Lemon Cheesecake Cookies

Finished dessert, sweet and zingy with glaze on top, ready to be enjoyed.

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5 from 3 votes

Lemon Cheesecake Cookies are thick, soft, and chewy with a creamy texture and a sweet-tart lemon glaze.

Prep Time40

Cook Time10

chilling time1 15

Total Time2 5

Course: Dessert, Snack, Vegetarian

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemon cheesecake cookies

Servings: cookies

Author: Chelsea Lords

Cost: $6.12

Equipment

Hand mixer or stand mixer
Sheet pan

Ingredients

Cookies

3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup
4 ounces cream cheese full-fat; I don’t recommend reduced-fat or Neufchâtel
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1 lemon
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons instant lemon-flavored pudding and pie filling mix see note 1

Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 lemon or more lemon juice from the other lemon

US - Metric

Instructions

1 hour in advance: Set out the butter, cream cheese, and egg to get to room temperature. Make sure these ingredients are all at room temperature before starting. Don’t melt any of these ingredients in the microwave or the texture will be off (see note 2).
In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter with an hand mixer until light and fluffy. (Or use a stand mixer.)
Add in cream cheese and continue to beat until the batter is completely smooth. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, lemon extract, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon lemon zest. When zesting the lemon, be careful to avoid the white pith of the lemon, which is very bitter; just get the outside yellow part.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cornstarch, and pudding mix. Stir together, then add to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined, being careful to not overmix (to avoid dense cookies).
Cover the dough tightly and chill for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon, measure the cookie dough to just fill the measuring spoon (not heaping; these are small cookie balls). Place cookies 2 inches apart on a parchment or silicone-lined sheet pan. I bake 8–10 at a time.
Bake for 9–11 minutes (10 minutes is perfect in my oven), then remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Be very careful to not overbake these cookies as they go from a thick, soft cheesecake texture to a biscuit-like texture very quickly.
Glaze: Once cooled, prepare the glaze by whisking together the lemon juice and powdered sugar. Add 2–3 teaspoons lemon juice just until a thick glaze can come together. Spoon the glaze over the cookies and allow to set.

Video

Notes

Note 1: If you aren’t familiar with lemon pudding mix, here’s a picture of the box. Not lemon Jell-O® and not vanilla pudding mix, these lemon cheesecake cookies need the lemon instant pudding and pie filling mix. Do not prepare the pudding mix; just use the dry powder.

Note 2: Don’t have time for these ingredients to get to room temperature? Use some of these tricks to bring them to room temperature quicker.

Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–5 days. These cookies don’t freeze or thaw very well.

Nutrition