Gluten-free lemon cookies that are also vegan, paleo, easy to make and have a delicious frosting!
In January and February, I’m always in the mood for lemon. Winters are so grey here and citrus cheers me up.
Unlike some of my other cookie recipes, you can tell that these aren’t made with all-purpose flour (but don’t run away just yet!).
Those other cookies (especially these vegan peanut butter cookies, paleo vegan coconut flour cookies and paleo oatmeal cookies) have nut butters in them doing all kinds of magical things to the texture but I didn’t want to add anything to detract from the lemon flavor in these cookies.
But that doesn’t mean that these paleo lemon cookies aren’t delicious! They’re totally maple sweetened and surprisingly (and thankfully!) don’t taste a thing like maple syrup. I absolutely love the taste of maple – but not in my lemon goodies.
I want that lemon taste to shine through everything else. I used the lightest Grade A maple syrup in these cookies and recommend you do the same if you don’t want any maple flavor. Maple also worked great in this paleo lemon fudge!
With no eggs or gluten, I have no idea how these lemon cookies hold together so well but I’m not complaining!
This healthy lemon cookies recipe only calls for 2 tablespoons of coconut flour but you can’t just omit it and there’s no substitute for it. Just saying since someone always asks!
Some people have said in other posts of mine that oat flour works as a coconut flour sub (for a non-paleo version), but I’ve never tried it myself. If you try it out, please let us know in the comments!
I first posted this vegan lemon cookies recipe 4 years ago and am reposting them because I wanted to reshare them with the frosting recipe. It makes them so much more delicious!
They’re still great without but… make them with the frosting! :D
If you try these gluten-free lemon cookies, I’d love to hear what you think! And should you want to try another citrusy treat, try this tangerine posset.
Substitution questions about these gluten-free lemon cookies?
- Can I use something instead of coconut oil in the cookie dough?
I think butter or ghee would work (for a dairy-containing version ) as well as vegan butter (for a non-paleo version).
- Can I use something instead of maple syrup?
Honey would probably work if you don’t mind a bit of honey taste (for a non-vegan version). Honey + lemon is delicious together! If you want to use honey, bake them at 325 degrees F (162 degree C) instead of 350. Honey bakes quicker than maple syrup. But if you want just lemon taste, go with maple. Agave syrup would probably work, too.
If anyone tries a keto version, I’d love to hear how you did it and how they came out! - Does it have to be blanched almond flour?
You can use almond meal if you don’t mind the little bits of almond skin in your cookies. Hazelnut meal would also probably work but I think that’s a weird flavor combination with the lemon.
- Can I use something instead of coconut flour?
Unfortunately not. There’s not a good sub for coconut flour as it absorbs so much more liquid than other flours. I’ve heard of people using oat flour (if you can have grains) but I have absolutely no idea how much you’d need to use or if it’d be as tasty.
- Can I use something instead of coconut butter in the frosting?
Nope! Like I said in my post on how to make coconut butter, there’s no sub for it.
Gluten-free Lemon Cookies (paleo, vegan)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 9 cookies
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (56 grams) refined coconut oil, melted1
- 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) maple syrup (I used the lightest Grade A syrup, which results in no maple taste in the cookies)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 1/3 cups (133 grams) blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons (17 grams) coconut flour, sifted if lumpy
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (63 grams) coconut butter (NOT coconut oil!), softened but not melted
- 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon (14 grams) refined coconut oil, softened but not melted
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon (or more) lemon zest
- 1/8 - 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (the amount will depend on your brand of extract and how lemony you want them)
- pinch of salt
For the cookies:
For the frosting:
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon zest and lemon extract. Add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt. The mixture might be thin and wet and much more like batter than dough. It might not be. Do not add any additional flour! Chilling will firm it up. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes and then place the bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until the dough is firm.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C) and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Roll into nine 35-gram balls. Place 3" apart on the prepared baking sheet and press the balls down slightly with your palm.
- Bake the smaller cookies for 10-12 minutes and the larger cookies for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies have lightly browned (not just the edges but also the middle of the cookies). The cookies may crackle a little.
- The cookies will still be very soft when you remove them from the oven. Let them cool on the pan completely.
- Prepare the frosting. Combine all of the ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend for about 20 seconds at medium or until totally smooth. Don't blend too long or it'll melt. You can also mix this by hand if your coconut butter and oil are soft enough. Spread a heaping tablespoon over each cookie.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
Join over 12,400 readers and sweeten up
your inbox with new posts for free!
This subscription is free of charge and can be canceled at any time.
345 comments on “Gluten-free Lemon Cookies (vegan, paleo)” — Add one!
3 comments are awaiting moderation!
Hi there, can you tell me what coconut butter would be in German? I don’t think I’ve seen it here. Thanks!
Hi! It’s called Kokosmus. :) Alnatura has their own store-brand Kokosmus but they also have Rapunzel, which is usually a tiny bit cheaper. DM also has it.
Danke für die schnelle Hilfe, super : ) !
Can these cookies be frozen and still taste great?
Yes, they freeze great. :)
Love these little cookies! Trying to eat ran in the new year and this recipe is pretty clean. My cookies had more coconut than lemon flavor but that’s on me. I didn’t have any lemon extract and I used the coconut oil I had on hand. Costco brand and possibly not refined. Regardless the texture and taste were both great! Will make again with lemon extract (and probably agsin before I make it to the store)
I’m so glad that you enjoyed them! Almost all brands are unrefined so you have to seek out the refined kind. It’s worth it for the coconut-free taste, though. ;) I hope that you’ll enjoy the lemony version, too. :D Thanks for your feedback!
Can you use a substitute for the coconut butter? Like almond butter or another vegan butter?
My apologies for just now seeing your question! It was in spam for some weird reason with a bunch of other comments. :( Hopefully you found the answer in the post. Where it says, “Can I use something instead of coconut butter in the frosting?” I wrote “Nope! Like I said in my post on how to make coconut butter, these’s no sub for it.” Sorry about that.
i dont have any lemon extract, what can i use?
I’m sorry for just now seeing your question! You can just use lemon juice. They’ll be less lemony but still delicious.
Hi! I have been loving and baking these cookies constantly for myself, friends and bdays! They are moist and taste great with honey and refined expeller pressed coconut oil ftom Whole Foods. Bake time 350 for 11 min.
However, I was in long island by the beach for a weekend and I tried making the cookies twice and they went flat and spread out! :( but still yummy.
-First attempt was with virgin refined coconut oil and honey and the rest of ingredients listed. The dough became very watery. Result: flat and spread out after 11 min.
-Second attempt: I used vegan butter instead of coconut oil. Result: flat and spread out after 11 min. I did notice the cookies did rise after 6, 7 min then they all dropped flat!
I am wondering that maybe the culprit in this the geographical location of where I was and or the altitude. I was near a beach….
Help :) love these cookies! :)
Hmm. I really have no idea! I’ve never heard that being near a beach could have an effect like that. Did you use different brands than usual? If you were at the beach, are you worried that it’s lower altitude than where you live? This recipe wasn’t written for a high-altitude so a low-altitude shouldn’t matter. Sorry I don’t have an answer for you!
OMGoodness! We absolutely loved these. My husband says they’re better without the icing and our Son #1 says they are better with the icing. So both ways are delicious!
I’m so sorry for just now seeing this! I just found it with a ton of comments mixed in with the spam. :( I’m so glad that you and your family enjoyed them! I guess your son will get double the icing. ;) Thanks for your feedback and sorry again!
