10 Sweet/Tart Lemon Cookies to Brighten Your Day

"These were very tasty. Like a lemon sponge cake. I did some using the madeleine pan and the rest in a cake pan since I was short on time. The madeleines were fluffy and light but the batter made in the cake pan was more dense. I think letting the batter sit for an hour allows the air bubbles to form and I just lightly scooped the batter into the madeleine pan. When I put it in the cake pan I just scraped it in and it eliminated a lot of the bubbles. So for those who thought it was too dense, perhaps just be very careful with the batter." —jonijolene

Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest give these easy cookies a double dose of citrus flavor. Recipe creator Jennifer Lipka says, "These cookies will have a nicely browned edge if baked on a regular thin cookie sheet rather than a thick or insulated one."

Many reviewers used butter instead of margarine and all lemon zest instead of a combination of lemon and orange. Maureen calls them "a melt-in-your-mouth lemony treat!"

These gorgeous treats would be perfect for a tea party. Homemade lemon curd is spooned into homemade tart shells and chilled before serving. You can top them with slivered almonds, whipped cream, or fruit before serving. "These are little bites of lemon heaven," says SMICHELITCH. "I did not change a thing to this recipe and my family LOVED them."

Kim's Cooking Now offers these helpful tips: "Just a word of caution, as the amount of lemon juice that 1 lemon will yield will depend on the size of the lemon, and how juicy of a lemon that you are using. In hindsight, I'd use 1-1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice. My lemon was pretty big, and yielded probably close to 1/3 cup of juice, which was too much. I did end up adding a bit more flour, so the dough wasn't so wet (probably 1/4 cup more). Also, if your dough is sticky, when you coat them in the powdered sugar, the sugar will absorb, and you won't get a pretty 'crackled' look."

"You will love the burst of fresh lemon flavor in these buttery, tender shortbread cookies. And if that's not enough to tempt your taste buds, they get dipped in a tart, lemony glaze. Lemony delicious! Cookies taste more lemony the next day." —Cindy @ My Country Table

"Every year at the holidays, I make Russian tea cakes. This year, the man in my life said it reminded him of the lemon cookies he used to love so much from a bakery he frequented in another town. I tried several recipes I found online and none were right, so I just made my own instead!" —Dana Sweeney

Polenta in the dough gives these cookies a rustic texture. Linda T says, "I like that they aren't overly sweet. If you wanted them sweeter, a glaze would work great. but it is not needed."

"Absolutely delicious! Packed with lemon flavor! I pretty much stayed true to recipe. As a personal preference, I baked at 350 degrees for 10 min. I didn't have any lemon extract so I used 1 fresh lemon. Using the zest of a whole lemon and put that in the dough along with the juice of half the lemon in place of the extract. That made the dough too wet, so I just added a little extra flour until it looked right....about 2-3 tablespoons. I also made a lemon drizzle: juice of half of lemon, 1/4 C. powdered sugar, 1/4 C. Heavy whipping cream and 1 Tsp. butter (softened) mixed with electric mixer on high speed to desired consistency. Cake like cookie, melts in your mouth! Thanks for such a great recipe." —Denece Frisbie

"They were easy to make and came out beautiful. They are just right, not too sweet and perfect for a dessert bite, with no cutting, plates or silverware needed. I’m so glad I made these and will certainly be making them often. I can’t wait to try some different flavor combinations too. The bottom cookie cup is perfect to experiment with different fillings." —Patrice Cyril