These Lemon Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are soft, moist and loaded with lemon! There’s no chilling or rolling — just stir, drop, bake and frost (if you want to!). Perfect for Easter or Christmas baking. Includes how to recipe video
So I stumbled upon the recipe for these Sour Cream Sugar Cookies in the cookbook my Grandma made for me last fall.
I never would have guessed how popular it would become! The problem is, some people loved it and some people hated it.
The issue was that those who didn’t like the recipe really didn’t know what to expect — the cookies are soft and cakey. They are not sugar cookies for rolling or cutting, and they’re pretty delicate.
So I’m back again with another variation, obviously. Bring on the haters! 😉
I wanted to try leaving out some of the moisture this time to get a slightly firmer cookie. These cookies are still very soft, and cakey, and delicious. If you’re looking for a firm sugar cookie — this recipe is not it. But they melt in your mouth and will be gone in no time!
I also wanted to add lemon because we love lemon. We love it big time.
With Easter coming up, my mind always goes to fresh, Springy flavors and potluck foods. Easter is a bit of a wildcard here in Manitoba — it can be cold, it can be really cold, or it can be pretty warm. You never really know what you’re going to get!
Regardless of what the temperature is, I am always so ready for Spring. The winter is long and cold and snowy and blowy and we are all anticipating blue skies and green grasses. Bring on the fresh, fruity treats! (And swimsuit-friendly meals… )
I would love to hear what your favorite Spring meals or treats are! Smoothies, popsicles, fruit salads, Easter meals? I’m itching for some fresh inspiration!
If you haven’t yet, be sure to join my Facebook group to stay up to date on new recipes and take part in polls and surveys to help me pick the best recipes to show you here!
Frosted Lemon Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar approx. 400g
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream I use 5%
- zest of 2 lemons
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (1 lemon)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour about 575g
Frosting:
- 1/4 cup butter room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups powdered icing sugar
- juice of 2 lemons*
- yellow food coloring optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs, sour cream, lemon zest, and lemon juice and beat until combined.
- Add the baking soda, baking powder and flour and beat just until combined. Dough will be the consistency of thick cake batter — it is quite sticky and soft.
- Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets (I get 6 on a regular baking sheet — my cookies are large!), trying to make drops as round as possible. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until no longer glistening in the center. Cool completely.
- FrostingWith an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth. Add sugar and just enough lemon juice to make a smooth, thick frosting (you can add a teaspoon of milk if it is too thick). Color with yellow food coloring if desired.
- When cookies are completely cool, spread with an even layer of frosting and serve.
Notes
**My cookies are very large. You can definitely make smaller cookies and the recipe will yield more, you will just want to decrease the baking time.
Nutrition Information
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Linda Mccoy says
How long do these keep for after baking and icing?
Ashley Fehr says
They will keep in the refrigerator for about a week, but they also freeze perfectly and can be kept for 3 months frozen
Jill says
Could you please please put in the amount if lemon juice in the recipe? Lemons and the amount of juice they produce vary widely. The lemons from my tree generally produce 1/2 c per lemon. Since ratios are important in baking, telling us the amount makes for a more accurate recipe and better results.
Ashley Fehr says
You’re right! I will add that in.
LuAnn says
I followed the recipe to a tee and they turned out like beautiful lumps of paste. Dry and tasteless. Tbe batter tasted better. And we were so looking forward to eating them. Won’t make again
My lemons were large so I had to pay attention when making the frosting. The frosting was awesome.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi LuAnn! I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy them! It sounds to me like you added too much flour, which will cause these cookies which are not dry, beautiful lumps of paste to taste like dry lumps of paste.
Bethany says
Did you level the flour with a knife when measuring?
Gemma says
These are absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Gemma!
Denise says
I made this frosting to use on lemon cake and only used the juice from 1 1/2 lemons and it was very runny. I ended up adding a lot more powered sugar to thicken it up. Next time I’ll start with the juice from maybe half a lemon and add as needed to get a thicker, creamy consistency.
