These healthy lemon cut out cookies are made with almond flour, sweetened with maple syrup and topped with a simple vanilla icing. The dough is no-chill and easy to work with, plus it bakes in minutes. This lemon cookie recipe is gluten free, dairy free and paleo friendly.
Lemon is by far my favorite flavor this year! I can't get enough of it and I've been adding lemon to everything from my water to banana bread, cookie bars and sauce for meatballs.
These gluten free lemon cut out cookies are topping number one as my favorite spring treat. They consist of a lemon shortbread cookie that's made with almond flour, fresh lemon and sweetened with maple syrup. The cookies are topped with a simple vanilla icing and you can decorate them with anything from chopped nuts to colorful sprinkles.
Not only are these cookies easy to make, but they fit a host of dietary needs since they're gluten free, paleo and vegan friendly.
Why You'll Love these Lemon Cut Out Cookies
- paleo and gluten free - made with a combination of almond flour and tapioca starch.
- vegan - the cookie dough is egg free and dairy free, making it a great vegan option
- easy to make - the dough is made in one bowl, no chill, rolls easily and bakes in minutes.
- flavorful - these gluten free lemon cookies have a nutty lemon and maple flavor. They're great with or without icing.
Ingredients
The full recipe for these lemon cut out cookies can be found in the recipe card below, but here's a list of what you'll need.
- blanched almond flour - These lemon cookies are made with almond flour, but tigernut flour should work for a nut free substitute.
- tapioca starch - needed for texture purposes. You can swap tapioca starch for arrowroot starch/flour at a 1:1 ratio.
- salt - enhances the flavors.
- maple syrup - to sweeten the cookies.
- vanilla extract - for flavor.
- lemon zest - you'll need the zest from one lemon
- lemon juice - just a little added for flavor
- icing (optional) - the icing is made with powdered sugar (powdered monk fruit for paleo), egg whites and vanilla. Feel free to use any of your favorite icing or frosting recipes instead.
How to Make Lemon Cut Out Cookies
The dough for these lemon shortbread cookies is made in one bowl, rolled between parchment paper, cut into circles and then baked in the oven. You can enjoy the cookies plain or ice them once cooled. Here are the step by step instructions:
- First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make the cookie dough: combine the dry ingredients, then mix in the wet.
- Roll the dough and cut shapes: roll the cookie dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Remove the top layer of parchment, then cut out circles using a cookie cutter.
- Bake: place the cookies on a lined baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 8-12 minutes.
- Cool and Ice: cool the cookies to room temperature, then coat them in icing (or frosting) if desired.
Tips and Tricks
- Measure ingredients by weight - For best results, measure the flours by weight (given in grams). This will ensure proper measurements and give you the best results. I always use a small kitchen scale for baking.
- Roll the dough between parchment paper - this is the easiest way to roll out the cookie dough. It shouldn't stick to the parchment, making the cookies easy to peel off.
- Top with Icing - while the icing is optional, it really adds to the look and flavor of the cookies. Feel free to swap my icing recipe for any other, or top with a store bought frosting like Miss Jones.
Storage
Keep these cookies in an airtight container or baggie. They can be kept at room temperature for a couple days, in the fridge up to one week, or the freezer up to one month.
FAQ
Tapioca starch is added for texture purposes. The best swap is arrowroot starch/flour, as it can be subbed at a ratio of 1:1.
Yes, the cookies are vegan. Since my icing recipe uses egg whites, the icing is not vegan. Simply skip the icing, or swap it with a vegan icing/frosting.
I iced these cookies, then topped them with chopped almonds and lemon zest, before the icing full set. You can also top them with sprinkles, cinnamon, hemp seeds or another type of chopped nut.
If your cookie dough is sticking to the parchment paper, then dust it with tapioca starch before rolling.
More Gluten Free Cookie Recipes
Lemon Cut Out Cookies (Gluten Free, Paleo)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: about 17 cookies (2.5 inch diameter)
Description
These healthy lemon cut out cookies have a nutty lemon and maple flavor and are topped with a simple vanilla icing. They're gluten free, dairy free and paleo friendly.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups blanched almond flour (190g)
- ⅓ cup tapioca starch (42g)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Icing (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (or powdered monk fruit)
- 1 ½ Tbsp egg whites
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca starch and salt.
- Mix in the maple syrup, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Roll the dough into a ball and flatten on a sheet of parchment paper. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the cookie dough and roll to about ¼ inch thick.
- Use a circular cookie cutter to cut out shapes. I used a circular cookie cutter with a diameter of 2.5 inches and got 17 cookies.
- Place the cut out cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Place the cookies in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 8-12 minutes*
- After baking, let the cookies cool for 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
- To make the icing, whisk together all icing ingredients.
- Place the icing in a bowl that's slightly bigger than one cookie and dip the cookies into the icing, coating the entire top portion of the cookie.
- Set the cookie on a flat surface and decorate before the icing has had time to set.
Notes
*Baking time will vary depending on the size and shape of your cookies, how thin you rolled the dough, temperature of your oven and the color/material of your baking sheet. So, you may want to bake a test batch (1-2 cookies) to get a good idea for the bake time before baking the entire batch.
Katie
My family and I love these lemon cookies! Enjoy!