So amazing! Love the smell of lemon extract. What do you do if you do not have enough for one tablespoon? I have every single other ingredient just not enough lemons. Looks like it calls for 2 lemons :) I have lemon extract also. Thx
I’m sorry for just now seeing your question! I’d suggest increasing the lemon extract to 2 teaspoons. And then try them again later when you have more lemons because lemon zest is always better. ;) I hope you’ll enjoy them!
So good!
And thanks for leaving another comment just so you could rate it. :D
Just baked this cookie and had to say THANK YOU for sharing! I didn’t have to make the glaze because it’s SO GOOD just by itself! YUM YUM!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you like them. :) Thanks for your feedback!
I am an 80 yr. old GF lady Texas transplant in Las Vegas who is blown away by your website. I am so impressed with your knowledge & baking experience and especially the way you put yourself “out there.” Thank you. Your presentation / photography of a varietal of healthy sweets has me drooling! You show such a zest (pun) for life in your manner of detailed conversation. You have built a little empire here that fulfills a need for those with diet restrictions. you are a very caring person who spreads happiness.
Hi Gaye! I’m so terribly sorry for only now seeing your super nice comment! I just found it in the spam with a bunch of other comments. :( Thank you for all your kind words. This is really one of the nicest comments I’ve ever gotten and just feel awful that it was sitting in spam for almost a year. Thank you again! I hope that you’re still enjoying the recipes and didn’t give up on me when I didn’t reply.
You left an invalid email address and I guessed what I think is the correct one, but I got another error message in reply. :( I’ll try writing again soon! It could be that the email account is too full.
Do you think these could be used as a mini pie crust for brownie sizes mini lemon blueberry tarts? There sound so delicious.
Hi! I haven’t tried it but I think they’d be too soft and not hold your tarts together properly. But I’m not positive!
My son said these were “the best cookies I’ve ever had”. Thank you! We are trying new vegan recipes everyday and these were divine.
Wow! What a compliment. Tell him thanks. :D And thank you for your feedback! Sorry for just now seeing your comment. Things have been crazy!
I’ve made these so many times. I just wanted to say thank you for this recipe. Everyone loves these cookies!
I have started to use Miyoko’s butter in place of the oil (or at least go half and half) and I like them even more that way.
I’m so glad that you’ve been enjoying the cookies! I’ll have to check out that butter. I’m sure some butter taste helps. :) Thanks for the tip and your feedback! Sorry for my slow reply.
These cookies were yummy! I didn’t have coconut butter so I used a plant-based almond butter stick. As a result, the icing didn’t mix as well as I would have liked and had a buttery flavor, but it was still good. I think the cookies would be good without the icing too! This will be a great base recipe for other cookies. Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed them. :) And yes, you’ll get totally different results using coconut butter. It has a unique texture! Thanks a bunch for your feedback. :)
These cookies look absolutely divine! I love anything lemon too! Could you share what camera and lens you use to take your pictures? I am very impressed with the quality!
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your question! It landed up in spam for some reason and I haven’t checked for a while as we’ve been dealing with regular flu and then stomach flu and a neverending winter of illness. Anyway! A Canon 6D and Canon 100mm f/2.8. :)
Thank you for sharing the recipe. I loved them! I did not use the refined coconut oil and they did end up with a coconut taste. My husband didn’t like the coconut flavor so I will make that adjustment next time.
I’m so sorry for just now seeing this! I just found it with a ton of comments mixed in with the spam. :( I’m so glad that you loved them! And yes, refined is definitely better in this recipe if you don’t want them coconutty. I hope your husband will enjoy them more with that! Thanks for your feedback and sorry again for my slow reply.
Going to try these today maybe. Do they freeze ok?
Sorry for just now seeing your question! Yes, they do. :)
Thanks so much. Actually making right away here!
I hope that they came out well! :)
Hi! Thank you for the recipe. The cookies are very tasty but my cookies didn’t look like yours. My cookies turned very flat (like pancakes). Any ideas why? I used Costco almond flour, extra virgin coconut oil. Thank you!
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your comment! I haven’t used that almond flour but perhaps it’s more coarse than the usual stuff? Also, did you use a scale? If not, I recommend using that! I’ve gotten a lot of feedback on these cookies but nobody saying that they’re flat (that I can remember) so I think it was likely a measuring / ingredient issue. I’m glad that they were still tasty. :)
Thanks for the recipe! This will be a staple for me, it’s delicious.
I’m so glad you like them! Thanks for your comment. :)
Always looking to make healthy cookies and these turned out excellent! Instead of lemon essence I added 2 drops of lemon essential oil (a very good quality pure one), extra lemon zest and grated ginger (because I love the combination!). The only small gripe….I need to make double quantity next time..! I made my own almond flour but it didnt grind down enough so I have ordered some good quality flour to trial next… This will become a very favourite cookie….🤗❤
Oooh, grated ginger sounds amazing! And great that oil worked in place of extract. I’m super glad that it’ll become a favorite cookie for you. :) And I’m so sorry for just now seeing your comment! It somehow got mixed in with the spam.
Haha no probs…just made another batch! And others have requested recipe …so good vibes… x love the kick of ginger too (plus the health benefits) x thank you! Xxx
You’re welcome! And woohoo. Always glad to hear that others request the recipe. :) Thanks again for your comment!
Hi Erin,
I absolutely love these cookies. Our co-op is requesting recipes for a cookbook. If I include your url, may I submit this recipe for the cookbook? Thanks!
I’m so glad you like them! The recipe has already been published somewhere else so it can’t be published in anything else. I’m sorry about that! But thank you for asking and not just taking. :)
I made this recipe for a group and they loved it! I made it exactly with the exception of the maple syrup. I used agave! Very filling, I made small ones and got 12 out of them! Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m glad that it worked well with agave. :) Thanks for the tip and for your comment!
These look good when piped with a large piping nozzle.
Oooh! What an interesting idea. Thanks for the tip!
Hi. I’d like to make these cookies, but I can’t have coconut flour. Can I substitute with something else that’s gluten-free?
Hello! Some people have mentioned using oat flour as a coconut flour sub in a few of my recipes but it’s not an exact sub (there aren’t any exact subs) and I haven’t tried it for myself. So I can’t really say for sure if it’d work! Sorry I can’t be more helpful.
These are fabulous. My husband,daughter and I love them! I am going to use this base for all my cookies from now on. Thank you so much for your generosity as these are worth money!!! Love from France
You’re welcome! I’m so glad to hear that you and your family liked them so much. :) Thanks for your feedback!
Hi, I used to make these ALL the time before I switched to a no sugar diet this year. Any suggestions? I so desperately want to make this. I used to start my day with this cookie & tea before I took my dog out for a walk at 5am!!! So I always had stock!
I am wondering if I can use erythritol and then sub the liquid. Hmmmmmm.
Hello! I have to admit that I really don’t know anything about low-carb sweeteners (they give me gut issues). If you try it out, please let me know how it goes! I’m sure other readers are wondering the same thing.
I am going to try using the sweetleaf stevia maple syrup. I use it in recipes that call for maple syrup as an alternative.
Thanks for the tip! I’d love to hear how it comes out.
Xylatol! That will save you! I use it all the time I buy it on Amazon.
Awesome! Thanks a bunch for the tip! :)
Thank you for this recipe. These lemon cookies are my absolute favorite!! I have to delay the time between making them, because I don’t trust myself to not devour them in no time. I am convinced my taste buds can be satisfied on a Vegan diet. Food can be flavorful and I look forward to exploring more recipes. Thanks again!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy that you enjoyed them. :) Thanks for your feedback and sorry for my very slow reply! Good luck with the vegan diet. :)
Hi there, thanks for the recipe! Do you have nutritional information per cookie? Thanks.
