These are the best lemon cookies ever! If you’re a fan of lemon you will go crazy over these lemon cream cheese cookies. They’re soft lemon cookies that practically melt in your mouth!
You KNOW it’s spring when ALL of the lemon desserts start popping up on your social media feeds, right!? Did you see my lemon-glazed mini donuts on Instagram the other day? Maybe it has something to do with the bag of lemons I bought from Costco, but no matter the reason, I am LOVING lemon.
When Kendra from Joy In Our Home asked me to take part in her spring blog hop, I just knew I had to do something lemon! I created this lovely lemon cake for last year’s blog hop, and it was a hit! I hope you guys like these lovely lemon cream cheese cookies just as much. I mean, it’s cream cheese. IN cookies. How can you not!?
Be sure to check out Noting Grace’s page next to see her stunning low-carb parfait! It sounds amazing! And at the bottom of this recipe, I’ve listed all of the links to the other posts from the hop. There’s something for every interest!
What’s in lemon cream cheese cookies?
I actually made these cookies a couple of weeks ago, and since the recipe makes around 25 cookies I ended up giving most of them away to Oscar’s preschool class! There were only 2 left when I picked him up, so I’m assuming they were well liked 😉
These soft lemon cookies are made with:
- (you got it) cream cheese
- butter, and;
- powdered sugar.
There’s also the zest of 2 whole lemons in the batch, so they’re very lemony!
I highly recommend using full-fat cream cheese for these. It’ll ensure they come out super soft and delicious!
Do you have to chill the dough?
As much as we all hate waiting for dough to chill, it’s a must with these. I would give them at least 2 hours in the fridge before baking. It’ll ensure the cookies come out as nice fluffy little mounds instead of flat blobs. We want mounds people, not blobs. The texture of the dough is actually very similar to my pumpkin cake cookies!
Soft and cakey!
What kind of icing is on these lemon cream cheese cookies?
If you thought I would put anything but cream cheese icing on these cookies, you’d be sorely mistaken. Of COURSE I’m going to put cream cheese icing on my cream cheese cookies! I also add a little lemon extract. So much lemon, you guys! But so good!
If you’re looking to bake up some spring inspiration this weekend, these cookies are a great choice. And don’t forget to hop on over to Noting Grace after this!
Hip, hip hoorah – it’s the week-END!
Ok, cookies! I like them too. Here’s a few others I think you’ll love:
Print
Lovely Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies
- Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen cookies 1x
Description
Soft, creamy, LOVELY lemon cookies that practically melt in your mouth. Topped off with a lemony cream cheese icing, these cookies will make your spring even brighter!!
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese (1 package)*, softened
- 1 egg, room temperature.
- 2 lemons (zest of 2, juice of 1)
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 oz cream cheese (1/2 package), softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1–2 tsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the cookie dough. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, powdered sugar and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a handheld mixer, combine the cream cheese with the butter on high speed for about 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, lemon juice, lemon and vanilla extract and mix until combined. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover the dough and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.
- Bake the cookies. Preheat the oven to 325 F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the cookie dough from the fridge. If it’s been chilling for more than a few hours, allow it to come to room temperature for about 20 minutes first. Using a medium cookie scoop (1.5 tbsp) place the cookie dough balls a few inches apart. Press down lightly with the back of a spoon to flatten the balls a bit. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. When you remove the cookies from the oven, they will look puffy and slightly undercooked. Let the cookies rest for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the icing. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld mixer, combine the cream cheese and butter. Mix on high speed for about 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. With the mixer running on low, add the powdered sugar and the cream, followed by the lemon extract and lemon zest. The icing should be fairly thick but spreadable. Add either more powdered sugar or cream to reach the desired consistency. Spread about 2 tsp icing on each cookie, followed by sprinkles!
Cookies will keep at room temperature, in an airtight container, for 2-3 days, or up to 1 week in the refrigerator. You can also freeze un-iced cookies for up to 2 months.
Notes
- I would recommend full-fat cream cheese. Use the block kind, rather than the small tub of cream cheese spread.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: cookies
- Method: oven bake
- Cuisine: american
Keywords: best lemon cookies ever // lemon cream cheese cookies. // soft lemon cookies // tart lemon cookies
DIY’s on Monday
Joy In Our Home | Timeless Creations |The Tattered Pew | CityGirlmeetsFarmboy | Life On Kaydeross Creek
Vignettes on Tuesday
anderson + grant | Follow The Yellow Brick Home | White Arrows Home | Worthing Court | Camelot Art Creations
Front Porches on Wednesday
County Road 407 | Elizabeth Joan Designs |The Crowned Goat | 2 Bees In A Pod | Sanctuary Home Decor
Mantels on Thursday
DIY Beautify | The Painted Hinge | Making It In the Mountains Grey Birch Designs | The Homemaking Momma
Recipes on Friday
Love In My Oven | Noting Grace | Beyond the Butter Confessions of a Baking Queen | The Sugar Coated Cottage
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Lucky preschool class to get these cookies! Love lemon too and with these so pretty on top of that, there’s no way they’d last long in our home 🙂 Happy weekend, my friend!