Ashley Fehr says
It will definitely depend on how large your lemons are! But yes, still a good idea to add gradually
Rachael says
I made these for Easter and they were AMAZING!!! So lemony and delicious! Not dry at all. Everyone loved them…… The only issue I had was with the cook time. My first batch I made the cookies a little smaller than suggested and baked for 10min, they were all undercooked and squishy (I know it could be my oven, or the fact that I am a horrible baker). Second batch I made the cookies bigger and baked and extra 2 min over suggested time, they were fluffy and perfect! Will def be making again
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Rachael! I’m so happy to hear you liked them!
Lori says
I tried it with coconut flour and got the same result. They were incredibly dry (even though I only used 4 cups of flour) and just crumbled. I either needed less flour or more liquid for sure. I would recommend sticking to the recipe without any substitutions. I’ll give it another shot someday because they do look incredibly good. ?
Lori says
My comment was in reply to Belinda’s post.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing your experience Lori!
Pam says
Can you use margarine instead of butter? I’ve made them a few times and everyone loves them and I need to make more and don’t have any butter and there’s a winter storm going on right now so I can’t get out to the store.
Ashley Fehr says
I would use hard margarine if you have it (not the tub) and then it will work fine!
Jenna says
Made them, LOVE THEM!!!!! Thank you ♡
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad! Thank you!
Nor says
Wow! This is awesomely yummy! Thank you so much!
Belinda says
Please tell me what I did wrong….I love a soft, cake-like cookie. So I was excited when I found this recipe. The cookie tasted like flour—just not good 🙁 I used Bob’s gluten free flour and I sifted it. I’m thinking that’s where I went wrong.
Ashley Fehr says
I haven’t ever made them with gluten-free flour so I can’t really say for sure. I would try adding a little more vanilla or lemon zest to mask the flavor if you find it’s a problem.
Lori A Putnam says
Love all the helpful comments/ideas here! I have too many limes, and need recipes to use them up, so what’s your opinion on using fresh lime juice and zest here in an even swap? Will it end up too bitter? Maybe I’ll lemon half the batch and lime the other half to see. Thanks for sharing!
Ashley Fehr says
For sure! I think it will work out just fine!
Jessica says
These cookies are AH-MA-ZING! They combine my two favorite things… Yes, lemon and sour cream are my favorite flavors. Why? My husband says (in jest) that it’s because I’m bitter and don’t like to share. On that note, I am happy to report that my kids hate these cookies, so I do not, in fact, have to share. ?
Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Tammy Seegmiller says
I’m never sure how much zest to use on things. When you say you used the zest of 2 lemons about how much do you think that yield?
Ashley Fehr says
It will depend on the lemon. 1 lemon might yield a couple of tablespoons.
Katie says
This was a very easy recipe and they are delicious. I will be making them again for my husband, he loved them.
Ashley Fehr says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!
Kathryn Beneden says
Not a huge fan of lemon but love to try new things. OMG!! Next batch will need more lemon, I scaled back my first try, but they are lemony, light, delicious. Love the frosting, adds a zing that compliments the cookie so well. Thank you for sharing this fabulous recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so so glad you enjoyed them Kathryn!
Lisa says
How much extra lemon juice do you think could be added without impacting the consistency of the batter? I botched a “tried and true” lemon bar recipe by adding too much lemon juice (they didn’t set), and my husband isn’t a fan of zest… Can’t wait to try this recipe!!!
Ashley Fehr says
If you are wanting to add more lemon to the cookie, I definitely recommend zest. You will get a more concentrated lemon flavor, and you will never notice any change in texture. Your only other option might be to try a lemon extract, but I definitely wouldn’t add more juice.
Lisa says
Extra zest worked perfectly!!! Thank you!!
Ashley Fehr says
Wonderful!
Susan says
I zest my citrus (I’ve tried this with lemon, as well as an orange/grapefruit combo that turned out great!) then chop it up as fine as I have the patience for. This avoids any strips of zest for those that don’t care for them and helps ensure the flavor is spread everywhere. I also add zest to the frosting, again chopping it up super fine.
I really like the light, not too sweet taste of the cookie, letting me frost if I want sweet, and not frost if I am being good, LOL
Ashley Fehr says
That’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Kimberly Jones says
I mixed cookies. Can I refrigerate them and cook next day?
Ashley Fehr says
I honestly have never tried that so I’m not sure what would happen. How did it go for you?