I don’t have that info but you could use this recipe analyzer for the nutritional profile. :)
These look delish! Could you use actual lemons as opposed to lemon extract in this recipe? If so what would that look like? Can’t wait to try these.
Thanks! You could definitely use more lemon zest. Some of the commenters have used lemon juice but I haven’t tried it (I’ve only made them as written). Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Could we use all coconut flour instead of almond flour?
Unfortunately not as they’re not interchangeable.
I looked through all the comments but can’t find an answer to this question. Is the Bob’s Red Mill almond flour a de-fatted flour (powdery) or is it finely ground almonds, more like a fine almond meal? I used the first and weighed all the ingredients, but the dough was far too firm and crumbly in the end, and I had to add 1 or 2 Tb water plus a whole flax egg! And they still weren’t light and didn’t rise at all because they were too dense. I’m guessing it’s the difference in flour vs. meal, but could you please confirm or deny that? Thanks!
Hello! So sorry for just now seeing your question. Do you happen to live outside of the US? In the US, almond flour is always ground almonds. We don’t even have the defatted kind in the US. It can be confusing because in some countries, almond flour = the defatted stuff and what we’d call ground, blanched almonds is what others might call almond flour. Almond meal is like almond flour, except it hasn’t been blanched. I’m sorry that they didn’t come out! I hope the next time goes better. :)
I do live in Europe. Thank you for the explanation! For some reason, in all the recipes and explanations I’ve seen about almond “flour”, that difference never came across. People always say to use almond flour and not almond meal. And I always took almond meal to mean ground almonds. Therefore, almond flour couldn’t be just plain ground almonds. Thank you so much for being the first person who could actually clarify the difference! I can’t wait to try the recipe again, but with the right ingredient. ;)
Oh, gosh. That’s really confusing! I can see the problem. I think that I’ll start adding a note to my recipes to help a few of the European readers. Thanks again for your feedback!
I HATE COOKING but I am transitioning to a 98% Gluten-free – Vegeterian diet—- I plan to still enjoy bacon or eggs every once in a while! ;-) and I must say that I LOVE THIS COOKIE!!! And the best part about it is it is EASY, not a lot of ingredients, taste good AND FILLING! I even made a little frosting/glaze using Stevia, coconut oil and lemon extract. It was an experiment but OH MY—- now I can enjoy with or without the frosting and still be satisfied. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS RECIPE. God bless🙏🏾❤️
Hello! I’m so sorry for just now seeing your comment. You’re welcome for the recipe. :) I’m glad that you enjoyed the cookies and I love your glaze idea. It sounds delicious! Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
These lemon cookies are absolutely delish.
Loved them easy and tasty !!
Thank you for sharing !
Made with ghee .
I bet these are great made with ghee! Sounds delicious. Thanks for your comment (and sorry for my slow reply!). I’m so happy you liked them!
I’ve been browsing your lemon dessert recipes and was wondering, could I use this cookie recipe for your lemon curd thumbprint cookies?? I need to be dairy free and that cookie recipe has butter in it. :) thank you!!
Here’s the base you need! It’s the same as the lemon curd thumbprint cookies but with coconut oil :) – raspberry thumbprint cookies. Enjoy!
I want to try this recipe soon. What if i don’t have a maple syrup, Is it okay for organic stevia?
Hi there! I’m so very sorry for just now seeing your comment. It landed in spam for some weird reason! If you don’t have maple, you could use honey (for a non-vegan version). Is the stevia a liquid version that’s meant as a 1-to-1 sub for honey / maple? If so, that should work. If not, you’d have to add some liquid to the recipe to make up for the lost liquid in the maple but I’m not sure how much. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
I made these cookies and they turned out great!!! I didn’t have any refined coconut oil, so I used virgin coconut oil. They tasted more like a coconut-lemon macaroon, but I still thought it was great! 10/10 super easy & tastes awesome!
A coconut lemon macaroon sounds yummy! Thanks for the tip. I’m happy that they came out well! Thanks for your comment (and sorry for my slow reply!).
Hi there! I love your recipes and will be trying this one and the chocolate chips for Christmas! Question here – could I substitute coconut sugar for the maple syrup, and if so, about how much would you think?
We try to coconut sugar these days over maple syrup and honey it bc of its lower GI! Thanks so much!
Hi! I’m so happy that you love the recipes. :) I wouldn’t recommend coconut sugar here because the taste would overpower the lemon and I don’t think it’d go together very well. But the real problem is that you’d have to add extra liquid to make up for the loss of liquid in the maple syrup. I unfortunately don’t have a clue how much you’d need to add. :/ Sorry about that! Most of my recipes use coconut sugar so you could look here to see all of them.
No worries, so glad I asked! Thanks for your speedy feedback!
These are so yummy! I’ve changed them up to make sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies, equally as yummy!
Do you have a healthy frosting recipe? I would love to make these with my granddaughter as Christmas cookies. Thanks!
I do! I have these paleo orange cookie, which are the same exact cookies as these lemon cookies, but with orange flavor. And it’s got a frosting recipe! Hope you’ll both enjoy it. :)
Thank you!
Might be an issue of almond flour brand? It’s my understanding there’s a lot of variation in quality, fineness of texture, etc. with almond flour.
Do I have to use baking soda?
Yup!
These are so good! And so easy! I didn’t have lemon extract so I used vanilla instead and turned out great. Straight out of the oven is to die for. Yum!
Yay! I’m happy that you enjoyed them so much. :) Thanks for your comment!
Can you use just coconut flour. Husband can’t have starch.
Unfortunately not. But almond flour isn’t a starch? You could try my coconut flour cookies for a coconut only cookie recipe!
I love these cookies! Today I made almond chocolate chip cookies with the same base. Yum. Instead of lemon (which I love) I used almond extract and some home made choc. chips with baker’s chocolate.
Whole new cookie. The extract is great with the almond and coconut flavors.
That sounds delicious! Thanks for the tip. I love almond extract so I’ll have to try that, too. Thanks for your comment. :)
I love my cookies, I’m just starting out on my paleo lifestyle. Can honey be sub for maple syrup? I have a blended “paleo” flour ill be using. Also is grams measurement used in all the recipes? Thank you.
You can use honey but you might need to bake these a little lower and for a few fewer minutes so that they don’t brown too quickly. I’m not sure if a paleo flour blend will work in this recipe, though. I’d recommend trying it as written first and then experimenting with your blend. :) I’m not sure what you mean by gram measurements used in all recipes. Do you mean do I use them in all my recipes? If so, yes I do. :) Hope you’ll enjoy the cookies!
I just made them over the weekend. My picky husband loves them and asks for more!!!
My dough came out dry at first, so I added 2 eggs last minute. Came out absolutely wonderful! Soft and moist cookies. Thank you so much!
I’m so happy that you and your picky husband enjoyed them! I’m puzzled as to how you could add two eggs and have them come out well. But it’s great that it worked. :) Did you make any subs or changes at all to the recipe (other than the eggs?) Thanks for your comment!
I just made these for the first time. Delicious and easy! Definitely double the recipe though. I used honey instead of syrup and I added finely chopped fresh mint. Perfect summer time cookie. ❤️
Oooh! Mint is an interesting idea. :) Sounds good! I’m so happy you liked the cookies. Thanks for the tip and for your comment!
hi! why does the coconut oil need to be melted? and would you measure it cold and then melt it?
Hi there! You can measure before or after melting because 1 tablespoon of firm or melted still equals 14 grams. If your coconut oil is soft enough to be combined easily into the batter, it doesn’t have to be melted.
