Lemon Tea Cookies Recipe: How to Make Lemon Tea Cookies
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Mar 22, 2022 • 2 min read
Lemon tea cookies are an easygoing kind of treat: light and mildly sweet, with a delicate texture that melts in the mouth—perfect for afternoon tea.
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What Are Lemon Tea Cookies?
Lemon tea cookies are crumbly buttery cookies flavored with fresh lemon juice and zest and rolled in powdered sugar in the style of a Russian tea cake or Mexican wedding cookie. Other lemon tea cookie variations include lemon-flavored shortbread cookies or butter cookies and lemon curd–filled thumbprint cookies.
3 Tips for Making Lemon Tea Cookies
Lemon tea cookies are simple to make and elegant in presentation. Here’s what to know.
- 1. Use fresh lemon zest and juice. Skip the lemon extract or lemon oil. Instead, use fresh lemon juice, lemon peel, or zest for authentic lemon flavor. The fresh ingredients will better translate the fruit’s natural tartness and balance the overall sweetness of the cookies.
- 2. Bind with more water or lemon juice. Because these cookies don’t include eggs, the dough will be crumbly and lighter than most cookie doughs. Knead the dough a few times by hand to help it come together, and add a teaspoon of liquid at a time as needed.
- 3. Experiment with different mix-ins. Add components that pair well with lemon, like poppy seeds, thinly sliced almonds or almond extract, or finely shredded coconut for a unique take on a standard lemon cookie.
Easy Lemon Tea Cookies Recipe
makes
10–12 cookiesprep time
10 mintotal time
25 mincook time
15 minIngredients
Note: The total time does not include 15 minutes of inactive time.
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 3
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set the bowl aside.
- 4
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed, 3–4 minutes.
- 5
Add your extract of choice, the lemon juice, and lemon zest, and beat to incorporate.
- 6
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- 7
Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon measuring spoon to shape the cookie dough into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. (The cookies won’t spread as they bake, so feel free to crowd the baking sheet.)
- 8
Bake until the cookies have set and are just beginning to turn golden brown, 15 minutes.
- 9
Place about 1 cup of powdered sugar in a small bowl.
- 10
Remove the cookies from the oven. When they are cool enough to handle but still warm, roll them in the confectioners’ sugar, one at a time. Set the powdered cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
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