Debra nielson says
Jusr finished a double batch for a BBQ, and they are wonderful! Added a little salt just because I think it brings out the flavor and POW these are GREAT! Will make these again for sure! Love lemon and this is LEMON!
Ashley Fehr says
That makes me so happy Debra! I’m glad you liked them!
Jamie says
Do you think I could use gluten free baking flour instead?
Ashley Fehr says
I really can’t say as I’ve never tried it with gluten-free flour. If you do try it I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Ana says
I made these using King Arthur 1 for 1 gluten free flour. Couldn’t tell the difference! Came out light and moist. Son ate them all in 2 days. I added about 4 ozs. cream cheese to frosting and a little extra lemon juice. Great cookies!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad to hear that worked well!
Erin L says
I used Bob’s Red Mill GF 1:1 (the blue label, not the red label) and I think I may have overcooked a little as mine turned out a little crunchier on the outside, but the middle was still nice and soft. I’m interested to see what liquid you took out as it might be perfect for the GF flour which tends to be drier, my frosting ended up more of a glaze, though. I dipped the top of each cookie in and let them set on a cookie rack over the parchment paper. 1 lemon usually yields 1 Tbsp zest and 2 Tbsp juice. I used 1 Tbsp True Lemon powder in place of the zest (tried these the day before Canadian Thanksgiving, no way am I going near a store today!) and the flavour was great.
St❤cy says
Do you have to use parchment paper? Will greasing the pan work or no grease?
Ashley Fehr says
I would grease the pan just to be sure!
Linda Skow says
Could you put these thru a cookie press, do you think, or are they too soft? Maybe if I chilled the dough overnight?
Ashley Fehr says
I think they’d definitely be too soft. I have never tried refrigerating the dough so I can’t advise on that.
Staci says
These sound delicious. Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
Jeryl Kissling says
Absolutely delish cookie. It sings spring. The only thing I did different was that I only used 4 cups of flour. They turned out wonderful Just like the pics.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jeryl! So happy to hear you enjoyed them!
Rick Hokanson says
So I made these cookies yesterday. They went over well with folks at my Mother-in-laws place of employment. Some of the comments I got back were “soft, fluffy, melt in your mouth, just the right amount of lemon, thanks for bringing them”. Plus I got a number of requests for the recipe and the website in which I found it.
However my one SOLE Comment is on the Recommended Yield that should come if you follow the recipe. The Count on the Recipe stated that this recipe “Serves 24”. Does that mean that the serving size is 2 cookies or that you should only get 24 cookies from the recipe?
I ask because I followed the Recipe exactly and with using the Biggest Cookie measuring scoop available. I got 48 cookies out of this recipe. I wanted to bring this to your attention so that you can correct it on the website in case anyone else is equally confused.
I have quite a bit of personal baking experience…but for the sake of the new and inexperienced baker…this should be clarified a bit more. Can you do this? This was an EXCELLENT Recipe and I look forward to making it again and perhaps making a few personal changes to it and experimenting with it featuring other citrus flavors.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Rick! I’m so glad that you and the rest of your taste testers enjoyed them! I put that it serves 24 because I get 24 cookies out of this recipe. I’m not sure if you can tell from the photos or the video, but my cookies are quite large. I use a tablespoon, get a large scoop of dough and drop onto the pan. On a regular baking sheet I bake 6 cookies (as I think you can see in the video). So I don’t think it’s misleading because that’s exactly what I get. I understand some may make smaller cookies and will get more, but that’s not really something I can control. I will update the recipe to give more details about the size. Thanks for your feedback!
Connie Alderson says
Who cares how many they actually make as the cookie is fabulous! More is great! It’s an added bonus. LOL!
Perhaps if a person actually wants only ‘X’ number of cookies, they should try freezing the remaining cookie dough. ?
Erin L says
I used the Pampered Chef medium cookie scoop which holds 2 Tbsp and ended up with 28 and I made a half a recipe (trial run because I was using GF flour and True Lemon instead of zest), so mine must be the size of Rick’s. I used GF flour and they didn’t spread much, nice little humps 2.25 inches in diameter each.