Soooooo goooood! Made them just as instructed. My husband loved them and is requesting I make them again. So…winner!
Woohoo! Always a good thing when the husband requests them again. :) Thanks for your comment!
Love LOVE this recipe but it is difficult to keep it consistent for me. Any chance you have flour measurements by weight?!
So happy you like it! :) But I’m confused. Grams are already listed. Were you maybe looking at a different recipe?
Hey there! I’m making these as thank you favors for a friends baby shower. I did a test run and they were DELICIOUS and got good reviews from my friends. I added in almost a Tbsp of cardamom and some enjoy life chocolate chips. I was wondering how you would go about making them before an event? Would you freeze them, refrigerate them, or anything like that? They’ll be packaged in plastic wrap inside of a cute little glassine bag. Thanks for your input!
Hi! Oooh. Cardamom sounds like a delicious addition! These cookies stay good for quite a while at room temperature. How many days before the event do you want to make them?
I looove the cardamom addition! It’s such a wonderful lemon companion. I wish there were allergy free white chocolate chips!!! I was considering starting them today, so a week in advance. Let me know what you think!
Sorry for the slow reply! I think I’d refrigerate them just to be safe. I haven’t tried freezing them so I’m not sure about that. Sorry I don’t have a better answer for you!
Hi Erin! So does this recipe only make 9 reasonably sized cookies?
I’m having a get together of about 15 people so I want to make sure I have enough. I’m assuming I should probably double the recipe. I’m making another cookie too so I assume doubling will be enough.
Hi Hima! Sorry for the slow reply. And you’re correct. I would definitely recommend doubling the recipe. :) I hope you and your guests will enjoy them!
Another delicious recipe. So easy, too! Definitely a keeper!
I’m happy to hear that you want to make them again! Thanks for your comment. :)
hi! can i sub all purpose gluten free flour for the almond flour?
Hi there! I wouldn’t recommend that sub (as GF AP flour is meant as a sub for wheat and not almond + coconut flours) but I believe some commenters have tried it. You can check out the reviews to see what they did. :)
Any idea on fat content. Im making these for a freind who cant have dairy, eggs or wheat also needs low fat due to gall bladder
I don’t but you could use this recipe analyzer if you’d like for that info. :) I do know that these aren’t low-fat, though.
AWESOME recipe!! Made these today and followed the recipe exactly (except doubled) and they were 100% perfect! Sightly chewy on the outside and soft on the inside and fantastic flavor. Thank you for the recipe- this one is a keeper.
You’re welcome! I’m happy that you think they’re a keeper and good to know that they double well. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment (and sorry for my slow reply!).
I was looking for something gluten-free and lemony and eggless – as I don’t have any eggs – and I found and made your recipe. I used butter and honey as they befriend lemons so well. I used 1/4 cup of honey and added lemon juice to bring it up to 1/3 cup. The cookies are beautiful and delicious. Thanks for a great easy recipe!
That’s great to know that butter and honey work well! I’m happy that you enjoyed them. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
I love these cookies. My grandchildren made them for me while I was working. They used all purpose gluten free flour. They’re so easy to make and I love the taste. The grandchildren liked them too.
That’s so nice that your grandchildren made you cookies and that you enjoyed them! Thanks for your feedback. :)
So did the use the gluten free flour in place of the almond and coconut flours??
I unfortunately don’t know (and don’t think she’ll see your comment unless she visits this page again). Sorry about that!
Did they use gluten free flour instead of both the almond and coconut flours?? Thanks
Can I use Tigernut flour instead of almond flour?
I’ve never tried it so I have no idea. I’ve only made a few recipes with tigernut flour and don’t have much experience with it. Sorry about that!
Alright guys… I am not a great baker and when I attempted to make these everything went to hell. I love the idea of these cookies! But alas, I only had white flour available and I added some coconut oil and lemon juice… and I’ll just say that my family did not love this cookie. Thank you for the recipe though!! I love vegan recipes! ☺️
By white flour, do you mean all-purpose flour? Like wheat flour? Unfortunately, all-purpose flour isn’t at all interchangeable with almond flour so that’s probably why your family didn’t enjoy the cookies. I hope you can try again with almond flour! The other reviewers have all seemed to love the cookies. :)
You didn’t follow the recipe, so maybe don’t share how you didn’t like it. Unfortunately flour can’t be subbed for almond/coconut flour. May want to look for a non vegan lemon sugar cookie recipe.
Thank you! But at least she didn’t rate it a 1? I try to see the positive with these comments. ;)
I just made these for the first time for a cookie exchange with family. I ground up unsalted sunflower seeds to form sunflower flour and used instead of almond flour. I use about 1/2 tsp extra lemon zest and fresh lemon juice instead of lemon extract. They are great! My family thought they were good too. I did discover that the inside turned green, I think because of the sunflower seeds. Just made them more festive for the Christmas season. :)
Haha. I like how you see the green cookies as just more festive for the holidays. :D I’m happy to hear that they came out well with sunflower seed flour! That’s a great tip for the nut-free people. Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Thanks for the nut free tip.
I modified just because I didn’t have coconut flour on hand or lemon extract. So I used 2 tbsp of flour instead which I know makes it not paleo. But I was more after the vegan cookie so I’m ok with that. I also used agave instead because I’m out of maple syrup. I used the juice of half a lemon to replace the extract. AND I added some shredded coconut. It was to die for. These cookies are going into my regular rotation. And I love the simplicity of them. And that it’s a small batch. I might eat them all 😊
I’m so happy that the cookies came out well with your changes! Added coconut sounds delicious. :) Nothing wrong with eating them all. It IS a small batch. :D Thanks for your comment!
These are incredibly easy and SO delicious! This is one of my go-to recipes to make when I teach essential oil classes. I sub 8 drops of doTERRA lemon oil in place of the lemon extract. Always a hit!
Yum! That sounds delicious. I’ll have to try that! Thanks for your tip and your comment. :)
I’m somewhat late to the party but just wanted to as if you think they would work if I used Tigernut flour instead of almond and Cassava instead of coconut? I’m on the AIP diet and don’t tolerate coconut well :( These look so good that I’d love to try them!
I’m also on AIP (despite the recipes you see posted on my blog) and am sorry to say that those flours aren’t at all interchangeable. :( You’re much better off finding recipes that are already AIP. I believe there’s a coconut-free AIP recipe roundup somewhere! I know because I started reacting to coconut for a while and basically everything AIP calls for coconut. Sorry about that! Wish I could help more.
Thanks Erin – that saves me wasting expensive ingredients! I’ve never cooked with either before so will continue the search!
You’re welcome and good luck (with baking and AIP, in general!).
I made these cookies a few days ago and they were soooooo good. I’m dairy free but thought why not try them even though they are gluten free also. YUM! I followed your recipe exactly as is. The only problem I found, the batch didn’t make enough but an easy fix! LOL I will definitely make these again, probably in a few days but triple the batter so I’ll have cookies for a few more days!!!
Haha. I’m sorry the yield was so small! I hope that your triple batch will come out well and that it’ll be enough to satisfy your cooking craving. :D Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Oh man, these look incredible. I’m not a big lemon fan but I did love those lemon cooler cookies growing up. I’m wondering if anyone tried sprinkling powder sugar on top.
Thanks! I haven’t tried it but I don’t know why it wouldn’t work. Hope you’ll enjoy them if you give them a try! :)
Can’t wait to try the recipe. Can you use fresh lemon juice instead of lemon extract?
I haven’t tried it but some of the commenters have with success. They just won’t be as lemony!
