Name: Italian Lemon Drop Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour ((250 grams)); 2 teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; ½ cup granulated sugar; ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature; 3 large eggs, room temperature; 1 large lemon, zested and juiced ((2 tablespoons juice, 1 tablespoon zest)); 1 ½ cups powdered sugar ((175 grams)); 3 tablespoons milk; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 teaspoon lemon zest

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Italian Lemon Drop Cookies are a simple and delicious lemon cookie made with just a few ingredients and topped with a tasty lemon glaze. These cookies come together fast and are great for any occasion!

Italian Lemon Drop Cookies on a white plate.

If you love the flavor of lemon, you’ll love these Italian Lemon Drop Cookies. These classic Italian cookies are simple to make and great for special occasions or whenever you are craving a lemony treat!

For more delicious lemon cookies, don’t miss these Lemon Ricotta Cookies, Italian Twist Cookies, or my Soft Lemon Cookies made with olive oil. And, if you love lemon desserts, then you should definitely try my Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake or this Lemon Polenta Cake with simple lemon glaze. For another simple Italian cookie, don’t miss these Italian Wedding Cookies!

Table of Contents

You’ll Love Italian Lemon Drop Cookies!

Italian Lemon Drop Cookies are the classic Italian lemon cookies characterized by how the cookie batter is dropped on the baking sheet. These delicious melt-in-your-mouth cookies are simple to make and use fresh lemon juice and zest.

If love lemony desserts, then you’ll love these lemon drops cookies. They are a great addition to any cookie tray and are full of bright lemon flavor.

This cookie is perfect for the lemon lover in your life and great any time of year. They are not overly sweet and have just the right amount of lemon flavor without using any lemon extract.

Glazed Italian Lemon Drop Cookies stacked on a white plate.

Lemon drop cookies are different than lemon knots but have a similar texture to anginetti cookies. They have a delicious cake-like consistency thanks to the eggs in the batter.

So, if you love lemon cookies, be sure to give these Italian Lemon Drop Cookies a try. You’re going to love them!

Ingredients

Flour: use regular all purpose flour for this recipe.
Sugar: granulated sugar is best for the cookie dough.
Butter: I like to use unsalted butter at room temperature. You could use vegetable oil if needed.
Egg: use three large eggs.
Lemon: you’ll need both lemon juice and lemon zest for the cookie batter and glaze. If you want, you can add in a bit of lemon extract to intensify the lemon flavor.

Baking Powder: make sure you are using baking powder and not baking soda.
Salt: I like to add a bit of kosher salt to balance the flavors.
Powdered Sugar: you’ll need some icing sugar to make the glaze for the Italian Lemon Drop Cookies.
Milk: a bit of milk is needed for the glaze. You can use what type of milk you have on hand.

How to Make Italian Lemon Drop Cookies

Italian Lemon Drop Cookies come together fast and only require a few ingredients to make. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

First, mix together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Process shots showing how to make recipe including rolling dough into balls and dipped in glaze.

Step 1: mix wet ingredients

In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine the room temperature butter and granulated sugar. Mix with hand mixer until light and fluffy.

Then, add in the eggs and lemon juice and zest. Mix until the batter is well combined.

Step 2: add in dry ingredients

Add the flour mixture and use an electric mixer on low speed to mix until just combined.

Step 3: roll into balls

Next, use a small cookie scoop to drop dough balls onto the lined baking sheet. The dough will be a bit sticky so a cookie scoop will help.

Bake in a preheated oven on the center rack for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack completely before adding glaze.

Step 4: add lemon glaze

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, lemon juice and zest. Then, flip over the cooled cookie and dip the top of the cookie into the glaze letting the excess glaze drip off.

Placed the glazed Italian Lemon Drop cookies on the wire cooling rack to set.

Italian Lemon Drop cookies on a white plate with a checkered napkin and lemons in the background.

Once the glaze is set, you can move the dough to an airtight container to store. Place a layer of plastic wrap between the cookies if you are stacking them.

Recipe Tips

For extra lemon flavor in your Italian Lemon Drop Cookies, you can add ¼ teaspoon of lemon extract to the batter.
If you have a hard time rolling the dough, you can chill dough for a couple of minutes before scooping.

Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for three days.
The glaze will start to soften if you refrigerate the cookies. If making ahead, bake the cookies, refrigerate, and then apply the glaze a couple of hours before serving.

Italian Lemon Drop Cookies stacked on a white plate.

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