Almond Flour Lemon Cookies made are tender, buttery, crisp and mildly sweet when plain or soft and sweet when decorated. A perfect lemony treat to impress your family and friends!
If you love using lemon in baked goods then check out Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes, Blueberry Sour cream Muffins, Zucchini Muffins with Yogurt, Lemon Mug Cake from scratch or Lemon Ricotta Cookies.
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Almond Flour Lemon Cookies
My favorite part about this gluten free lemon cookies recipe is that they are made with pantry staples and does not require fancy ingredients. The dough can be rolled ahead and refrigerated for up 2 days (gets prep work out of the way) or baked unglazed cookies can be frozen for up a month.
If you have followed us for any length of time, then you must be familiar with our love for almond flour. It has become increasingly popular in the recent times and for all the right reasons.
It is super healthy, gluten free, incredibly versatile and is a delicious substitute for regular flour in most recipes. We love to make breakfast recipes like pancakes, waffles or muffins and also in desserts. Few of our favorites are Brownie Bite, Gluten Free Brownies with almond flour, Chocolate Cake with Almond Flour, Flourless Mug Cake or Almond Flour Cake.
Why do we love this recipe?
- Buttery with very little butter – The amount of butter is much lesser when compared to traditional recipes, because the ground almonds adds healthy fats and buttery flavor.
- Crisp & Mildly sweet without icing but Soft & Sweet when iced.
- Fun and pretty when decorated.
- Freezer friendly – Baked biscuits can be frozen for up to 2 months and decorated when needed.
- Gluten Free and Healthier.
Like a lot of beginners, I love to stick with easier decorations when it comes to cookie decorating. The stunning intricately decorated cookies that we find in the web are ……let’s just say, beyond my reach. This recipe is so easy and kids will have a fun time decorating them. Don’t have piping bags? Use quart size zip lock bags instead.
What is the icing consistency?
Yellow icing is used to flood the entire surface of the cookie, so it needs to be slightly thinner or “flooding consistency”. Whereas white icing needs to be of slightly thicker or “piping consistency”. (I like this detailed article on icing consistency by thesimple-sweetlife.com)
What is flooding consistency?
It is the consistency of icing used to create a smooth layer of icing on a cookie. You want flooding icing to be a little runny, but still thick enough to hold its shape, like “honey”.
What is piping consistency?
When lifted from the surface with a spoon, it forms a soft peak but doesn’t flow back into the rest of the icing. Not too thick that it’s hard to stir nor too thin that it settles into a flat surface after several seconds.
Key Ingredients
- Almond Flour – It can be easily found in all major grocery stores or Amazon. Make sure you use “Super Fine” for the recipe.
- Butter – Room temperature unsalted butter.
- Sugar – Regular white granulated sugar and confectioners sugar.
- Lemon – We will use both lemon zest and juice.
- Food color – Gel lemon food color.
Pro Tips for Success
- Adjust icing consistency – Stir in more lemon juice to make icing thinner or more confectioners sugar to make it thicker.
- Gentle hands when dealing with cookie dough. Since these cookies are made with almond flour, the dough is much more tender when compared to using all purpose flour. So, use a thin angled spatula is very helpful.
- Make sure to use a fine zester when zesting lemons.
- Baking the cookies until deep golden around the edges makes them more studier.
- Lemon food color – Lemon food color gives the more natural lemon look when compared to yellow food color. It can be found in Michaels, Joann or Amazon.
- Piping bags – We used piping bags (without any tip), but quart size zip lock bags (more sturdier than sandwich bags) can be used in a pinch.
- Cookie cutter – My favorite part of this recipe is that we don’t use any fancy cookie cutter. Just use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles. Then, simply cut those circles in half to make lemon slices.
How to make?
Step-1: Cream butter and regular sugar, until creamy and fluffy. Beat in almond flour, salt, lemon zest and juice. Stir dough to form a ball, roll between two sheets of parchment paper to about 1/4-inch thickness. Refrigerate overnight. Re roll remaining dough to make more cookies.
Step-2: Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut circles from the chilled dough and cut each circle into halves. Place them on a parchment line baking sheet (spacing about 1-inch apart), bake in a pre heated 325 degree oven until deep golden around the edges. Place pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
How to make Lemon icing?
White icing : Stir confectioners sugar and some lemon juice to get a very thick “piping” consistency. Transfer to a piping bag or zip lock bag.
Yellow icing : Stir confectioners sugar, some lemon juice, zest and yellow food coloring, to get a “flooding” consistency (thinner than the white icing). Transfer to a piping bag or zip lock bag.
How to decorate?
(It’s much easier than you think!)
Begin by using the yellow icing – Snip off the end tip of the piping bag. Spread yellow icing all over the top of the cookies, leaving a 1/8-inch border. Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet to dry for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Finish by using white icing – Cut a small tip from the end of the piping bag. Begin from the cookie you iced first (which will be almost set by this time), pipe a border around the edge of the cookie (bordering the yellow icing). Now, pipe three line from the middle of the straight line towards the semi circle to resemble a lemon slice.
Let cookies set for a few hours.
How to make ahead?
Baked and cooled biscuits (unglazed) can be frozen for up to 2 months. Whereas Iced biscuits can be stored for 4 to 5 days.