Finally made theses cookies! So yummy and delicious and moist. Followed the recipe exactly, except I was confused by the unblanched flour so they don’t look like the photo. Just a little darker. I used butter instead of coconut oil and honey In place of the maple syrup. Super fab cookie. I was going to bring them to a party but I might be a little greedy with them now. Ha.
Haha. Nothing wrong with keeping them for yourself! I also have that “bake for a party but don’t want to share” problem. :D I’m so happy you liked the cookies! Thanks for your comment.
My sister has celiacs disease so I’m going to freeze them and share with her. I know she’ll appreciate them more than anyone else. I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes. Thanks for sharing!
That’s so nice of you to make something your sister can eat, too! And I hope you’ll enjoy the cookies, too. :) Thanks for your comment and I hope you’ll like the other recipes!
This is a great recipe I used sunflower seed flour because my husband is allergic to almonds and it tasted great, but I had to laugh at the beautiful green color on the inside! After baking the cookie and waiting for them to cool we broke the cookie in half and got the surprise of our baking lives :) They were a lovely/scary shade of green! I had heard there would be green specks inside due to the sunflower/soda reaction, but wasn’t expecting a completely green center. We are new the Paleo/gluten free cooking arena and I am hoping that finding an aluminum free baking soda will remedy the color issue. Thanks for the recipe.
Aluminum free baking powder wont alter the chemical reaction turning baked goods green. I make my own baking powder (baking soda and cream of tarter) and it still looks like I am celebrating St Patrick’s Day. It tastes good and is a great substitute with allergies, however!
That’s good to know! Thanks for the tip. :)
I am so very sorry I missed your comment, Barbara! I somehow missed it until someone else replied to it (I think because we were moving to another city on this day!). I’m so happy to hear that you all enjoyed the cookies despite their funny color! By the way, all baking soda is aluminum-free. I know some brands market their baking soda as aluminum-free, which makes people think that other brands aren’t. It’s baking powder (which isn’t paleo due to it having cornstarch) which isn’t always aluminum-free. Thanks for your nice comment and sorry again for my super slow reply!
P E R F E C T !!
And for the Stevia funs, it worked fine! I used liquid one!
thank you!!!
You’re welcome! I’m happy that you enjoyed them and that they worked out well with Stevia. Thanks for the tip and your comment!
Would you happen to recall how much liquid Stevia you used??
Delicious! Thanks for this amazing recipe. I made it for myself since I was craving lemon cookies and had planned to eat it ALL….but our 13 year old son on an unrestricted diet tried one and just said, “WOW…wow…wow!” quickly followed by, “Where did you get this recipe?” and “You need to make more from her site, then!” One minor thing I did- I used 1/4 cup maple syrup instead of the 1/3 and it was plenty sweet for me and our son. I’ve tried your chickpea cookies,too- absolutely too delicious! I will be trying a bunch more now!!! Thank you, Erin!
Haha. I love your son’s reaction! That’s great that he liked them, too. Sorry that you have to share now. ;) Good to know that less maple works! And I’m happy to hear that you liked the chickpea cookies. Thanks a bunch for your comment! I hope you’ll enjoy the other recipes just as much.
My son LOVED these he is 5 and is fresh to SCD with a diagnosis of Chron’s disease. Trying to keep up with baking and recipes and so far these are the best we have made. Thank you!
Also substituted oil for butter and maple syrup for honey
Good to know that those subs work! Thanks again. :)
I’m so happy to hear that you both enjoyed the cookies! Thanks for your comment. :)
What can i replace to maple syrup??
You could try agave or honey. If you use honey, you may want to lower the temperature a bit as it makes things brown more quickly.
These are sooooo amazing! I only made 2 minor changes and they still turned out super delicious. I didn’t have any refined coconut oil, so I used regular. I was also out of maple syrup, so I used 1/3 cup honey. You could definitely taste a hint of honey, but honey and lemon are a classic combo! I couldn’t even tell that coconut oil was used, so I would say don’t worry if it’s refine or not. Excellent recipe, Erin! I will definitely be making these again and doubling the recipe. 😉
It’s great to know that honey works well! I love lemon + honey together. :) And awesome that you’ll be making them again! I’m happy to hear that. Thanks a bunch for your comment!
What’s the calorie count on this?
I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :)
Hi! These look and sound delicious! I was wondering if you thought maple syrup could be substituted with honey?
Hi! Thanks. :) I haven’t tried it but I’m pretty sure it’d work. They might brown a little quicker so keep an eye on them!
They turned out GREAT! I’ll definitely be making them again, thank you!
Awesome! I’m happy to hear that. Thanks for your feedback!
Girl I just made these – wow! SO TASTY! And sooo easy. I melted all the liquid ingredients on the stove and it became a wonderful carmely lemony goodness, just wonderful. Thanks for the inspiration! :) So glad I discovered your blog!
I’m happy you discovered it, too! And awesome that you enjoyed the cookies. :) I’ll have to try melting everything together next time! Thanks a ton for your comment!
Just made these! They were perfect! This is definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Awesome! So happy that they’re a keeper. :) Thanks for your comment!
I made these the other day and they are AMAZING! And perfect for my diabetic sweet toothed husband ;-)
Have you ever tried baking this as a loaf cake? Do you think it would work?
That’s an interesting question! I don’t think it’d work. Maybe a cookie cake? But I’m almost positive putting it in a loaf pan wouldn’t work. I’m so happy that you and your husband enjoyed the cookies! Thanks for your feedback. :)
Erin thank you for sharing awesome recipes! I made them with oat flour, and instead of getting a dry dough (because of the oat flour absorbing properties), it was very wet, even after being half an hour in the fridge. The flavour was not bad but it resulted in one huge chewy cookie – I loved how soft they are-. However, I won’t give up and I’ll keep trying! Greetings from Chile!
That sounds interesting! My dough was also quite wet (though other people didn’t have that issue). Thanks for your feedback and good luck with your next round! If you figure out an oat flour version that works, I’d love to hear about it. :)
These cookies are spot on! I love all things lemon, and these cookies are sure to satisfy my lemon cravings. The edges were a little crispy, and the inside soft and chewy. Perfect!
That’s awesome! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the cookies and that they satisfied your cravings. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
I am making these this morning. I made the dough last night. My dough wasn’t runny but I used room temp coconut oil. I also substituted agave for the syrup.
By my calculations, the entire batch of cookies is 1702 calories (I just added up the calories in each ingredient. Again this is with agave which is 60 calories per tablespoon.) I made 13 small ones so mine are around 131 per cookie.
I am excited to try the cookies. Goodness knows I ate some of the batter already!
The room temp coconut oil probably made a difference! I hope they came out correctly. :) When I use melted coconut oil in one of my cookie recipes that calls for firm coconut oil, they come out a mess. Hopefully it’s not the same when it’s the other way around! I hope you enjoyed the cookies. Thanks for your comment!
Hi,
I do not have almond flour, can I still make these cookies with coconut flour only?
Hi! Coconut flour is unfortunately not interchangeable with any other flour as it absorbs so much more liquid. Sorry about that! You could try hazelnut or cashew meal in place of the almond flour.
Hazelnut flour worked out great!
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know. :)
Thank you for posting! I cannot wait to try your recipe. I have a friend who is GF/DF and she loves all things lemon. I’m making these cookies to take to her house for a small get-together she is hosting this weekend. I think they’re going to be perfect!
