This recipe is such a fun one.
Why?
- It’s based off of my all-time favorite cookie.
- It reminds me of High School Alexa’s favorite treat from Starbucks, Lemon Loaf.
I’m choosing a chocolate dessert 99.9% of the time, but…I love citrusy things this time of year. Pittsburgh is impossibly grey most of the late winter/early spring, and nothing puts a pep in my step like a lil lemony baked good.
So naturally, I was craving a lemon cookie.
But I wanted something quick. And easy. I didn’t want to use a million ingredients, chill the dough, do a little dance, or wait 24-48 hours until I enjoyed my treat.
I wanted it ASAP, so I looked to the easiest cookie I know for inspiration: my Nana’s To Tos.
They are, quite possibly, the easiest cookie you’ll ever make. Mix the ingredients, roll ’em up, bake, glaze, done.
So easy, and it’s a shock I don’t make them every week because I love them so very much. They’re a cakey cookie, not chewy, and they have a lovely crisp exterior. And a vanilla glaze!
But after the 9753rd cold day this year, I needed something a little brighter. A little lighter.
Enter: Lemon Loaf Cookies.
Your regular cookie cast of characters can be found in the ingredient list:
- Butter (vegan)
- Sugar (cane)
- Lemon (zest)
- Vanilla (bean paste or extract)
- Flour (all-purpose)
- Powder (baking)
- Powder (soda)
- Salt (kosher)
- Milk (almond)
- Oil (neutral)
Cream your butter, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix your flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Add your dry ingredients and almond milk to the creamed butter mixture and you have a dough.
Then comes the slightly unconventional part: rolling your cookies into balls with oiled hands.
YES. Oiled hands.
As I said in the original recipe, I think we do this to ensure a nice crisp exterior on our cookies. But then again, I’m not 100% certain. But if Nana did it, I’m doing it too.
Then you bake, glaze with a simple powdered sugar, almond milk, vanilla, lemon zest glaze, and you’re done! Eat ’em up!
I really love these cookies, and it’s kinda crazy how much they remind me of Starbuck’s Lemon Loaf. I actually had one with coffee the other day, and it made those vibes so much stronger.
And my dad, fellow lover of To Tos and all-things lemon, also was a fan. He said (and I quote) “They are excellent! I wouldn’t change anything.”
Can’t get much better than that.
PrintLemon Loaf Cookies
An easy, no-chill cookie recipe that’s zippy, lemony, and cakey. A lemon and vanilla bean glaze takes them over the edge!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 13 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
DOUGH:
- 1/4 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup raw cane sugar (or your fave granulated sugar)
- zest of two small lemons
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
- 240 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/8 tsp. baking soda
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, at room temperature
- neutral oil (like avocado) for rolling
GLAZE:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
- zest of one small lemon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine vegan butter, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla bean paste in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer and a large bowl). Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Meanwhile, combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Reduce your stand mixer speed to low and slowly add 1/3 of your dry ingredients, followed by half of your milk, 1/3 of your dry ingredients, the remaining milk, then the remaining 1/3 of your dry ingredients. Increase the speed to medium and mix until just combined.
- Take chunks of your dough (I like making mine slightly bigger than a golf ball, about 2 tablespoons), oiling your hands in between each, and roll them into a ball. Stick them on your baking sheet with a bit of room between each (they don’t spread too much). Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until you can see the bottoms slightly browning.
- Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet, then move them to a cooling rack for glazing.
- Whisk the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Dunk the tops of the cookies in the glaze, swirling so the entire top is covered. Place the cookies back on the cooling rack so that the glaze can drip down. Allow to set up at room temperature.
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