These Iced Lemon Oatmeal Cookies are the sweetest bites of pure Arizona sunshine. Made with lemons picked right off my neighbor’s tree, in fact. A lemon flavored oatmeal cookie? I know, you aren’t too sure. A typical oatmeal cookie is spiced with cinnamon, but if we leave that out, we have a perfectly blank slate. Well more like a sweet, buttery, crisp cookie ready for anything…
And how fun is that crinkled icing on top? The sweet zing of lemon juice in that icing brings these cookies over the top. So delicious! To get the icing to look just so, be intentional about the consistency when mixing the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Once you have it slightly thinner than toothpaste, maybe like Elmer’s glue, gently dab the top of the cookie into the icing. It will be helpful to make the icing in a shallow bowl. And if the icing dries out with time, just refresh it with the tiniest bit (a few drops!) of water and stir.
The lemon flavor in these cookies comes from three sources. We make a lemon sugar by rubbing the zest of a lemon into sugar. All the oils are released from the peel and infuse the sugar. We want max lemon flavor here! Then we add a small amount of lemon extract to the cookie dough. I might try leaving this out next time I make these… The icing is so good and tart, it may not be necessary. And lastly, we make the icing with just powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice.
If you are ready for spring time and need a dose of sunshine, make these Ice Lemon Oatmeal Cookies. I’m sure you will love them so much you’ll want to share them with everyone you know.
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Iced Lemon Oatmeal Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 34 minutes
- Yield: 3 dozen 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
With their perfectly tart lemon icing, these buttery, crisp Iced Lemon Oatmeal Cookies are the sweetest bites of pure Arizona sunshine.
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)*
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
For the Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (more as needed)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add granulated sugar to a small bowl, and zest lemon into the sugar. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers to release the lemon oils and enhance the lemon flavor.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream butter and lemon sugar together. Add lemon extract if desired.
- Add flour, baking soda, salt, and oats and mix until a dough forms.
- Scoop tablespoon sized balls onto the baking sheet (12 per sheet). Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges are just golden. Cool on the baking sheet for three minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack.
For the Icing
- In a shallow bowl, mix powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice together. Start with one tablespoon, and add more juice until the icing is the consitency of white glue. Error on the side of too thick, as you can always add another drop or two of lemon juice as needed.
- Gently dab the top of the cookies into the icing. Allow to set before stacking.
Notes
*If your lemons are nice and tart, you may not needs this… but feel free to add if you want to boost the lemon flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 123
- Sugar: 13g
- Sodium: 82mg
- Fat: 5.4g
- Saturated Fat: 3.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.7g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 0.9g
- Cholesterol: 14mg
Debbie Kenney says
Where do you find you fluffy pastries. I have looked in 3 different stores and can’t find them.
kelbel says
I made these tonight. They were quick and easy. The cookies are buttery and bright with lemon. I used a gluten free flour blend and it worked out a-ok.
Laurie says
So much butter, not enough flour or oats. They spread pretty flat and it takes way more lemon juice to incorporate all of that powdered sugar. I like the idea, but I am searching for other recipes.
Terrie says
I have a question, how does this recipe yield 3 dozens of cookies with only one cup of flour. Is there a typo on this recipe? I want to make these but I’m not sure with all the butter and less flour. This is more of a shortbread cookie to me however since no egg. Please advise before I make this. Sunsetflower797@gmail.com
Julie says
Hi Terrie, it is a thin crisp cookie. Not really a shortbread, but definitely not a soft, dense chewy cookie that would require more dough to make three dozen. The butter/flour ratio is what make them spread flat and bake to a crisp texture. You also have to include the oats when considering the ratio of wet to dry ingredients, even though they are not flour. Hope this is helpful.
Debbie Blank says
Do the Iced Oatmeal Cookies not require eggs?
Just getting ready to make them.
Julie says
Correct- no eggs. This keeps them crisp abs flat. Enjoy!
Lacey says
I made these today and as i was making them i realized it didnt call for eggs, but i decided to power through. The cookies came out super thin. They were more like lace cookies they were so thin. I wasnt expecting them to be so thin and for this reason i didnt use the icing. I really liked them though. It was nice and crispy, different from the usual soft cookie. I will be making again.
Varnamala says
Just love these cookies! I have now made these three times!! This last time, I made them in advance.
David says
Tried this recipe with cassava flour. I ended up with a giant sheet of cookie. Didn’t hold form and didn’t really crisp up at 350.
www.zaun7.de says
Your recipe is a perfect balance of zesty and sweet, and the addition of the lemon glaze takes it to a whole new level of deliciousness. I can imagine enjoying these cookies with a cup of tea on a lazy afternoon or bringing them to a summer picnic to share with friends. Your creativity in reinventing the classic oatmeal cookie is truly inspiring, and I can’t wait to try making them myself. Thank you for sharing this delightful treat with us!