That’s so nice of you to make her a cookie recipe that’ll fit her diet! I hope you’ll both enjoy the cookies. I’d love to hear how they come out! Thanks for your comment. :)
I made these tonight. I wouldn’t normally be a person to go for a lemon cookie but a friend of mine’s birthday is tomorrow and I thought I would make them for him. The only thing different I did is that I don’t have any lemons or lemon juice. But I do have these packets of true lemon and one packet is equal to one wedge of lemon. I have used them before and they work well. The only ingredients in them are lemon oil, powdered lemon juice and citric acid. I don’t know how many packets I put in…probably 8 or 9 and they are really good cookies.
I wonder though if you can turn these into a non-paleo version. I think my son would like them but he is allergic to almonds.
By the way, I doubled the recipe…so I put those 8 or 9 packets of True Lemon in a doubled recipe…not in a single recipe.
Oooh! That’s interesting. I’ve never heard of those packets but they sound like a great sub. Thanks for the tip! It’s pretty much impossible to convert almond / coconut flour recipes to be made with wheat. :/ I’ve tried. This recipe for whole wheat sugar cookies looks really good, though! Thank you for your comment. :)
What is the nutrition info on this recipe? Also whould oat flower be a good sub for the almond flour? (Sister is highly allergic to nuts) Thanks!
I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :) And unfortunately, nuts flours aren’t interchangeable with non-nut flours. I’ve heard of people using sunflower seed flour as a sub but I’ve never tried it and have no idea if it’d work here. Sorry about that!
I made these today, mine were not runny at all, had a great cookie consistency, I refrigerated them anyway. I love the texture, mine aren’t very lemony, so I will add more zest next time. I use sugar free syrup and it can not be tasted at all.
Thank you for the great recipes!
I’m happy that they came out well for you and that sugar-free syrup worked! I guess the consistency of the dough depends on the type of almond and coconut flour used. Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
I am making them right now and my dough is perfect for cookies as well – not runny at all! Thank you for your comment – I wanted to make sure I didn’t ruin it and so glad your comment was here!
Mine’s always like batter! I guess it’s my almond flour. I’ve changed the instructions to say that it may or may not be runny. :) Thanks for your comment!
Hi Erin, awesome recipe! Mine turned out great! Will they last longer than four days if put in the fridge?
Hi Sisca! I’m so happy you liked them. :) And yes, they will! Maybe a week in an airtight container? Thanks for your comment!
These sound divine! i love lemon anything and have a very large quantity of coconut flour to use up! It’s used far more in paleo baking than it is in vegan and after I switched to vegan I found that it’s rarely used. I will be making these soon.
As for your aquafaba question, I recently made a vegan cornbread that called for aquafaba and as I made it into a “meringue” consistency it was FANTASTIC! In no way do you get a single hint of stinky chickpeas! Now if course I added organic cane sugar but I still half expected it to smell like beans. I was simply elated to see how beautifully it rose and has the exact same feel as traditional meringue. It was just glorious. The juice of one can made far far more than I was expecting so my advice would be to start slow and with one can. Good luck!
Haha. I love how you refer to chickpeas as stinky. That’s how I feel about them. :D That cornbread recipe sounds very interesting! Is the recipe online? Thanks so much for your tip and for your comment! I hope you’ll enjoy these cookies. :)
Your cookies are divine! I’m in love with the coco ahaha you know, so these were a savior for me after hours on the net looking for something decent. Baked them yesterday, but without lemon at all, and I substituted coconut oil with coconut goodness. On top of all, I added coconut goodness peanut cream and raw chocolate nibs on top. It seems these are absolutely different from yours now… BUT ANYWAY the idea was born here.
Check up my blog for reworked version of cookies inspired by you! I’m posting it today :)
Haha. I’ve made a coconut version of these, too! They’re good. :) But peanut cream?! Yum! Never tried that. Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
I made these yesterday. The texture wasn’t batter like, but seemed just perfect to me. Didn’t chill them the full 30 minutes as didn’t feel it needed it but the end result ….. absolutely perfect!
I shall be making these again for sure and doubling the quantity!
Thanks.
I guess the dough consistency has to do with the coconut oil temperature and the brand of flour. I’m happy it worked out well for you and that you’re going to make them again. :) Thanks for your feedback!
Erin what is the best substitutes for coconut oil and flour if a person doesn’t care for coconut?
Butter would work in these cookies but unfortunately, there’s no sub for coconut flour. It absorbs so much more liquid than any other type of flour and using more almond flour in place of it won’t work. You can’t taste the coconut flour as long as you add all the lemony ingredients, though. :)
I’m hoping you can help me, I quadruple checked my recipe, because I was expecting my batter to be wet, but was instead very crumbly and dry, like a powder. What went wrong? I’m sure all my ingredients and measurements were correct, and according to the comments it wasn’t something that happened to anyone else. I was really looking forward to these! Any advice?
Hi there! I’m sorry you’re having difficulties! Like you said, none of the other commenters have had that issue (and I’ve made these tons of times) so either one of the ingredients or one of the measurements were off. Or perhaps you really, really packed the almond flour? But even then, I don’t think it’d come out crumbly and dry. There have been times when I follow one of my own recipes (which has nothing but great reviews) and they come out terribly. Then I realize I added too much or too little of something. It happens. :/ I’m sorry! I hope you’ll give them another try. :) Maybe you could use a scale next time, if you didn’t last time.
Well I have not given up hope, lol. I’ll be trying it again cause I really want these cookies! Thank you!
Good luck! :)
This happened to me too!! It was just dust!! I checked over and over again also. I ended up adding in a bunch of water, an egg, and butter. They are in the oven now and I am thankful that I just made them for my husband tonight haha
Gah!
Correction – I made this again and weighed everything instead of measuring. They came out awesome. User error for sure : )
Aww, yay! So happy that you tried it again and actually came back to let the others know that it was user error. Thank you! And sorry I didn’t see your comments until now. Thanks again!
I just had the exact same problem. I followed the recipe exactly. Double and tripled checking everything. I used ghee instead of coconut oil but that shouldn’t have caused an issue but it came out very dry and crumbly. I added small amounts of ghee essentially doubling the oil and now my cookie dough looks more like pie crust dough. I am chilling the dough and going to try making them tomorrow. See how they turn out. I am glad I am not the only one though.
Hmm. I did a video of the orange version of these cookies (which is exactly the same as these but with orange flavoring) which you can find here. You can see that the dough definitely isn’t dry and crumbly. Like I said in my above comment, something must have gone wrong (especially when you consider that nobody on the first page of comments had any issues). Sorry I can’t be more of a help! I hate it when something doesn’t come out well. What brand of almond flour did you use?
What about eggs in the recipe?
There aren’t any. They’re not needed. :)
These cookies are delicious! The recipe sounds pretty versatile too. I am thinking you could change the extract and bake it into a cookie pie crust for Thanksgiving! 😊 I am going to have to test that!
I am impatient and did not chill my dough for the full time so my cookies ended up dreading thin but are delicious nonetheless! I used honey instead of maple syrup because I only had dark syrup on hand. 5 Stars – Great recipe Erin! Thanks for posting! 💗
Good luck with the cookie pie crust! I’d love to hear how that goes (but I have to admit that I’m not very hopeful). I’m really happy you enjoyed the cookies despite them spreading! Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
Hi! These cookies are SO GOOD. Can they be frozen? If yes, how?
Hello! I’m not sure how well the lemon curd would freeze. If you had an option, I’d freeze the cookie dough and freeze that. If you’ve already made all the cookies, then I guess put them in an airtight bag / container and see how it goes. :) Sorry for my slow reply!
