These Healthy Lemon Cookies are soft, chewy lemon cookies made from almond flour and packed with tangy lemon flavors. They contain only 4 grams of sugar per cookie, and 4 grams of protein for only 150 Calories.
I love making cookies, and with so many lemons growing in the garden, making a lemon cookies was a given! I’ve made Almond Flour Lemon Cookies but these ones are even simpler and taste absolutely delicious!
While you can find the full recipe just below, don’t miss all my tips and tricks further down, including my ingredient selection tips!
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Healthy Lemon Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups Almond Flour - (note 1)
- 3 tablespoons Maple Syrup - (note 2)
- 3 tablespoons Melted Coconut Oil - (note 3)
- 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice - from 1 small lemon
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Zest - from the previous lemon
- ½ teaspoon Almond Extract - (note 4)
Lemon Glaze
- ½ cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- ¼ teaspoon Almond Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, stir almond flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, lemon juice, almond extract, and lemon zest
- Stir the ingredients with a rubber spatula, when it starts to look dry, squeeze by hands to form a cookie dough ball. If too dry, add a little extra lemon juice to bring the dough together into a soft dough that can easily be rolled into balls. If too wet, add more almond flour.
- Divide into 8 portions, lightly oil hands and roll each piece of dough into a ball
- Place each cookie dough ball a inch appart on the prepared baking sheet and press the top with the back of glass or your fingers.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) until slightly golden and slightly hard on top.
- Let the cookies cool down on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to completely cool down before glazing. You must glaze the cookies for best balance of sweetness and extra lemon flavors, the cookies alone are not very sweet.
- To make the glazing, in a mixing bowl, stir the powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract until thick and smooth. If too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar to thicken.
- Drizzle on top of the cooled cookies.
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients and Substitutions
You only need a few ingredients to make these cookies. Here’s how to pick them.
- Almond Flour – This makes a light, nutty base that creates soft, chewy cookies while bringing healthy fats and protein. If you need a nut-free version, you can try cashew or sesame flour, though oat or all-purpose flours may make the cookies too dense.
- Maple Syrup – It’s a natural unrefined sweetener that adds a subtle caramel note without refined sugars. You can swap it with agave syrup or coconut nectar.
- Melted Coconut Oil – For moisture and a slight tropical flavor while helping bind the ingredients together. Alternatively, you can use melted plant-based butter (or dairy butter if you’re not avoiding dairy), though light olive oil is not as good due to its milder flavor and softer cookie texture.
- Lemon Juice & Lemon Zest – Lemon brings a tangy flavor that makes the cookies taste so fresh. Freshly squeezed lemon juice is the best and the zest adds concentrated citrus oils.
- Almond Extract – To boost the nutty flavors.
- Lemon Glaze (Powdered Sugar, Lemon Juice, Almond Extract) – The glazing brings a sweet finishing touch that balances the tartness of the lemon. Without it, the cookies would lack a bit of sweetness (at least for my taste). For a lower-calorie version, you can use powdered allulose in place of traditional powdered sugar.
How to Make Healthy Lemon Cookies
This is a really easy cookie recipe to make, here’s how in pictures.
Combine the liquid ingredients with the lemon zest in a bowl and add the almond flour.
Stir the mixture with a silicone spatula until it form a thick sticky dough.
Form 12 dough balls, place them on a baking sheet, and flatten them with a lid.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C)
Let the cookies cool down on a wire rack while mixing the glazing ingredients.
Glaze the cookies and add a sprinkle of lemon zest.
Carine’s Baking Tips
Let me share a few more tips to help you make these cookies, especially if it’s your first time!
- Quick & Simple Mixing: When the mixture starts to look dry, use your hands to gently form a dough ball—if too dry, add a splash more lemon juice; if too wet, a bit more almond flour.
- Shape with Care: Place the dough balls about an inch apart on your lined cookie sheet and gently press the tops with your fingers or the back of a glass. This helps create a slightly flattened surface that will crisp up nicely.
- Cool Completely Before Glazing: Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. This prevents the glaze from melting off and ensures the cookies set with a perfect texture.
- Low-Sugar Focus: With only 4 grams of sugar per cookie (including the glaze), these cookies are perfect for those watching their sugar intake. For even fewer calories, opt for sugar-free powdered allulose in the glaze.
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