Lemon Buttermilk Cookie Recipe (2024)

By Maria Lichty

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Lemon Buttermilk Cookie Recipe (2)

We go through a lotof milk at our house. Josh loves skim milk. He can really down it! We always keep a couple of gallons in our extra refrigerator. Luckily, it has been on sale lately:) I also like to keep buttermilk on hand for baking. I don’t go through it as fast though. It seems like I am always hurrying to use it before it expires.

The other day I realized I had a carton of buttermilk that was on the verge of being even more sour:) So I decided to get out my mixer and whip up some Lemon Buttermilk Cookies. I have never made buttermilk cookies before, I usually make scones, biscuits, etc. I was excited to try a cookie!

The cookies were very soft and tender, more of a cake texture than a cookie. I am glad I added a lot of lemon zest to the dough and glaze. The lemon flavor was quite nice. They reminded me of Giada’s

Lemon Ricotta cookies that I have made! If you have made those and loved them, you will love these too! They are both REALLY good! I will be making these again, a sweet way to use up that buttermilk!

Lemon Buttermilk Cookie Recipe (3)
Lemon Buttermilk Cookie Recipe (4)

Lemon Buttermilk Cookie Recipe (5)

Vegetarian

Lemon Buttermilk Cookies

These light and fluffy lemon cookies with sweet glaze are delightful!

4.27 from 15 votes

Ingredients

  • For the cookies:
  • 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • Zest of two lemons
  • ¼ tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
  • For the glaze:
  • ¾ cup confectioners sugar, sifted
  • 1 ½ Tbsp. well-shaken buttermilk
  • ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp. lemon zest

Instructions

  • Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, zest, baking soda, and salt.

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter briefly, until creamy. Add the sugar, and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, and beat well to mix. Add the vanilla, and beat briefly again. Mix in the flour mixture and the buttermilk in batches at low speed, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

  • Drop the dough by level tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 ½ inches between each cookie. Bake, 1 shet at a time, for about 11 minutes per batch. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 1 minute; then transfer them to a wire rack.

  • For the glaze, whisk together the sifted confectioners sugar, buttermilk, and vanilla. I also added in lemon zest. Brush or spoon the glaze onto the warm cookies. Allow cookies to sit on the rack until the glaze is set.

Have you tried this recipe?

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Home » Vegetarian

Lemon Buttermilk Cookie Recipe (6)

Maria

I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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Comments

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  1. I love the lemon in these cookies! They look like they would melt in your mouth!

    Reply

  2. I made your strawberry cake last weekend, had a ton of buttermilk leftover. This weekend, it was these cookies and banana buttermilk muffins. All delicious! 🙂

    Reply

  3. These look fantastic. Buttermilk and milk can be frozen if they can’t be used up in time. Thawed milk works perfectly in baking and cooking.

    Reply

  4. The texture of my dough — and thus, the baked cookies — is too doughy. Any suggestions? Thanks!

    Reply

  5. I am an avid buttermilk fan for baking..first time for cookies though. And what refreshing, tasting cookies these turned out to be. Ran out of lemon zest when it came time to make glaze, so substituted lemon juice for the vanilla..voila..it worked Easy peasy recipe.

    Reply

    1. Glad you liked the cookies!

  6. Lemon Buttermilk Cookie Recipe (13)
    What an excellent recipe! I have a lot of goats milk on hand since I’ve been milking one of my girls. Over a quart a day! Plus I make homemade butter and have leftover buttermilk. I ‘ve been looking for a good use of buttermilk and these cookies are delicious!

    Reply

  7. Lemon Buttermilk Cookie Recipe (14)
    I made your recipe because I had to use buttermilk in another recipe, had 1/2 carton left. OMG!!! Melt in your mouth when warm (delicious cold too)!! My husband hit the nail on the head when he said the sweetness was just right!! I was wondering if you could make a batch up and freeze them for later use?

    Reply

  8. Lemon Buttermilk Cookie Recipe (15)
    I don’t know what went wrong. I followed the recipe exactly to a T. I even used unbleached APF like the recipe called for. I didn’t over bake them, but they came out either too dry or too doughy. I’ve made lemon cookies before with a boxed cake mix and they were so much better! And I don’t understand how you can make lemon cookies and glaze without any lemon juice or extract and only a couple of tsps. of zest for the whole recipe! I added real lemon juice to the glaze which made it a lot better. Too bad the cookies were terrible.

    Reply

  9. Lemon Buttermilk Cookie Recipe (16)
    My husband loved these! I made the following edits: full stick of butter, zest of 3 lemons, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, 1tsp vanilla extract. I baked for 12 mins and should have gone 2 more minutes. Great flavor and texture!

    Reply

  10. Is it 6 tablespoons of butter PLUS 3 oz of butter? I know 6 tblspns IS 3 oz but just want to be clear. thanks.

    Reply

    1. You need 6 tablespoons total. I updated the recipe to make it clear. Enjoy!

  11. Lemon Buttermilk Cookie Recipe (17)
    These were a hit!

    I doubled the amount of zest.