Terri says
Can you make them a few days prior to needing? Store in refrigerator? Thank You
Ashley Fehr says
Yes absolutely! They freezer perfectly too
Andrew says
Do they have to be refridgerated? For instance, if you wanted to bake them and mail them. Or would they be fine in transit.
Thanks,
Ashley Fehr says
I generally wouldn’t mail frosted cookies because they keep best refrigerated.
Giovanna says
My husband just made these and for some reason they came out like thick cake. I went over the recipe to see if he had missed something and he followed it correctly. I noticed they call for an awful large amount of flour? Even the dough itself was quite sticky. Any thoughts on what could’ve happened? So disappointed bc I had to buy a lot of the ingredients and was so excited about these since I love lemon!
Giovanna says
Sorry, after reading some of the other comments below; I realized they are supposed to be cake-like. And they taste very good with the icing! I just was expecting a regular sugar lemon cookie consistency.
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, and please, please read the post thoroughly. Many times I reference the type of cookie you should be expecting, and I say that if you are expecting a regular sugar cookie that this is not the recipe. I write all those words for a reason! I’m glad they tasted good!
Lindsey says
How much would the juice of 1 lemon be. I don’t have lemons just lemon juice?
Ashley Fehr says
I would use about 2 tablespoons
Doris says
Can these cookies be frozen?
Doris says
found my answer
Darlene says
Would you freeze them already iced? Or ice them you are ready to serve?
Ashley Fehr says
I freeze them iced, just because it’s so easy to serve then. Just stack them with wax paper when you freeze!
These cookies are baking as we speak. :-)sue says
These cookies are baking as we speak. 🙂
Angie says
What is your elevation? I am at 6300 feet so I am curious what I need to adjust if anything. Thanks
Ashley Fehr says
I’m at about 1200 feet. I’m actually not sure how to make adjustments for high elevation.
Madison says
These are really good half of the batch turned out perfect. I’m not sure why the other half was undercooked I cook them for longer than it said. The only thing I wish is that I bought some frosting for the, because the frosting it says to make is just a glaze, and he’s kind of big sugar cookies need a lot of frosting and not just a glaze. I’ve tried everything and it tells me to do to make it thicker online but nothing’s working so far. What should I do? For next time.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Madison! I am honestly not really sure what happened to the half of your cookies. It could be a lot of things. Did you bake one pan on the top and one of the bottom? Was the oven door left open too long and the temperature was lower? Because all ovens vary so greatly it’s really important to go by the look than the exact baking time. If they look done on top, they are done. They are a moist cookie, so they may look moist inside. The frosting is definitely pretty thick, so it sounds like your butter may have been too soft or your measurements might be off slightly. Next time, I would just be sure to add the juice gradually until your desired thickness. If you do find it ends up too thin, the only thing you can really do is to add more powdered sugar. I hope that helps!
Madison says
Thank you I believe now it was just thinking 2 lemons worth of juice that made it so thin. I remade what u had left and eye balled some measurements and it’s great now. I’m gonna refresh them now. Thank you 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Good to hear!
jo says
Do you adjust the recipe for fresh lemon peel vs. dehydrated lemon peel or store bought spice? If so, what are the adjustments?
Ashley Fehr says
I’ve actually never use dehydrated lemon peel so I can’t say how that would change the recipe.
Jake Brown says
Use powdered sugar instead of sugar and when you are finishing the frosting keep gradually sturring in powdered sugar until it reaches the consistency you desire.
Patricia merica says
Madison, mine turned out the same as a glaze, after some research, the recipe says powdered icing sugar which is different then plain powdered sugar, the difference is they add cornstarch, so the glaze I had I added some cornstarch til it got thick enough and worked much better, just keep tasting it because my cornstarch was old and it started to get a cornstarch taste, so I added a little bit more lemon and powered sugar. Next time I will buy a new cornstarch and try it
Ashley Fehr says
Powdered icing sugar is actually exactly the same as powdered sugar — there is only one, at least where I live. If it was too thin, then just use a little less juice or more sugar. I don’t recommend adding corn starch.
Patricia says
Ok, somewhere I read about that but next time I will try to just add a little bit of liquid at a time. Also do you know the nutrition value how many calories per cookie?