How to Freeze?
More cookies: Cardamom Cookies, Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies, Cashew Shortbread Cookies, Pecan Snowballs, Chocolate Vanilla Pinwheel Cookies, Cookies with Almond Butter, Santa’s Whiskers Cookies, Almond Joy Cookies, Breakfast Cookies, Halloween Skull Cookies, Chocolate Shortbread Cookies and Carrot Oatmeal Cookies.
More Holiday Recipes:
- Brown Sugar candied Pecans
- Shortbread using Brown Sugar
- How to make mocha with cocoa powder?
- Caramel Walnuts
More almond recipes: Gluten free Banana Muffins, Almond Butter Pancakes, Pancakes using Almond Flour, Almond Kulfi, Coconut Almond Cookies, Cranberry Almond Croissant, Homemade Almond Butter Bars, Almond Butter Cups, Raw Almond Bites, Date and Almond Candy and Almond Joy Cups.
More Almond Flour Cookie Recipes to try:
- Gluten Free Thumbprint Cookies with Jam
- Almond Flour Cookie Dough
- How to make one Cookie
- Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
- Black Sesame Seed Cookies
- Healthy Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Almond flour Peanut Butter Cookies
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Almond Flour Lemon Cookies
Almond Flour Lemon Cookies made are tender, buttery, crisp and mildly sweet when plain or soft and sweet when decorated. A perfect lemony treat to impress your family and friends!
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons almond flour, super fine
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 pinch salt
Lemon glaze
- 3 cups confections sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice (or as needed)
- Zest of 1 lemon (use a fine zester)
- a dash of lemon food color
Recommended products
Instructions
Make cookies
1. Beat sugar and butter with a hand held electric beater for 1 to 2 minutes (until creamy and fluffy).
2. Add almond flour, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt, continue beating for about 30 seconds or until thoroughly combined.
3. Remove beater and stir cookie dough with a rubber spatula to shape into one mass. Using hands, shape dough into a ball (if dough feels sticky, then mix in an additional tablespoon or two almond flour) and flatten slightly.
4. Place dough ball between two sheets of parchment paper and roll to about 1/4-inch thickness.
5. Transfer cookie dough (along with parchment) onto a baking sheet and refrigerate overnight (or up to 2 days).
6. When ready to bake, pre heat oven to 325° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut cookies into circles using a 3-inch cookie cutter and cut each circle in half, using a sharp knife. Gently transfer cookies to the baking sheet (spacing about an inch apart). Re roll remaining dough to make more cookies.
7. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until the edges get deep golden in color. Place baking sheet on a wire rack and cool completely.
Make icing
1. Make white icing - Add 1 and 1/2 cups confections sugar and 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice into a small bowl and mix to get a "piping consistency" (When lifted from the surface with a spoon, it forms a soft peak and doesn't flow back into the rest of the icing. Not too thick that it’s hard to stir nor too thin that it settles into a flat surface after several seconds). Transfer to a piping bag or a quart size zip lock bag and close to seal.
2. Make yellow icing - Add 1 and 1/2 cups confections sugar, lemon zest, 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice and a dash of lemon food color into a another small bowl and mix until "flooding" consistency (Icing needs to be a little runny, but still thick enough to hold its shape, like honey)
Adjust food color as needed. Transfer to a piping bag or a quart size zip lock bag and close to seal.
Decorate
1. Begin by using the yellow icing – Snip off the end tip of the piping bag. Spread yellow icing all over the top of the cookies, leaving a 1/8-inch border. Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet to dry for about 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Finish by using white icing – Cut a small tip from the end of the piping bag. Begin from the cookie you iced first (which will be almost set by this time), pipe a border around the edge of the cookie (bordering the yellow icing). Now, pipe three line from the middle of the straight line towards the semi circle to resemble a lemon slice.
3. Let cookies set for a few hours.
Notes
Icing consistency – Yellow icing is used to flood the entire surface of the cookie, so it needs to be slightly thinner or “flooding consistency”. Whereas white icing needs to be of slightly thicker or “piping consistency”.
Adjust icing consistency – Stir in more lemon juice to make icing thinner or more confectioners sugar to make it thicker.
Gentle hands when dealing with cookie dough. Since these cookies are made with almond flour, the dough is much more tender when compared to using all purpose flour. So, use a thin angled spatula is very helpful.
Make sure to use a fine zester when zesting lemons.
Baking the cookies until deep golden around the edges makes them more studier.
Lemon food color – Lemon food color gives the more natural lemon look when compared to yellow food color. It can be found in Michaels, Joann or Amazon.
Piping bags – We used piping bags (without any tip), but quart size zip lock bags (more sturdier than sandwich bags) can be used in a pinch.
Cookie cutter – My favorite part of this recipe is that we don’t use any fancy cookie cutter. Just use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles. Then, simply cut those circles in half to make lemon slices.
Can these cookies be made ahead? Baked cookies (unglazed) can be frozen for up to 2 months. Iced cookies can be stored at room temperature for 4 to 5 days.
Freezing instructions: Place cooked and cooled cookies in a large gallon size zip lock bag, seal and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 248Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 13mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 1gSugar: 54gProtein: 1g
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