Typically, I am a die hard chocolate-lover. I will choose chocolate over most any other flavors or kinds of dessert. However, some of my family members are true lemon lovers… lemon bars, lemon cookies, lemon cake… whatever! And although lemon may not be my first thought when it comes to dessert, occasionally, I will make something just for the lemon lovers in my life!

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That’s when I will venture out and try a new recipe with lemon. I found this recipe years ago in a magazine advertisement and have used it many times since. And out of all of the recipes that I have found so far, this is one of my favorites. It has a lemon shortbread cookie with a lemon-buttery frosting on top. These little lemon cookies are absolutely delicious!

This is the perfect ending to a spring dinner, not too heavy, but just right. These would also make a wonderful teacher’s gift! In fact, I have made a cute gift tag that you can download below for free if you choose to make these for a gift!

Just place these sweet cookies in a decorative jar and tie a ribbon on top and attach this gift tag. Voila’! An easy end of the year gift for your child’s teacher that they will love. Go ahead and make an extra batch, just for you!!! Don’t forget to check out my Resource Library for your free printable gift tag and much more!

Print Recipe

Lemon Meltaway Cookies

A delicious buttery lemon cookie with just sweet enough icing. A perfect end to a spring dinner or a great gift!

Allow cookie dough to rest in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Total hands on time is about 20 minutes.1 20

Total Time1 20

Course: Dessert

Ingredients

Cookie Ingredients

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest, freshly grated

Frosting Ingredients

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp lemon zest, freshly grated
1 tsp lemon juice
2 drops yellow food coloring optional
1/3 cup white candy melts/white chocolate chips optional

Instructions

Cookies

Mix together flour and cornstarch in a small bowl. In another bowl mix the butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice and peel.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar until well incorporated.
When mixed well, roll the dough into 2 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log, about the diameter of a half dollar.
Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
After dough has been refregerated and is hard, unwrap and cut cookies 1/4 inch thick and place on a baking sheet.
Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes on 350 °. Cookies will not brown. Allow the cookies to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

Cream butter and powdered sugar together (you can do this by hand if your butter is soft enough).
Once the sugar is well incorporated, add the lemon juice, grated peel, and food coloring.

Notes

If you are planning to stack these cookies or place them in a jar, etc, you may want to add 1/3 cup candy melts or white chocolate chips to the icing at this point. You may melt the candy melts/wafers in the microwave stiring every 20-30 seconds. If using white chocolate chips, check more frequently because white chocolate scorches more easily. Allow the melts to cool just a little before adding into the frosting mixture. The melts will change the texture of the frosting a little (for the better in my opinion) but it will allow the icing to harden and it won't smear when another cookie touches it.

You may spread the frosting on the cookies with a knife or pipe it onto the cookies using a piping bag (or even a ziplock bag) with a small hole cut into it. Just drizzle on or make any kind of design that you want!

Enjoy!!!

You can find the adorable “Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy” gift tags (pictured above) in my Resource Library, and you can gain access to it and keep up with all of the new happenings at The Sweetest Part by signing up for my free newsletter!

Original Recipe Adapted from Land O Lakes

I hope that you truly enjoy this recipe and that you love the gift tags as much as I do! They just feel like summer to me!!! Please let me know what you think about these yummy cookies in the comments below!