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Soft and Chewy Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies

Soft and Chewy Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies – Deliciously soft, chewy, and thick cookies made with cream cheese for extra softness, and infused with lemon!

Soft and Chewy Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies drizzled with a glazed on marble background.

The weather’s all over the place here in the UK. It’s very warm, yet we are still getting plenty of rain – typical. (I do enjoy the odd thunderstorm we get though!) Rain or not, the hot weather makes me want to bake with citrusy fruits, and bake with them I will.

Today I bring you cookies that are made for summertime, perfect for those hot days – Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies! I’ve topped these cookies with a delicious lemon glaze and a sprinkle of lemon zest for an added burst of citrus in every bite.

The cream cheese added to these cookies makes them extra soft and moist without actually making them taste like cream cheese. In fact, I find it makes these cookies taste more buttery! Bonus!

Love lemon desserts? You need these cookies in your life!

Soft and Chewy Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

How to make Soft and Chewy Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • Unsalted butter
  • Cream cheese
  • Caster/granulated sugar
  • Large egg
  • Lemon extract
  • Plain/all-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Cornflour/cornstarch
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Lemon zest
  • Icing/powdered sugar
  • Lemon juice

To make these cookies, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cornflour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. Set aside.

Whisk together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Add the egg and mix until combined, then mix in the lemon extract. Fold in the dry ingredients.

Roll the dough into 1.5oz balls, and place onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking tray for 5 – 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze, stir together the icing sugar and lemon juice until smooth and combined. Add more juice to reach desired consistency if needed.

Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies.

The printable recipe card with the FULL list of ingredients and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.

NOTE: For best results, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup measurements.

Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough, and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.

Soft and Chewy Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies on a marble background.
Soft and Chewy Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies drizzled with a glaze with a bite taken out of one cookie.

These Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies are:

  • so quick and easy to throw together
  • deliciously soft and chewy
  • bursting with lemon flavour
  • the perfect cookies for summer!

How long will these cookies last? These cookies will stay fresh, kept in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Can I freeze these cookies? Yes, they freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Prefer freshly baked cookies every time? Cookie dough balls can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram and hashtag it #simplybakeblog. I’d love to see!

A tall stack of Soft and Chewy Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies drizzled with a glaze on a marble background.
A tall stack of Soft and Chewy Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies with a bite taken out of the top one.
Soft and Chewy Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies - Deliciously soft, chewy, and thick cookies made with cream cheese for extra softness, and infused with lemon! #lemoncookies #cookierecipes #cookies #lemonrecipes

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Yield: 15 cookies

Soft and Chewy Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies

Soft and Chewy Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies

Deliciously soft, chewy, and thick cookies made with cream cheese for extra softness, and infused with lemon!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cookies

  • 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, mostly melted
  • 1/4 cup (50g) cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup (150g) caster/granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons lemon extract
  • 2 cups (250g) plain/all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cornflour/cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Zest of 1 lemon, optional

For the Glaze

  • 1 cup (125g) icing/powdered sugar
  • 4 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions

For the Cookies

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4, and line a baking tray with parchment paper, or a silicone mat. Set aside.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cornflour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. Set aside.
  3. Whisk together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Add the egg and mix until combined, then mix in the lemon extract. Fold in the dry ingredients.
  4. Roll the dough into 1.5oz balls, about 14 - 15 balls, and place on the prepared baking tray. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes.
  5. Allow to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Glaze

  1. Mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice until smooth and combined. Add more juice to reach desired consistency if needed.
  2. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies, and enjoy!

Notes

Cookies stay fresh, kept in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Cookie dough balls can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen for an extra minute.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

15 cookies

Serving Size:

1 cookie

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 226Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 128mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 3g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @simplybake_blog on Instagram and hashtag it #simplybakeblog

Olivia @ Olivia's Cuisine

Monday 18th of July 2016

I need to try these. They look amazing!

Marsha

Monday 18th of July 2016

Thanks, Olivia!

Miranda

Sunday 17th of July 2016

These look so amazing! I love lemon everything!

Marsha

Sunday 17th of July 2016

Thanks, Miranda!

Shelby @ Go Eat and Repeat

Thursday 14th of July 2016

These cookies look so perfect for summer! That lemon is the best!

Marsha

Friday 15th of July 2016

Thanks, Shelby!

Lynn | The Road to Honey

Thursday 14th of July 2016

I'm glad we are not the only ones having crazy kookie weather. . .one minute it's 90 degrees F out. . .and the next I'm shivering with my polar fleece on.

Warm weather or not, these beauties are sure to bring a sunny disposition into my life. I love any and all things lemon. . .as a matter of fact it appears to be one of the most used ingredients in my house. If only I had a fresh batch of these zingy cookies sitting on my countertop.

Marsha

Friday 15th of July 2016

Thanks, Lynn!

Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary

Thursday 14th of July 2016

Anything involving cream cheese makes me giddy! Love these cookies, Marsha! So soft and lemony! YUM!

Marsha

Thursday 14th of July 2016

Thanks, Cheyanne!

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