These Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies are some of my favorite cookies out there. Easy to make, the cookies go perfectly with a cup of coffee or your favorite tea.
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Lemon Cookies With Cream Cheese
I chose to bake today lemon-flavored cookies made with cream cheese.
These cookies are festive, delicious, and great for parties, holidays, or any day of the year when you miss them. I found this recipe long ago while looking for cream cheese cookies made from scratch.
The texture of these cookies is slightly cakey. They are softer than regular chocolate chip cookies, for example, but give them a day or two and they get a little bit harder but still delicious.
I noticed many recipes using cake mix instead of flour, and I wanted something I could make any time without having to take a trip to the store to buy that cake mix.
Flour is one of my staples in the house, and cake mix is not. 🙂
The only requirement for this recipe is to use your ingredients at room temperature. You want to have a smooth batter with no lumps in it. Besides that, it takes 5 minutes to put the dough together.
Why do we put cream cheese in this cookie dough?
The usage of cream cheese in a baked good is not a new thing. Many old recipes use cream cheese, cottage cheese, or farmer cheese to make cookies, pie crusts, or bread/cakes.
The cream cheese is mostly used as a substitute for butter, although, like this recipe, butter and cream cheese are used together.
Cream cheese is a perfect companion to baked products and provides unique flavor and texture. The best type of cream cheese to use in baking is the Philadelphia type.
The cream cheese used for breakfast or as a spread is not a suitable ingredient for baking.
What kind of ingredients do you need for these lemon cream cheese cookies?
- All-purpose flour- This is my first choice of flour. If you have only self-rising flour in your pantry, you can use it, but please skip the following two ingredients. Salt and baking powder are both part of the self-rising flour.
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Cream cheese- Philadelphia cheese is the one I used in this recipe. If you live outside of the US, other types of cream cheese are available. You might be able to get Neufchatel, Fromage Frais à la crème, or Gervais. All are suitable for these cookies.
- Unsalted butter- the butter and the cream cheese in this recipe are used at room temperature. I prefer unsalted butter, at least 80% fat, if possible. I do not bake with salted butter because I like to control the amount of salt in my baked goods. Also, if you choose to use salted butter instead of unsalted, you need to adjust the amounts of salt and the type of flour in the recipe. Otherwise, the cookies will be saltier than how they should be.
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon- juice, and zest
- Egg- a large size egg is perfect to use
- Powdered sugar for dusting
How To Make Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350F. This ensures that the oven is already at the right temperature when you are ready to bake the cookies.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt- use a medium bowl for this step.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugar gradually and mix until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add lemon juice, zest, and egg. Beat to combine.
- At a low speed, add the flour mixture and combine it all. Do not overmix.
- If the batter seems loose or warm, chill in the refrigerator until firm.
- Drop by tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. (Use a small ice cream scooper for uniform cookies.)
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating halfway through until barely golden on the bottom. Do not overbake!
- Allow the cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to completely cool.
- Dust with powdered sugar.
There is no lemony sugar glaze on these cookies. Why?
Yes, you are right. The cookies don't have a lemony sugar glaze on top. The recipe never came with a glaze, and I also like them less sweet.
However, if you want to glaze them, you can.
Why should you make these lemon cream cheese cookies?
- The cookies are easy to make, and the recipe is straightforward.
- You need basic ingredients that most people keep in their pantries: flour, sugar, eggs, etc.
- If you don't over-bake them, the texture of the cookies will be soft and less sweet, as there is no glaze on top of them.
- The cookies are light and delicious and perfect for a sweet tooth.
Can I freeze the dough and make the cookies later?
Yes, you can. Any cookie dough is good for up to 3 months in the freezer. Wrap it in plastic foil and freeze it as soon as you make it.
Interested in more cookies?
Olive Oil Lemon Cookies With Herbs
Peanut Butter Snowball Cookies
Easy Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
Check out our web story for this recipe: How to make Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies
📖 Recipe
Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup cream cheese softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter , or 8 tablespoons softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- grated lemon zest from one lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 large egg
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Add sugar gradually and mix until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and the egg.
- Beat to combine.
- At a low speed, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Do not overmix.
- If batter seems loose or warm, chill in the refrigerator until firm.
- Drop by tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
- Use a small ice cream scooper for uniform cookies.
- Bake for 12-15 mins, rotating halfway through until barely golden on the bottom.
- Do not overbake!
- Let cool on baking sheets for 5 mins, then transfer them to wire racks to cool.
- Dust with powdered sugar.
Allison says
These cookies are delightful! Easy to make with a lemony cheesecake flavor. Not too sweet with texture similar to a Madeleine. Delicious!
Sheri Olson-Rondeau says
Absolutely delicious. I added a bit of Coriander to the batter as well...love how it makes the lemon flavour, pop.🍋
M Alarcon says
Made these cookies but didn’t flatten out they puffed up. Looked like Italian wedding cookies. Not sure why. Thanks
The Bossy Kitchen says
I am not sure why this happened. Are you located in the US? If so, many butter brands in the US contain high amounts of palm oil. As palm oil has a high melting point, it prevents cookies from spreading during baking. Otherwise, I am not sure, as you don't tell me exactly what you did. The amount of baking powder for 1 cup of all-purpose flour is almost insignificant, so they should not puff up too much.
Susan says
These cookies look and sound awesome! However, I don't see where the ingredients are listed for the amounts. I mean, like how much flour, butter, etc.
Can't to try them.
The Bossy Kitchen says
Susan, The recipe card is at the bottom of the article. You either scroll down to it or use the "Jump to the recipe" button under the first paragraph.
Susan says
I'm so sorry. Just didn't go down the page far enough. Thanks for responding.
Karen Pallito says
I have signed up for your newsletter , but I would like try out your lemon cream cheese cookies, but how can I print out your recipes? no where to print them out.
Thank you, Karen Pallito
The Bossy Kitchen says
If you scroll down the article, you will find the recipe card. The recipe card is printable. Just click on the Print button.
MNelson says
I live in Louisiana & would like to make these & ship some to my son in Massachusetts. Would they keep good enough to still be enjoyable after 3-5 days in transit with the postal service? Also, would it be best to dust with confectioners sugar while still warm so it will stay on the cookies better?
The Bossy Kitchen says
Hi, The texture of the cookies is slightly soft, and they might get harder after a day or two. I don't think they will get there spoiled, just dryer, which is normal.
As for dusting with powdered sugar while cookies are still warm, I am not sure. I know my grandmother used to do this with her cookies, but I am not a fan of it, as I feel like the sugar gets wet and too sticky for my taste. However, make a batch and try both methods. Take a few cookies and dust them with powdered sugar while still warm and do the same with the rest, but when cool. See which one you like better.
For transportation, choose a box that is sturdy enough to hold the weight of your cookies that won't get crushed during shipping. Dust them generously with powdered sugar first. Wrap each cookie individually in a small piece of parchment paper and then place them in the airtight container. This will help keep the cookies fresh during shipping without the risk of mold. If the cookies are packed together without any wrapping or cushioning material, they can rub against each other and become damaged.
I hope this helps and your son gets to enjoy the cookies!
Also, thank you for inquiring.