These Limoncello Cookies are sweet and lemony with the best soft and tender texture. This easy cookie recipe is a great way to brighten your day!
I just finished baking another batch of these amazing little Limoncello Cookies and they are seriously like a burst of sunshine in my kitchen.
If you have a bottle of limoncello lurking in your pantry, you’ve got to try them. If not, I firmly believe that this recipe alone is reason to buy a bottle. Since Limoncello has such a long shelf life and is so downright delicious, I doubt you’ll have trouble finishing it off!
Limoncello and fresh lemon combine to create the fabulous flavor in these cookies. After they cool, you’ll top them with a pretty limoncello glaze speckled with lemon zest.
In addition to the amazing lemon flavor, I am so impressed with the soft and tender texture of these cookies. It’s just an irresistible combination!
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Lemons: Use Meyer lemons if you can get them. I pick up a bag of them on almost every shopping trip. The juice and zest are both slightly sweeter than regular lemons and perfect for baked goods. Use a microplane zester to easily zest your lemons.
- Egg yolks: Using just the yolk of the eggs richens the dough and helps create the soft and tender texture of this cookie.
- Limoncello: Both the cookie dough and icing have a little Limoncello. If you are concerned about the alcohol content, you can substitute an equal amount of fresh lemon juice. You won’t get quite the same intense lemon flavor but they will still be delicious.
Limoncello is an Italian liqueur that is made by steeping lemon peels in alcohol to extract the oils which are then mixed with simple syrup. The result is a smooth, intensely lemon flavored liqueur that is traditionally served as a digestive to be sipped chilled from small glasses after a meal. While I’ve never tried it, there are lots of recipes out there for homemade limoncello and apparently, it’s very easy to make.
A little limoncello adds sweet and smooth lemon flavor to baked goods and a wide variety of desserts without any bitterness. It’s also delicious mixed with sparkling water and shaken into cocktails.
Look on the label for the alcohol content which is typically in the 25% to 30% range. This is sufficient to allow you to safely store an open bottle at room temperature. For the best quality, it’s best consumed within two years, as the bright lemon flavor can begin to fade if stored too long. I highly recommend chilling it in the refrigerator, or better yet, pop it in the freezer for a couple of hours before serving.
How to Make Limoncello Cookies
- Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, limoncello, vanilla and lemon zest.
- Beat the mixture until combined and set it aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture all at once and mix again with electric mixer until a soft dough forms.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (about 1 ½ tablespoons of dough) to scoop the dough and roll into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 2-inches apart.
- Use the palm of your hand to slightly flatten the balls of dough.
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the bottom edges are just beginning to look golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Make the Limoncello Glaze
- In a small bowl, stir together the confectioners’ sugar, limoncello, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Add additional lemon juice, as needed, to reach a nice glaze consistency (it should be somewhat thick but pour easily off the spoon).
- Use a small metal spoon to pour a small amount of glaze on top of a cookie and use the back of the spoon to spread and swirl it around. Repeat with remaining cookies and glaze.
- Allow to set for about 15 minutes before serving.
Storage Tips
After the glaze has set, store the Limoncello Cookies in an airtight container, layered between a sheet of wax paper. Consume within 1 week for the best quality.
For longer storage, follow the freezer instructions below.
Freezer Instructions
To freeze the cookie dough, place the balls of dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze for an hour or until solid. Transfer the balls of dough to a freezer safe plastic storage bag or other airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before proceeding with baking and glazing the cookies as directed in the recipe.
It’s best to freeze baked cookies prior to adding the glaze for the best result. Be sure they’ve completely cooled, then layer them between wax paper in an airtight container before transferring to the freezer. Thaw the frozen cookies and then top with the glaze as directed in the recipe.
More Lemon Love
- Lemon Yogurt Poppy Seed Bread
- Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake
- Mom’s Lemon Bars
- No Bake Lemon Cheesecake
- Lemon Zucchini Coffee Cake
- Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Frosting
Limoncello Cookies
Ingredients
Limoncello Cookies
- ¾ cup butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons limoncello
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest, from 1 medium lemon (use Meyer lemons, if possible)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Limoncello Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons limoncello
- 1 heaping teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest, from ½ a medium lemon (use Meyer lemons, if possible)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, as needed
Instructions
For the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, limoncello, vanilla and lemon zest, and beat until combined.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture all at once and mix again with electric mixer until a soft dough forms. Use a spoon to mix the dough to bring the dough together more fully.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (about 1 ½ tablespoons of dough) to scoop the dough and roll into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 2-inches apart. Use the palm of your hand to slightly flatten the balls of dough.
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the bottom edges are just beginning to look golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
For the Glaze
- In a small bowl, stir together the confectioners’ sugar, limoncello, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Add additional lemon juice, as needed, to reach a nice glaze consistency (it should be somewhat thick but pour easily off the spoon). Use a small metal spoon to pour a small amount of glaze on top of a cookie and use the back of the spoon to spread and swirl it around. Repeat with remaining cookies and glaze. Allow to set for about 15 minutes before serving.
- Store in an airtight container and consume within 1 week for the best quality.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Adapted from Trisha Yearwood
Hi Valerie
Are you using salted or unsalted butter for this recipe?
Salted.
Thanks.
I did end up making the recipe with salted butter and it was excellent.
Fantastic! Thanks, Michael 🙂
Delicious but like other reviewers have said not even close to the yellow color pictured. Either food coloring was used or she edited the picture.
Our favorite all time lemon cookie recipe! Such an excellent lemon flavor!!
The cookie was delicious but my icing was so runny. Any helpful hints for next time? Also mine were nowhere near as yellow as the picture.
Hi JJ. The icing is easy to work with – just try adding a very small amount of the lemon juice and add only as much as needed for a thicker consistency. If it’s too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. Hope this works for you next time!
I made this recipe for a baby shower, along with many other cookies,. I decorated the tops with the glaze and added a small lemon-shaped gel candy. So cute! A double batch would have been better, as they disappeared very quickly. Delicious!!
I made these cookies the first time 10 ago and I keep going back to it. Here in Italy is very easy to find tasty fresh lemons and high-quality limoncino, so they are always delicious!
I found the dough far too dry and crumbly and had to add a lot of liquid. I’d recommend adding the dry ingredients incrementally rather than all at once so you have a little more control.
I’d want to be sure you are measuring the flour correctly by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off vs. scooping it directly out of the flour container. Many times this is the issue when people complain of the ratio being off. Sorry you had that issue!
Best cookies ever!!! 🥰. Easy to make too. Makes want to back to Italy again
These cookies are light and tender, not too overpowering with the lemon flavor. Perfect for afternoon tea!! And they were so easy to make! Thank you for the recipe. I’ll be keeping this one!
Hi Valerie,
Do you think they alcohol is burned off in the cookie while baking? I’m thinking I could bake them with the limoncello but then glaze them without so the kids can eat them too.
Hi Donna. I can’t say for sure how much “burns off” in the baking process. My guess is not much since the cookies bake quickly and at a pretty low temperature. Although the total ratio of alcohol in the recipe is quite low, if this is a concern to you, I would leave out the Limoncello and replace it with an equal amount of fresh lemon juice. You could also up the amount of zest for even more lemon flavor. Hope this helps!
These cookies are so delicious. Everyone loves them. They remind me of my family’s “wedding cookie” with the addition of the lemon flavor. It’s now my “go to” cookie for parties and holiday dinners. A real winner. Thank you for the recipe.
I made limoncello cookies again today. Love this recipe. Cookies are so flavorful & soft ! Yummy
So glad you’re loving them, Patricia! We LOVE these cookies too 🙂