Glad to find your blog ! Full of fantastic recipes, especially this one. It’s on my baking list right now One question, can I use lemon juice instead of the extract Thanks :)
I’m happy you found it, too! Welcome. :) One commenter used 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in place of the lemon extract. I haven’t tried it but she loved them! I hope you’ll enjoy the cookies. :)
These are delicious! I made them at the weekend, and just made them tonight but had to substitute the almond flour for ground walnuts because I ran out of almonds! they still worked very well! I added extra lemon zest and are delish!
Ground walnuts worked here?! I’m really surprised. I wouldn’t have figured that’d pair well with the lemon flavor! I’m super happy that you liked them. :) Thanks for your comment!
Hi there. I am planning on making these tomorrow, so am getting my shopping list ready. Is blanched almond flour any different from plain almond flour? Over here (South Africa) I have only seen plain old almond flour.
Blanched almond flour is also called blanched ground almonds. You could use non-blanched ground almonds, but then you’d have little specks of almond skin in your cookies. I prefer blanched for lighter flavored goodies like these lemon cookies. I hope you’ll enjoy them! :)
The lemon cookies can’t be categorized as Paleo because chickpeas are included in “grains” for Paleo and as you know, Paleo means NO grains.
Actually, chickpeas aren’t grains or even pseudograins – they’re legumes (which also aren’t paleo). But it doesn’t really matter because there are absolutely no chickpeas, other legumes, or grains in this recipe . :)
What can I substitute for the almond flour? We have dairy, peanut, tree nut, and soy allergies.
Thank you.
Unfortunately, nuts flours aren’t interchangeable with non-nut flours. I’ve heard of people using sunflower seed flour but I’ve never tried it and have no idea if it’d work here. I’m also doubtful of how it’d taste in these light flavored lemon cookies. Sorry about that!
Hi Erin! I was looking for your zucchini brownie recipe and got sidetracked when I saw this recipe. I love lemon, so had to make these. I substituted agave for the maple syrup. I also didn’t chill the dough. I can’t be sure whether it affected the finished product, but the cookies tasted soft and chewy. If there had been coconut in them, I would’ve thought they were macaroons. Loved them!!! Thanks!! I’ll make the brownies tomorrow ;-)
Hi Heather! I’m so happy that they came out well for you. And that’s so interesting that some people don’t have to chill the dough. Mine is almost like a batter it’s so liquidy before chilling! And I love the idea of adding some coconut to these to turn them into macaroons. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment and I hope you’ll enjoy the brownies, too!
Aquafaba does not taste like chickpeas at all! It truly is a miracle liquid!
That’s good to know! I reaaally don’t like chickpeas. Thanks for your comment. :)
Can you use lemon essential oil instead of lemon extract?
I’ve never used essential oil in baking. If you’ve done it before with success, I bet it’d work here, too. :)
Loved these! I follow Wheat Belly so I subbed xylitol for the syrup and made up for the moisture with an egg and lemon juice from my zested lemons. These were so delicious I ate half the batch right when they came out!
Haha. I know that eating-half-the-batch problem all too well. ;) I’m happy you came up with a sugar-free solution and that you enjoyed them! Thanks for your comment. :)
HI Erin,
Do you think unrefined coconut oil would work for these cookies? I have that on hand instead of refined oil. Thanks! They do look very yummy!!
Hi Anda! That’ll work fine. :) The only difference is that the cookies will have some coconut taste to them. Enjoy!
hi. is the coconut flour absolutely necessary? i know you use a small amount in a few of your recipes but would it work if i just used all almond flour?
Unfortunately you just can’t omit it. You could try adding more almond flour in the recipes that just call for a small amount (like a tablespoon or two), but it’d take quite a bit of experimenting and I’d hate for you to waste ingredients and / or not have the cookies come out exactly as they should. Coconut flour’s expensive but one bag should last you a long time so I recommend just getting a bag if you often do GF baking. :)
I love the cookies they turned out so good, I used fresh honey instead the maple, and coconut butter instead coconut oil. And the info nutritional that I found is 22 calories per cookie, 2 get of carbs, 1,1 of sugar 0.1 of protein. I hope this helps
I’m surprised (but happy!) that they came out well using coconut butter instead of coconut oil. They have such a different texture! Thanks a bunch for your feedback. :)
I made these awhile back, followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfect! My friends loved them.
Excellent! I’m happy to hear that. Thanks for your feedback! :)
These are absolutely my fav lemon cookies ever! So glad I have something that is healthy and tastes ridiculously awesome. Can’t say that very often, eh?
Woohoo! So happy to hear that. :) And I’m with you – healthy treats are hard to come by. Thanks for your feedback!
Hi, I’m allergic to nuts. Is oat flour ok?
Hi there! I’m sorry but the two aren’t interchangeable. Almond flour is only interchangeable with other nut flours. Sorry about that!
Hi,
Cant wait to try them, but wondering about carb content. How many carbs per cookie?
Thanks,
Vonnie
Hi there! I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :) I hope you’ll enjoy the cookies if you try them!
Mine didn’t turn out so well. They tasted good, but they didn’t look very good: very pale and dense on top and brown on the bottom. Could it be because I used extra fine almond flour? The dough didn’t look runny at all after I’d combined everything. I was able to roll balls after 5 minutes (no fridge). I did use the gram indications, not the cups and stuff…
Hello! Did you by any chance use a dark colored pan? Like a black pan instead of a grey one? I live in Germany where black pans are standard and every cookie I’ve made on one of those pans comes out like you described! And when you say extra fine almond flour, do you mean finely ground almonds or defatted almond flour, which is powdery? If you used that, that could also explain your problem. I’m sorry they didn’t come out well! I hope the next batch will come out better if you try again. :)
I had the same case as yours. Used weight measurements, halved the recipe, and followed someone else’s modification, adding almond extract and chocolate chips. (I wish I had a lemon and lemon extract on hand!) The half-batch of batter was neither runny nor chilled, looked more like Russian tea cakes/snowball cookies/Mexican wedding cookies, and were 1 tbsp (~ 25 g) balls that finished in 10ish minutes on parchment paper on a metal sheet pan. They were lightly browned on the bottom, and the tops were pale. My almond flour is pretty fine.
I thought they tasted pretty awesome and that this is a fantastic base recipe that I’d definitely use again for chocolate chip ball things or (especially) the lemon ones when I can get the extract! Maybe I’m easier to please, but they were still tasty cookies. :P
The tops should be pale (like in the pictures) but the bottoms shouldn’t be browned, although I guess a little browned isn’t that bad. :) What kind of almond flour did you use? I’m happy you still enjoyed them! Thanks for your comment. :)
Should the lemon zest be dried or fresh?
Fresh. Enjoy! :)
Do you think these could be frozen? My granddaughter is visiting in a month and she has a dairy and egg allergy. Would like to make them ahead of time if possible.
I think they would but I haven’t tried it so I can’t guarantee it. You could also freeze the dough in balls and bake them when she’s there. :)
Wow, first cookie I have ever made for the first time and they actually look exactly like your photo!! Can’t wait to eat them, they smell beautiful! Got stuck on a couple of things I was low on but a couple of substitutes and all good, so that makes them even more appealing. I LOVE your website, you actually reply to your readers!
Thanks! I’m so happy you like the website and the cookies. :) I hate it when I make something that doesn’t come out looking like the pictures so I totally understand how frustrating that can be. Thanks for your comment!
These sound so yummy, I love lemon cookies! Do you think it would work with buckwheat flour instead of almond flour? Only because thats what I have in my cupboard right now lol.
