Soft and Chewy Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies – Deliciously soft, chewy, and thick cookies made with cream cheese for extra softness, and infused with lemon!
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!
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, their measurements, 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.
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.
Tried this recipe?
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!
More cookies to try next!
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Soft and Chewy Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- ½ cup 115g unsalted butter, mostly melted
- ¼ cup 50g cream cheese, softened
- ¾ 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
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Zest of 1 lemon, optional
For the Glaze
- 1 cup 125g icing/powdered sugar
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
For the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4, and line a baking tray with parchment paper, or a silicone mat. Set aside.
- 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, about 14 – 15 balls, and place on the prepared baking tray. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes.
- Allow to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Glaze
- Mix 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, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I need to try these. They look amazing!
Thanks, Olivia!
These look so amazing! I love lemon everything!
Thanks, Miranda!
These cookies look so perfect for summer! That lemon is the best!
Thanks, Shelby!
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.
Thanks, Lynn!
Anything involving cream cheese makes me giddy! Love these cookies, Marsha! So soft and lemony! YUM!
Thanks, Cheyanne!
You should come to Croatia. We have only sunshine and hot weather here 😉 Yeah, I have the same feeling. Summer and hot weather = lemon … cake, cookies, anything 😉 Marsha, these cookies looks perfect. Soft, chewy, lemony … omg, give me some! 😀
Thanks, Natalie! Croatia sounds lovely! 😉
Any cookie that is soft and chewy is A-OK with me! These sound delicious…I love lemon flavors this time of the year! Will definitely have to try this recipe ASAP! 🙂
Thanks, Sarah! 🙂
These cookies definitely look soft and chewy …and lemon flavored! Love this. Pinned!!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks, Maria! 🙂
Hi Marsha.. you two of my favorite things here – Lemon & Cream Cheese and all in a COOKIE.. can’t go wrong here. Absolutely love your photos
Thanks, Karyn!
These sound delicious! I love lemon-flavored baked goods, and cookies are just the right size for my sweet tooth. I’ll have to give these a try.
Thanks, Diana!
I wish I had this recipe last month when I had this tiny bit of cream cheese leftover and I did not know what to do with it!! Cookies! Bake into cookie! Thanks, I’m gonna save this for all the times I make a recipe that doesn’t dare to use an entire package of cream cheese!
Thanks, Tina!
I really wasn’t expecting much when I heard you was making LEMON cookies. It sounded unappetizing to me lol but as it’s your baking, I thought I had to at least try one. And to my surprise, it was actually really good! It’s soft as usual (like the rest of your cookies) but not so soft that it’s like biting into cookie dough lol
But the thing that surprised me the most was the taste. I’m not a big fan of lemon, but I could of eaten 10 of them cookies in a row! It was so sweet, but not so that it overpowered the lemon. It was a perfect mix
Glad you enjoyed them so much! 😛
Marsha, I’m so glad the hot weather inspired you to make these cookies! Lemon cookies are my sister’s absolute favorite. I have to try making these for her some time (if she’s nice to me… J/k!) These cookies look so unbelievably soft and just… perfect. Exactly what I’d expect from MBA. 🙂 Hoping you get another thunderstorm! 😉 Pinning!
Thanks, Demeter! 🙂
Marsha, I’m so glad the hot weather inspired you to make these cookies! Lemon cookies are my sister’s absolute favorite. I have to try making these for her some time (if she’s nice to me… J/k!) These cookies look so unbelievably soft and just… perfect. Exactly what I’d expect from MBA. 🙂 Hoping you get another thunderstorm! 😉 Pinning!