Delightful, chewy Gluten Free Lemon Cookies come together with simple wholesome ingredients. These cookies are melt-in-your-mouth bites of goodness! Although gluten free, they have the perfect texture and don’t crumble or fall apart.
Contents
A Healthier Gluten Free Cookie
Where are my gluten free cookie monsters at? I have another great healthier, low sugar cookie recipe to share with you.
I have tons of low sugar, gluten free cookie recipes on Sunkissed Kitchen, and if you browse through them, you’ll notice that none of them use gluten free flour.
This is for 3 reasons:
- Gluten free all purpose flours are all different – so it’s difficult to sub 1 into a recipe if another brand was used to develop the recipe.
- Gluten free flours are most often not healthier than plain white flour. Sure, they are useful for celiacs or people with wheat sensitivities, but they are loaded with starches, xanthan gum, and high glycemic flours that are sure to spike blood sugar levels.
- Using gluten free flours results in crumbly baked goods!
For this gluten free lemon cookie recipe, I used my favorite gluten free flour blend to create a low-glycemic, perfect textured cookie: almond flour and arrowroot flour. Simple is always best.
Almond flour gives these cookies more healthy fats and some protein, and the arrowroot helps hold the cookies together and gives them more of a pleasantly dense texture. No crumbly cookies here!
You’ll love these lemon cookies because:
- They use wholesome ingredients, like almond flour, olive oil, and maple syrup.
- A vibrant and bright lemon flavor is layered in the cookies and in the glaze – a lemon lovers dream!
- They have a delicate chewy texture!
- These amazing cookies store great in the freezer, meaning you have sweet treats ready to go!
What You’ll Need
Chewy Lemon Cookies
- Blanched Almond Flour
- Arrowroot Powder (organic corn starch or tapioca flour works as a substitute)
- Lemons (both for lemon juice and lemon zest) *note: if you do not have fresh lemons, using lemon juice + lemon extract can achieve the same lemony flavor!
- Egg Yolk (save the egg whites for strawberry shortcake protein pancakes!)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (can sub coconut oil or avocado oil)
- Maple Syrup (honey or date syrup also work, or even sugar free maple syrup)
- Vanilla Extract
- Sea Salt
- Baking Soda
Lemon Glaze
The glaze is optional, but adds another layer of lemon flavor!
- Powdered Sugar (I use a powdered monk fruit sweetener to keep the sugar content lower)
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Lemon Zest
How to Make Chewy Gluten-Free Lemon Cookies
Prior to beginning: Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, olive oil, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Whisk to combine well.
Step 2: In a separate large bowl, combine the almond flour, arrowroot powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients, and stir together into a sticky dough.
Step 4: Use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop balls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving about 1 inch of space between cookie dough balls.
Step 5: Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool to room temperature before taking them off the baking pan.
Step 6: Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Stir to form a glaze that drizzles in a thick stream.
Step 7: Once the cookies have cooled, place them on a wire rack and drizzle the glaze over each cookie.
Step 8: If desired, grate extra lemon zest on the top of each cookie. Allow the glaze on the cookies to harden before storing the cookies (about 20 minutes).
How to Store Leftover Cookies
Once the cookies have cooled and the glaze has hardened, store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
The cookies have a great texture enjoyed straight from the freezer.
Variations
Lemon Crinkle Cookies: Try this twist! Instead of making the glaze, dip the cooled cookies in a bowl of powered sugar. The powdered sugar gives these a melt-in-your-mouth texture!
Meyer Lemon Cookies: These popular lemons make great desserts! These are great for people who prefer a sweeter dessert, because meyer lemons are less tart. Use them in place of regular lemons in this recipe.
Gluten Free Orange Cookies: Use oranges and a combination of orange juice and orange zest in place of the lemon in this recipe.
More Lemon Desserts
- Lemon Cheesecake
- Gluten Free Lemon Bars
- Keto Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
- Keto Lemon Curd
- Lemon Chia Seed Pudding
Gluten Free Lemon Cookies with Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar (or powdered monk fruit sweetener)
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
- lemon zest optional, from 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream olive oil and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes) with a hand mixer or standing mixer. Add in vanilla, lemon juice, egg, lemon zest, and and whisk again until combined.
- In another bowl, add the almond flour, arrowroot, baking soda and salt. Stir together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir until combined into a sticky dough,
- Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the dough, roll into a ball and place onto the baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes until edges are slightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and cool cookies for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. These cookies are very delicate so will break if you transfer them while still hot.
- While cookies are cooling, make lemon glaze by adding powdered sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. You may need to add in more lemon juice if the glaze is too thick (start with one teaspoon at a time). Glaze should be somewhat thick. Frost each cookie with the lemon glaze. Sprinkle additional lemon zest on top if you prefer.
- Let cookies sit for about 5 minutes until icing has set and serve.
Arrowroot powder is listed as an ingredient but not mentioned in the directions…?
What could work in place of arrowroot powder (assuming it’s used somewhere in this recipe!)
Thanks
Hi Thelma! Thanks for pointing that out. I just went and edited the directions to include it. Mix it in with the almond flour and baking soda and salt, and then into the cookie dough.
Arrowroot is a type of tapioca, so tapioca flour also works. If you don’t have that, organic corn starch works. If they don’t need to be gluten free, plain, all-purpose flour does the same thing.
Enjoy!
Thanks! I’ll use tapioca flour. Can’t wait to try them!!
Such wonderful lemon flavor.
Perfect for spring