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Soft glazed lemon cookies stacked on a plate with lemon zest scattered around
Low-Calorie Desserts

Soft Lemon Cookies

August 17, 2026 Total time: 40 min Makes: 16 cookies

These are for anyone who wants a soft bakery-style lemon cookie without the stick of butter most recipes lean on. Greek yogurt carries the moisture instead, so you still get that pillowy bite with a real hit of lemon, just lighter than the ones behind the glass at the coffee shop.

The glaze is just powdered sweetener and fresh lemon juice, so it sets into a thin shell instead of a thick sugary cap. Zest the lemon before you juice it, that is where most of the actual lemon flavor lives.

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Soft Lemon Cookies

Soft, bakery-style lemon cookies made with Greek yogurt instead of a stick of butter, glazed with real lemon juice.

Prep 15 min
Cook 10 min
Total 40 min
Yield 16 cookies

Ingredients

  • Cookies:
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar or granulated sugar substitute
  • 1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 large egg
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Glaze:
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar or powdered sugar substitute
  • 2 to 3 tsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together until light and a bit fluffy, about 2 minutes with a hand mixer or 3 minutes by hand with a spoon.
  4. Beat in the Greek yogurt, egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth.
  5. Add the flour mixture and stir just until no dry streaks remain. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky, that is correct, do not add extra flour to compensate.
  6. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared sheet, spacing 2 inches apart, they will spread and puff as they bake.
  7. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the tops look set and just barely start to turn golden at the very edges. These are meant to stay pale and soft, so pull them before they brown.
  8. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
  9. Whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until you have a smooth, pourable glaze, adding more lemon juice a few drops at a time if it is too thick. Drizzle or dip the top of each cooled cookie and let the glaze set for about 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition (approximate, per serving)

Calories78
Fat2g
Carbs13g
Fiber1g
Sugar6g
Protein2g

Estimated from the ingredients listed above; actual values will vary with brands and swaps.

Tips & swaps

  • Greek yogurt is doing double duty here, it replaces most of the butter you would normally use and keeps the crumb soft for days instead of drying out.
  • Zest the lemon before juicing it, it is much easier to zest a whole lemon than one you have already cut into.
  • These keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days. Glaze right before serving if you are making them ahead, since the glaze softens over time.
  • For a stronger lemon punch, add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of zest to the dough, the juice alone reads more subtle once baked.

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