Soft, delicious almond lemon cookies with a bright lemon glaze! These healthy lemon almond cookies are the perfect simple recipe to brighten up your day. We’re making these lemon almond shortbread cookies with almond flour and maple syrup, so they’re vegan, gluten free, dairy free, and contain no refined sugars!
If you like these vegan almond flour lemon cookies, you’ll love my almond peanut butter cookies,you'll love my Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies, my Nutella Baked Oats, and my Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Banana and Cacao!
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Healthy Lemon Almond Cookies
These lemon flourless cookies are a great choice for a sweet treat! They're vegan, dairy free, gluten free, and lightly sweetened with maple syrup, so there are no refined sugars! You can top them with a powdered sugar lemon glaze, or make a refined sugar-free glaze with maple syrup and lemon! These lemon almond shortbread cookies are a delicious treat you can feel good about! (Nutrition Disclaimer) And if you want more cookie ideas, check out my list of the 30+ BEST gluten free and dairy free cookies recipes!
What does almond flour do to cookies?
So what happens if you use almond flour in cookies? Well, the cookies usually end up with a denser, more chewy texture and have a bit more texture than cookies made with wheat flour. And because we're making these almond shortbread cookies without any additional leavening such as baking powder, they have soft, thick, buttery texture that you'll love!
What are almond cookies made of?
- almond flour - go with blanched, superfine almond flour for the best results.
- vegan butter - my favorites are Earth Balance Organic and Miyokos Vegan Butter.
- maple syrup - instead of using maple syrup you can also use another liquid sweetener like agave syrup, or use allulose to make these healthy lemon almond cookies keto friendly!
- salt - to bring out the lemon and almond flavors!
- pure almond extract - I love the way the almond flour and lemon complement each other, and a bit of almond extract brings that almond flavor out even more!
- lemon zest - gives these almond shortbread cookies a bright, bold lemon flavor!
Then we'll top these soft almond flour lemon cookieswith a delicious lemon glaze!
- powdered sugar - I used powdered sugar to make my glaze, but if you're avoiding powdered sugar you can swap in more maple syrup and brush the glaze onto the warm cookies to soak in and add a boost of lemony sweetness.All the instructions are below!
- lemon zest - the boost of lemon flavor that is so perfect in this glaze!
- lemon juice - if using the powdered sugar version of this glaze, you can add a little extra juice to reach your desired consistency.
What is almond flour made of?
Almond flour contains ground and sifted almonds that have been blanched to remove their skins. Almond flour is typically finely milled to mimic the texture of wheat flour.
What do you use almond flour for?
It's delicious in these vegan almond flour lemon cookies! But almond flour also makes a delicious tart crust, like with this passionfruit tart, or in my gluten free blondies -- it has a soft, slightly chewy texture that is perfect for baked goods, and it's very fine so that it's great in recipes where you might otherwise use wheat flour.
Equipment Needed for Almond Lemon Cookies
If you've already got a bowl and a wooden spoon for this healthy lemon almond cookies recipe, you're most of the way there! Then you'll just want a zester to zest your lemon, and a lined cookie sheet and you're ready to bake!
Tips and F.A.Q.
What is the difference between almond meal and almond flour?
I noted above that almond flour is made from blanched almonds -- that is, almonds that have been soaked in boiling water to remove their skins. It's also typically very finely ground and sifted. This process results in a very fine, powdery product with a milder flavor that works well in baked goods. Almond meal, on the other hand, is made with whole almonds, including their skins. This results in a coarser texture, a slightly darker color, and a slight difference in taste.
Does almond flour make cookies flat?
It's true that almond flour doesn't rise as easily as wheat flour, which is why it's important to use a recipe with the right ratio of almond flour to liquid so that your cookies don't end up flat. These soft almond flour lemon cookies are based on shortbread, so they're thicker and denser than many cookie recipes. So as long as you chill them as directed, you shouldn't have any issues with the cookies flattening out.
Why do my almond flour cookies fall apart?
You may have removed them from the baking sheet too soon. Almond flour cookies need about 10-20 minutes to cool on the cookie sheet before you transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely -- that way they can firm up a bit.
How do I store these almond shortbread cookies?
These cookies can be stored up to 4 days at room temperature in an airtight container. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months, well wrapped.
How do I make the glaze refined sugar-free?
You can make a maple-lemon glaze for these vegan lemon cookies by swapping in ⅓ cup of maple syrup for the powdered sugar. Whisk it all together with the lemon zest, and use a pastry brush to brush it onto your warm cookies!
How do I make these vegan almond lemon cookies keto-friendly?
It's easy! Just swap out the maple syrup with your favorite liquid keto sweetener like Allulose. Then when you make your glaze, you can use Confectioner's Swerve instead of powdered sugar! With these simple swaps, this recipe has only 2 grams net carbs per cookie!
If you try this recipe,I would love it if you couldleave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging@chenee_today on Instagram!
More Vegan Recipes You'll Love
- Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake
- Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Pumpkin Nice Cream
- Vegan Couscous Salad with Charred Corn
- Vegan White Bean Dip with Lemon and Pistachios
- Peach Sorbet Recipe
📖 Recipe
Almond Lemon Cookies - Healthy Lemon Almond Cookies with Lemon Glaze
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Soft, delicious almond lemon cookies with a bright lemon glaze! And we’re making these lemon almond shortbread cookies with almond flour and maple syrup, so they’re vegan, gluten free, dairy free, and are made without refined sugars!
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes minutes
Total Time: 24 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine :American
Servings: 18 cookies
Calories: 174kcal
Recipe Source: Chenée Lewis
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups superfine blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup vegan butter - melted
- 5 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon zest - packed
Lemon Glaze (optional)
- 2 cups powdered sugar - sifted - Or ⅓ cup maple syrup to skip the refined sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest - packed
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice - plus extra as needed
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine almond flour, melted vegan butter, maple syrup, salt, almond extract, and lemon zest. Stir until well combined.
2 ½ cups superfine blanched almond flour, ¼ cup vegan butter, 5 tablespoon maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon almond extract, 1 ½ tablespoon lemon zest
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
Use a small cookie scoop (or rounded tablespoons) to scoop dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on lined cookie sheet. Press down gently with hands or a spatula to flatten cookies slightly.
Bake in preheated oven 12-14 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for 10-20 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Lemon Glaze
Whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, and powder sugar (or maple syrup) until smooth.
2 cups powdered sugar - sifted, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 3 tablespoon lemon juice
Spread over cooled cookies. If using maple syrup version, you may brush glaze over warm cookies with a pastry brush.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 174 kcal | Carbohydrates: 21 g | Protein: 3 g | Fat: 10 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Sodium: 53 mg | Potassium: 17 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 17 g | Vitamin A: 120 IU | Vitamin C: 2 mg | Calcium: 40 mg | Iron: 1 mg
Nutrition Disclaimer
Did you try this recipe? Rate it below!I can't wait to see (and share) your results! Follow me on Instagram at @chenee_today and tag #cheneetoday!
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Last Updated on February 14, 2023 by Chenée Lewis