They were definitely pretty pumped about it! There were none left when I picked Oscar up 😉 Happy weekend to you Dawn!! XO
These cookies sound yummy!! Is it just me or is the recipe not showing? They look absolutely Spring perfect though and I love a great blog hop!! XOXO
It wasn’t just you, Kelly! I finally got it fixed 😉 Thanks my friend!!
These are the best cookies I’ve seen all week! I love lemon and that cream cheese icing is calling my name. But we have to talk a sec about the decorations, how perfect are those little flowers and shimmering sprinkles!!
Aah thanks Stacey!! I will trade you some of the little flower sprinkles for some of your polka dots from your spring cake 😉
Hi Katherine! These lemon cookies look delish! I have a tree loaded with lemons and have been itching to find ways to use them! So happy to be hopping with you this week!
Thanks so much Michelle (my hero)! I am SO jealous of your lemon tree – I would love that!! Happy to be hopping along with you too! XO
I love that the batch makes 25 because I’m thinking I need at least a dozen all for myself :). I can’t get enough lemon desserts right now so I need to try these! Happy Friday, Katherine!
Ooh there you go, you can have a dozen and still share some! Thanks Kelsie – I’m all about the lemon too!!
Oh my golly these look and sound amazing. I’m not a baker at all but love all things cake and cookie so I’m pinning and putting this on my grocery list! Thanks for sharing. Glad to be hopping with you!
Thanks Cindy – they’re so easy so you would have no trouble making these!! Glad to be hopping with you too, my friend!! XO
Such a fresh and attractive cookies would definitely bring some more friends at work too 🙂
★★★★★
That would be so kind of you – lucky friends!!! 🙂
I don’t know if there is a prettier cookie anywhere!! I must make these!!
You are so sweet! Thanks Kristin, you’d love them!
These look and sound delicious, Katherine! And so pretty…perfect for spring. This is the season when I’m craving all things lemon, so your timing is perfect!
★★★★★
I’m craving everything lemon too, Marissa! Thank you so much. They’re a terrific cookie!
I love lemon cookies! These will definitely be on our dessert list for Easter! so nice to be hopping with you this week!
Yay! I bet you’d love them. Thanks Colleen!! Another successful blog hop!
I love all things lemon and these sound so divine! I can’t wait to give these a try!
I do too!! It’s a great spring cookie 🙂
Katherine these look so good! I love lemon desserts and you cannot go wrong with cream cheese. I can’t wait to give these a try, they sound amazing. Hugs and happy spring, CoCo
Ooh you certainly cannot go wrong with cream cheese! I’m such a big fan!! Thank you, and happy spring to you too CoCo!! XO
Katherine – these look positively scrumptious! You know I can’t resist anything with cream cheese! And add some lemon, this is definitely a winner – and so beautifully decorated!
I can’t resist cream cheese either, Laura! It’s SO SO good!! Thank you my friend, I always have fun with sprinkles!!
I love lemon anything! These are so cute and sound delish!
Thanks Cindy! I love lemon anything too. 🙂
Lovely cookies ineed! I do love everything lemony too. Interestingly that lemons, as qell as other citrus fruit, have always been associated with winter, and I just recently learned this is a spring flavour for most people. I don’t mind, though! More lemons for me. Have you ever tried Italian ricotta based cookies? They go perfectly with lemons too (You can even top it with lemon curd for a more pronounced flavour), and I think you should like them.
★★★★★
I have not tried Italian ricotta based cookies, but they sound AMAZING. Especially with that lemon curd! Wow! Now I think I know what to do with the rest of my lemons, Ben. PS – I can’t comment on your homemade dulce de leche recipe that you have up. It says my IP has been blacklisted?! What did I do!? Haha!
I’m a sucker for a lemon dessert and these cookies look so refreshingly good, Katherine! It was fun getting to blog hop together again last week!
★★★★★
Thanks Jennifer! I’m so glad you were part of the hop too! Your creations are always stunning 🙂
wow are those pretty! You could tell me these were easy till the cows came home, but there’s no way I’d ever attempt them! Lucky kiddos.
Hahah, I am pretty sure you’d have no trouble with them, mimi! It’s just the decorating that looks intimidating 😉
The frosting to cookie ratio is perfection!! Not to mention lemon is one of my favorite flavors ever!!!
★★★★★
I adore lemon too – soooo good in desserts!! Thank you Elizabeth!
I think I enjoy lemon desserts even more than chocolate ones Katherine! These look wonderful!
★★★★★
Well, if you’re that much of a lemon lover you would definitely like these, Mary Ann! XO
Spring in a cookie! These cookies are lovely indeed, and so pretty! I love, love, love lemon desserts!
★★★★★
I LOOOOOVE lemon desserts too! I’ll trade you cookies for some of that philly cheesesteak 🙂
I must try these! I love lemon desserts! I wish I was part of Oscar’s preschool class LOL! Guess that means I’ll just have to make a big batch myself 😉
★★★★★
Hahah – I know. Why do kids get all of the good treats!? You should definitely make a batch for yourself! Cheers, lady!
Lemon desserts are a favorite of mine right behind chocolate, so bring on these cookies! These are so pretty, and the cream cheese icing is definitely necessary. 🙂
★★★★★
I am with you, Marcie. Chocolate first (always) and then lemon is a close second! Thank you friend!
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I love the combo of butter and cream cheese! These cookies are super easy to prepare and bake. Thanks for this amazing recipe 🙂
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