Thanks! Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure that sub won’t work. Almond flour is only interchangeable with other nut flours and buckwheat has such a strong flavor that I don’t think you’d taste the lemon flavor at all. I honestly think they’d be pretty gross. ;) Sorry about that! Do you have almonds? You could make your own almond flour!
Good to know! I have to get groceries today so I’m gonna pick up some almond flour :) can’t wait to make them later!
Yay! I hope you’ll enjoy them. :)
HI Erin–We love anything with Almonds–How do I make Almond Flour?? I have a bag full from the store–I add ground walnuts when I am breading Chicken etc–Sally
Hello! Here’s a nice tutorial. :) I hope that helps!
Can i substitute the lemon extract with lemon juice?
I think it’d work but I don’t think you’d taste it at all (it’s such a small amount of juice). I’d probably use vanilla instead and add more zest. :) I hope you’ll enjoy them!
I actually used fresh lemon juice & just added twice what was called for. You can definitely taste it! These are the BEST cookies EVER!!! :)
So instead of 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract, you used 1 tablespoon of lemon juice? I’ll have to try that! Thanks for the tip and for your comments. :)
Yep, I used about a TBSP of lemon juice — they were definitely lemony, which is why I love these so much!
Awesome! I’ll try that next time. Thanks again for your comments! :)
Most paleo baking recipes leave me cold…either too complicated or just don’t taste very good. This one works! Great with lemon…though I added some chopped strawberries. Another batch I made with almond extract instead of lemon and added chocolate chips. Fabulous!
I’m surprised (but happy!) that these came out well with chopped strawberries. I just figured they’d make the batter too wet and the result would be soggy cookies. I’ll have to try that next time! And I’ve made these with almond extract, too, but haven’t tried chocolate chips. Sounds delicious! Thanks a bunch for sharing your tips. :)
These have saved us during our month long paleo challenge! Most paleo desserts are loaded with eggs. These are amazing!! I substituted honey for maple syrup and it works perfectly.
Here’s the best part!! I LOVE chocolate so tried these without the lemon and did cocoa powder and ground fresh raspberries instead. OMG talk about yummy fudgey real brownie like cookies. You must try it!!
Oh, yum! How much cocoa powder did you use? And did you make any other changes other than omitting the lemon and using honey? I can’t wait to try! I’m so happy that you liked the lemon version, too. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment and tips!
Absolutely amazing cookies! Well done!
Thanks so much! I’m happy you liked them. :)
I’ve already made a batch of these cookies and they are o delicious! but also look stunning. I was wondering if I could sub honey for the maple syrup next time?
I’m pretty sure that’d work fine but I haven’t tried it! If you give it a try, let me know how it goes. :) Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
I can’t wait to try these! Do you think they would freeze okay?
I think they would but I haven’t tried it so I can’t guarantee it. You could also freeze the dough and have freshly baked cookies when the mood strikes. :) I hope you’ll enjoy them!
I just made these and they’re SO GOOD! I sprinkled some French lavender buds on top to make them look pretty and add some more flavor. I think next time I’ll put some lavender into the dough before I bake them :)
Yummy! I love the lavender idea. Sounds wonderful. :) Thanks so much for your feedback!
Such delicious lemony goodness!
Thank you! :)
I made these cookies for an outdoor club I run and they were stunningly delicious!! All the kids (and adults!) loved them! So much better than feeding them all sugar and palm oil laden crap!
I’m so happy to hear that they were a hit! And I’m totally with you. I’d take these over junk-filled cookies any day! Thanks so much for your feedback. :)
Can’t wait to make these! I’m low starch and eggs don’t sit too well with me, so this is the perfect ingredient list! I’ve seen somewhere else (I think the Low-Histamine Chef) where someone uses the chickpea brine, but I had forgotten about it. I’m wondering just how many eggs you can get away with replacing. So many grainfree recipes call for a ton. I use flax eggs for quick breads or cookies, but only if I need to replace 2 eggs. I’m thinking the whipped brine would help with the rise, where the flax really doesn’t. Time to experiment!
Good luck with the experimenting! I still haven’t tried. And I’m with you – grain-free vegan baking is tough! I really have no idea how these even hold together without any binder but I’m certainly happy that they do. ;) I hope you’ll enjoy the cookies!
Scrumptious! There is something magical that happens when melted coconut oil and pure maple syrup are combined with grain free flours that helps bind everything together in cookie form without using eggs or flax. I’ve never tried chickpea brine though. Your Paleo Lemon Cookies look divine, Erin! Cannot wait to try them soon. Thanks for sharing!
Agreed! I hope you’ll enjoy them if you get a chance to try them out. :)
These cookies were AMAZING! I was searching all over for a great paleo-friendly lemon cookie and glad to say my search is over :) I would have taken a pic of the final product, but they have all been eaten, hahaha
Can’t wait to make another batch of these in the future!
Oh, yay! I’m happy that your search is over, too. :D Thanks a ton for your feedback!
I’m a big fan of lemon cookies! These look so yummy! And perfect for me cause they are gluten free! YUM!!
Are you gluten-free? How did I not know that?!
Are you gluten-free? How did I not know that?!
I love all desserts with lemon and these cookies look fantastic! I’m now curious about aquafaba, I’ve never heard of it as a substitute for eggs – so interesting!
Isn’t it? I have no clue how someone came up with that idea.
I love lemon cookies so very much. Lemon cookies are everything. I love how thick these are, I bet they are fabulous.
Thanks, Kim!
These cookies sounds delicious!!
Thanks, Jenny. :)
These cookies not only sound amazing, but look so so good!!
Thanks a bunch! :)
Oh my! These cookies sound sooo delicious and lemony! I have a special place in my heart for lemon, too.
Same here! Especially this time of year.
I’ve seriously had my eyes on these cookies for the past few days! They look delicious and I can’t believe they are paleo!
Neither can I! ;)
Those cookies look delightful — so pillowy.
Thank you!
From the looks of your cookies, you’ve done everything perfectly. I love how plump and delicious they look. I would never guess they’re gluten free and paleo.
Thanks! I love plump cookies, too. ;)
They baked up perfectly!! Paleo baking is near impossible for me!
Thanks! :)
I love practically anything lemon-flavored and these cookies look scrumptious!
Thanks so much! :)
I love all lemon desserts, so these are totally calling my name. And HOW COOL about the chickpea liquid as an egg substitute. It makes sense – the thickness of it…so interesting!
It is interesting! I wonder how someone came up with that. It’s just so… unusual!
THESE! These are pillowy cookies perfection <3 O goodness, paleo AND vegan <3 My dreams!
Haha. I was so happy to finally post something that’s paleo and vegan! It’s not the easiest combination, unless you’re doing protein balls or something like that. ;)
OMG! Freaking out over these cookies!! Lemon is my favorite flavor, especially this time of year! Must must must give these a try ASAP!
I hope you’ll love them! And yes. Lemon is the best! Especially right now. :D
Hi!! Long time fan of your blog. I cook with aquafaba all the time and no, you cannot taste or smell the chickpeas at all in the baked goods!! Seriously, my teen boys would not eat anything that smelled bad.
Hi, Sara! That’s good to know. I may have to try it! I’d love to post more vegan recipes or at least more recipes with a vegan option listed. Thanks a ton for letting me know! :)
Lemon is a flavor my husband isn’t too crazy about except in a lemon icebox pie. However, I LOVE lemon and coconut in cookies, muffins, and quick breads. I don’t like lemon icebox pie. HAHAHA!!
Hahaha. You two seem so incompatible when it comes to baked goods. ;) It’s like my husband. He’d be happy eating veggies all day, which I hate, but he’s not a big fan of sweets. I just don’t get it. :D