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Easy Lemon Meltaways – the perfect little bite of lemon!
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?!?
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
Lemon Meltaways
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
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.
Rodney Stone
These are delicious
Tricia Buice
Thanks Rodney! Glad you enjoyed these cookies.
Erica
Can I make these without the lemon zest? Would I just add more lemon juice?
Tricia Buice
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.
jenny
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!
Tricia Buice
Wow Jenny – thank you so very much for commenting! I love that you added zest and cream cheese – brilliant idea and something I have to try next time.
claire m
hi jenny, do you have a preferred recipe for your icing that you wouldn’t mind sharing?
Hillary
Very easy instructions, very easy to make, and were a hit with my kids!
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Hillary. We love these meltaways too!
Bob
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.
Tricia Buice
Sorry you didn’t care for the cookies Bob. Have a wonderful holiday
Teisha Chung-Smith
I added more better when I took them out of the fridge because I was concerned about their dryness- came out great!
Lucia Vineyard
I followed the directions put the cookies in the oven, waited for the timer to go off in exactly 13 minutes and the balls of cookie dough turned into one sheet of cookies mush!
Tricia Buice
Hi Lucia. Not sure what happened to your cookies but I’ve never had anything like that go wrong. Hope you will try again, perhaps with a different brand of butter.
Rebecca
Funny coincidence, I baked mine the same day and the same thing happened. I read all the reviews and it didn’t seem that anyone had the same problem, so I tried the recipe again, thinking I had mis-measured the butter or let the dough get too warm, but actually I had put in only half of the flour. My second batch turned out perfectly.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Rebecca. Glad they turned out for you the second time! Happy holidays 🙂
Meagan McDermott
Oh my gosh. The same thing. I m immediately came to the reviews to see if I was alone. So much for my cookie exchange. Haha
Tricia Buice
This is a well tested and perfected recipe Meagan. Not sure why yours did not turn out. I’ve used this base recipe for 4 other cookies, all turn out great. Sorry about your cookie exchange. I always recommend testing a new recipe before you need it, just in case.
Terina Ditto
Can your lemon melt away cookies be frozen?
Terina
Tricia Buice
Hi Terina – yes they can! Enjoy 🙂
Julie
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.
Tricia Buice
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!
Michelle Ferro
delicious….literally melted in my mouth. Iced some and tossed some in powdered sugar. Great recipe. Easy. Must try!!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Michelle! Fresh lemons make a big difference – so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Jacy
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
Tricia Buice
Lemons can taste off sometimes. Hope you’ll try again soon with fresh lemons 🙂
Ella
I’m wondering if maybe you got some of the white part of the lemon into your mix when zesting the lemon. The yellow part is wonderfully tangy, but if you accidentally get some of the white in there, that part is quite bitter. Just a thought…
Rophe
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?
Tricia Buice
Yes and yes! The cookie dough may need to sit out for a little while to soften before rolling into balls. Good luck!
Rophe
Thank you, for responding
Sue Bawarski
How many does this recipe make? Thanks!
Tricia Buice
Hi Sue – about 36 cookies, or 3 dozen. Enjoy
Julie petersen
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. 🙂
Tricia Buice
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
Susan
I would love to make the lemon melt away cookies but would like the nutritional value please calories
Tricia Buice
I don’t have that option on my site Susan.
Deb
Susan, according to my calculations they have about 85 calories per cookie.
Linda
My nephew loves desserts with lemon, so I’m going to try baking these this year for Christmas. I make a lot of different cookies – scooping them into balls and freezing; I like bringing fresh-baked cookies to parties.
Can I freeze this dough, or do you suggest I cook the cookies first?
Thanks for the recipe…and your input! 🙂
Tricia Buice
Hi Linda. You are welcome to freeze these before they are baked. I would press them with the glass then flash freeze until needed. Good luck and thanks for trying this delicious cookie recipe. Happy holidays!
Carol VanScoter
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?
Tricia Buice
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!
Sarah Little
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.
Tricia Buice
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!
Sarah Little
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!
Tricia Buice
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.
Sahar
These look so good! Can the dough be rolled out and cut out with cookie cutters?
Tricia Buice
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!
holly
i have an allergy to corn so i substituted corn starch for arrowroot and they came out great! i also added lemon zest to the topping. great recipe!
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Holly! So glad you used arrowroot successfully. I’m sure this will help others that have a similar allergy. Thanks again!
Sharan
Dang. I find the 14 T butter so difficult. Anyone have other measurement….cups….?
Tricia Buice
Hi Sharan. 14 tablespoons of butter is the same as 7 ounces, or 198 grams. One stick of butter equals 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons. If you need 14 tablespoons you will need 3/4 cup of butter plus 2 tablespoons. Hope this helps
Debbie Kline
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
Tricia Buice
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!
Deborah Aspuria
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!
Tricia Buice
We love them too – thank you so much Deborah!
Mountain Annie
Made the lemon cookies. Added a little bit of vanilla and it really made the lemon flavor pop!
Tricia Buice
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!
Mary Laffin
just wondering how much vanilla you used in these Lemon Meltaway cookies.
Thanks
Tricia Buice
Hi Mary! I do not add vanilla extract in these lemon cookies – the recipe is correct as written. Thanks!