Ashley Fehr says
I don’t usually calculate nutrition information for desserts, since they’re always going to be a splurge (unless I label something as lightened up or healthier). You can plug the ingredients into My Fitness Pal to figure it out if you want.
Madison greb says
Could I use lemon juice I buy from a store? I never can squeeze a lemon well enough to produce a lot of juice.
Ashley Fehr says
You can definitely substitute the juice in the recipe for store bought lemon juice, but the zest is really what’s going to give you all the punchy lemon flavor so I would try not to skip out on that part! If you find one of those lemon juicers, that’s what I use and they come in super handy and get tons of juice out!
Madison greb says
So the frosting is a lot thinner than the photo. I did not add milk.
Regina M D says
Put your lemons in the microwave ( one st a time) for about 20 seconds and they will yield more juice
Ashley Fehr says
Great tip!
Beth says
Just finishing up baking a batch of these and they are delicious! Perfect little pillows of lemony goodness! These will be made often in our house…
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing!
Carole says
There has to be one of us out here to ask this question; of course.
What are the chances of these still being “cakey” soft and delicious…with
Gluten Free Flour? I think I can already see what you answer may be to this one!!
Ashley Fehr says
Haha! Sorry Carole! I honestly have never baked with gluten-free flour, so I am not sure. Someone else may have a better idea.
Katie says
Carole,
Did you try them with GF flour? I was wondering the same thing. Thanks!
Erin L says
I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 (the blue label, not red) and they did well, though they didn’t spread a lot so you can put quite a few on one tray, I used a medium pampered chef 2 Tbsp cookie scoop and they ended up 2.25 diameter little humps.
Patty Fox says
Has anyone used orange zest and orange juice instead?
Ashley Fehr says
I haven’t, but I’m assuming it would work just as well.
Barbara says
I think they would be equally delicious
LeAnn Doeden says
Can you leave the zest out and use lemon juice instead of lemons? How much juice would you use instead of lemons?
Ashley Fehr says
I actually wouldn’t recommend it. Lemon juice is more acidic than zest and will change the whole cookie. It also has way less lemon flavor, so you’d have to add a ton of it which would also change the cookie a lot. If you don’t have access to fresh lemons, you could leave it out, and add some vanilla extract or try adding lemon extract instead. I hope that helps!
TCollins says
what about stevia i stead of sugar? equal parts?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes you can definitely try it. I’ve never baked with Stevia so I can’t really advise.
JoAnne says
These look absolutely lovely. We also, for Spring, like strawberries dipped in sour cream and brown sugar. Everybody loves them
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks JoAnne! It’s funny, my family used to mix cream and brown sugar to dip one of our pastries in, it was totally indulgent but we loved it whenever we could get our hands on it!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Sugar cookies are my FAVORITE! My Aunt has a great recipe that I need to get from her, and it’s the cakey kind too…pretty much my version of a perfect sugar cookie. Love the lemon frosting on here, perfect for spring!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Gayle! I never appreciated them enough when she was around!
Phyllis Avila Bailey says
Could I use Greek Yogurt instead of Sourcream?
Ashley Fehr says
I think it should work fine but I haven’t actually tried it
Jerri says
that works as does whipped cream cheese. With the cream cheese they were awesome
Ashley Fehr says
Great tip! Thanks Jerri!
Erin L says
I may try this next time I make them with Gluten free flour, I have a chocolate chip GF recipe that uses just 1/4 cup of cream cheese and you’d never know they were GF!
Ashley Fehr says
I’d love to hear how they turn out!
[email protected] says
So perfect for spring!! Love lemon based desserts!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Ami!
Patti says
Are these freezeable? Freeze unfrosted maybe?
Ashley Fehr says
I have frozen them frosted and it works perfectly! Just layer with a piece of wax paper if you have to stack them
Rachel @ Bakerita says
A lemony, melt in your mouth cookie sounds like the PERFECT spring dessert – I wish I had one of these right now!!
Ashley Fehr says
Me too!
ColleenB.~Texas says
My family; especially my husband is going to love these.
Thank U
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Colleen!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
I’m ALL about a cakey sugar cookie! Especially when it’s frosted and lemon-y :). These sound wonderful and so perfect for spring!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Kelsie!