glaze because I did find the recipe makes The glaze a little on the thin side for me. I literally make this recipe once a week, and they are gone in less than four hours every time. Everybody loves them!

    reply to this comment >

  8. Ellen Radomski says

    These cookies are delicious but the next time I make them there will not be 3 dozen cookies. The cookies are way too small and they crumble with two bits. Yours in the photo were a larger cookie. How many cookies in your batch?

    reply to this comment >

  14. Dani says

    4 stars
    I’m not a huge fan of lemon but was looking for a light cookie to offset a heavy chocolate dessert option. Initially I was not a fan. I followed the recipe to a T but it just didn’t have a wow factor. Well…. since I didn’t need them for a few days I put them in a container with a piece of bread like I usually do to keep my cookies fresh. I tried one before serving just to see if I was gonna toss them or put them out and was amazed. They ended up tasting exactly how they are probably supposed to and very “melty”. So my recommendation would be to make a few days ahead of time, stick some bread in with them and try not to eat all of them the day you want to serve them.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Dani. Thanks for the feedback. I’ve never had to put bread in the container with these cookies. The flavors meld after a few hours and the glaze/icing seems to have the same affect as the bread. Glad you enjoyed them even though you’re not a huge fan of lemon!

      reply to this comment >

  16. Raquel Fernandez says

    5 stars
    Made these cookies today for my family, and they are sooo good. Seriously the best lemon cookie I’ve ever had. I will definitely make these again and again. Also glad I found another way to put all these lemons from our tree to good use. Thank you!

    reply to this comment >

  19. christine says

    5 stars
    delicious and easy! i cut this recipe in half on my first try and will probably use a little less lemon juice for the glaze so that it’s less runny (that, or more powdered sugar). but otherwise great!!!

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Erica. Yes you can make them without the lemon zest but do not increase the lemon juice. The dough will be too watery and may not hold together well. Also, the lemon flavor won’t be as strong without the zest, but they’ll still be good to eat.

      reply to this comment >

  22. jenny says

    5 stars
    This recipe was amazing. Followed instructions and turned out perfect. Husband said top 3 cookies he’s ever had. Perfect spring-summer bright treat. I did add some lime zested cream cheese icing which really enhanced that bright citrus flavor. Thank-you!

    reply to this comment >

  24. Bob says

    1 star
    Too much effort for a so-so cookie. I only got 2 dozen with the correct size disher. They we’re very dry and crumbly. A lemon sugar cookie is much easier to work with. I gave it a try, but won’t be trying again.

    reply to this comment >

  27. Julie says

    Can I refrigerate the dough for a couple of days? I want to make them for an event next week but I’m traveling up until the day of and thought it would be faster to make the dough ahead of time and then bake the cookies the evening I get back.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Julie – I think that will be fine. You can even roll them into balls, flatten them out as shown, then layer them between wax or parchment paper in a container and refrigerate. All you would have to do is bake! If they’re cold cookie dough balls, they may require a minute or two longer in the oven. Good luck and happy baking!

      reply to this comment >

  32. Julie petersen says

    5 stars
    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. 🙂

    reply to this comment >

  34. Carol VanScoter says

    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?

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      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!

      reply to this comment >

  35. Sarah Little says

    5 stars
    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.

    reply to this comment >

      • Sarah Little says

        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!

        reply to this comment >

        • Tricia Buice says

          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.

          reply to this comment >

  40. Sandra S. says

    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!

    reply to this comment >

  45. Marie says

    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.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      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!

      reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      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!

      reply to this comment >

  51. Alane says

    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.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      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!

      reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      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.

      reply to this comment >

  58. Ann Meintjes says

    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

    reply to this comment >

  60. Nancy Hoffman says

    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.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      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 🙂

      reply to this comment >

  61. Justyna says

    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!

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      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!

      reply to this comment >

  63. 2 Sisters Recipes by Anna and Liz says

    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….

    reply to this comment >

  64. Susan says

    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 🙂

    reply to this comment >

  68. Monica says

    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!

    reply to this comment >

  70. Becky Green says

    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!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😉

    reply to this comment >

  71. michael says

    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!! 🙂

    reply to this comment >

  72. Wendy says

    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!

    reply to this comment >

  76. Pam says

    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!

    reply to this comment >

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