    Reply

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Lemon Buttermilk Cookie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you mix lemon and buttermilk? ›

Although baking does use lemon and buttermilk together in lot of recipe but they are with other ingredients balancing the combined acidity ( Lactic- milk and citic - lemon ). So, it is pretty safe to have them as a ingredients in products and lemon in milk to make buttermilk.

What does adding water to cookie dough do? ›

The most likely benefit of adding water to your cookie dough is to help hydrate the batter. If your dough looks dry after mixing (especially when using browned butter), adding a tablespoon or two of water could be just what your dough needs to prevent a dry, crumbly cookie.

What can cause a cookie to be too moist or not moist enough? ›

Eggs bind the ingredients and make for moist, chewy cookies. Adding too many eggs can result in gummy, cake-like cookies. Adding too few eggs can result in dry, crumbly cookies. Beat each one in separately and thoroughly.

What should you not mix with lemon? ›

Mixing lemon with milk or any other dairy products while cooking will react and lead to curdling. This is because of the acidic nature of lemons. You should also avoid taking lemon along with milk, as it may cause severe heartburn or acidity due to the presence of citric acid.

Is it better to use lemon juice or vinegar for buttermilk? ›

Whichever you choose, this ingredient is the acid that will change your milk into buttermilk. Having trouble deciding between the two? Don't think too much about it–you really won't taste either ingredient in your end result, so just use whatever you have on hand!

What does adding an extra egg do to cookies? ›

Because egg yolks contain lecithin and fat, they enrich the flavor and texture of chocolate chip cookies. If you prefer your cookies chewy rather than crispy, adding extra yolks will create a softer and more tender final product, and you can even save the extra whites for another dessert or dish.

What does brown sugar do to cookies? ›

Brown sugar, meanwhile, is dense and compacts easily, creating fewer air pockets during creaming—that means that there's less opportunity to entrap gas, creating cookies that rise less and spread more. With less moisture escaping via steam, they also stay moist and chewy.

What makes cookies rise more? ›

Baking Powder. The type of leavening you use in your cookies doesn't just help them rise while baking, it affects their texture and structure too. Baking soda in cookies yields a denser cookie with craggy tops, while baking powder causes cookies to rise higher during baking for a cakier texture.

What is the secret to a good cookie? ›

The key is to always use top-quality ingredients as they'll result in a better cookie; it really is that simple.
  • Always use butter.
  • Choose the right sugar.
  • Choose the right flour.
  • Check your flour is in date.
  • Choose the right kind of chocolate.
  • Cream the butter and sugar.
  • Beat in the eggs.
  • Fold in the flour.

Should cookie dough sit before baking? ›

But there's one rule that works for just about every chocolate chip cookie dough recipe, and it's the answer to a common cookie baking question: Does resting your cookie dough make better cookies? The short answer is: Yes. Resting your dough in the refrigerator will almost always yield better results.

What makes cookies fluffy or flat? ›

Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies. If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise.

What is the secret to making cookies soft? ›

Baking cookies quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – will make for soft results. They'll bake fast instead of sitting and drying out in the oven's hot air. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will give you softer results than cooking them the full amount the recipe says.

Does adding more butter make cookies softer? ›

Also, underbaking them by a minute or 2 will help them retain a dense, chewy bite, explains Jenny McCoy, pastry baking arts chef-instructor at the Institute for Culinary Education in New York. Adding more moisture to your dough in the form of extra butter, egg yolks, or brown sugar will make your cookies even softer.

What is the best sugar for cookies? ›

Using brown sugar will result in a denser, moister cookie. Brown sugar is also hygroscopic (more so than granulated sugar) and will therefore also attract and absorb the liquid in the dough.

Can you curdle milk with lemon? ›

Acidic ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar, tomatoes, or even wine can cause your milk to curdle. Prevent this reaction by reducing your acids first before adding dairy. Remember this tip when making creamy adobo, tomato soup, or a citrusy cream-based pasta.

How do you add lemon to dairy without curdling? ›

Avoid Strong Acids

If your sauce or soup contains an acidic ingredient like wine, tomatoes, or lemon juice, the milk is more likely to curdle. To counteract the effect of the acid, you can use a starch along with the acid.

What happens to milk when you add lemon? ›

So when lemon juice which contains citric acid is added to milk, the positive hydrogen gets attracted towards the negative micelles and they are neutralized. Thus, all the micelles will now come close together and aggregate together to form a gelatinous material called curd.

Why does milk not curdle after adding lemon? ›

If the milk isn't warm enough, the acid may not be effective in causing coagulation. 2. Acid Quantity: The amount of lemon juice or vinegar matters. If you haven't added enough acid, curdling may not occur.

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