These gluten-free lemon cookies are the perfect cookie for spring – bring on Easter, Mother’s Day, or just your sunny day citrussy cookie craving.

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Almond Flour Lemon Cookies Ingredients
• How to Make Almond Flour Cookies

The Story Behind the Recipe

One of my top recipes is this almond flour chocolate chip cookie recipe – a soft-baked, melt-in-your-mouth gem of a cookie that is surprisingly gluten-free, dairy-free, relatively low in sugar, and ridiculously easy to whip up. It’s a fave in our family, and I’ve been wanting to create a lemon variation for awhile.

Done!

Almond Flour Lemon Cookies Ingredients

If you’ve ever baked lemon-flavored goodies before, you undoubtedly know it can be tough to get the lemon flavor to shine through. These cookies make use of zest, lemon extract, and juice (in the glaze) for a nice lemony pow. The cookie itself has more subtle lemon flavor, but that seriously zingy glaze on top is what really makes it happen.

Together they make for a pretty darn glorious lemon cookie situation – soft, sweet, and melt-in-your mouth goodness.

• Coconut oil – This is the perfect oil for almond flour cookies. It melts smooth and mixes up perfectly, then firms up for an excellent lemon cookie.
• Sugar – Plain ol’ white granulated sugar.
• Lemon zest & juice – From one large fresh lemon. The zest is for the cookies, the juice is for the glaze.
• Eggs – large ones!
• Lemon extract – To guarantee lots of lemon flavor. You can leave it out for a more subtle lemon flavor. The cookies will still be good! Just not extra super lemony.
• Almond flour – Go with blanched almond flour for the best lemon almond flour cookies.
• Baking soda – A leavener to help the cookies rise a bit.
• Salt – I like fine-grain sea salt for these cookies to highlight the flavors.
• Powdered sugar – For the sweet lemony glaze.

How to Make Almond Flour Cookies

These cookies come together so, so easily – so much easier than traditional cookies.

Simply melt some coconut oil and mix it in with the sugar, lemon zest, lemon extract, and eggs. Then stir in the almond flour, baking powder, and salt.

One bowl. So easy.

Scoop out the dough, press down a bit with your fingers, and bake.

Once they’ve cooled, dip the cookies in your lemon glaze and let it harden.

Good to go!

If you’ve been looking for the ultimate gluten-free lemon cookie recipe that’s dairy-free too, I hope you feel the same way I do about these almond flour lemon cookies – my search stops here!

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Almond Flour Lemon Cookies

These gluten-free and dairy-free lemon cookies are moist, light, and soft. Melt-in-your-mouth lemony goodness – and ridiculously easy, too!

Keyword almond flour lemon cookies, dairy free lemon cookies, gluten free lemon cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Calories 149kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest from one large organic lemon you’ll juice the lemon for the glaze
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons lemon extract
• 3 cups blanched almond flour**
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
• Glaze
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice from the zested lemon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
• If your coconut oil is still solid, measure out the 1/4 cup and add to a small saucepan set over low heat. Keep over heat just until melted – don’t let it get too hot, or it’ll cook the eggs! Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and lemon zest. Add the coconut oil. Stir in the eggs and the lemon extract and mix until well-combined.
• Add the almond flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir well until combined.
• Scoop cookies out by tablespoonfuls onto the cookie sheet, spacing about two inches apart. I use this cookie scoop (affiliate link) and it’s one of my favorite kitchen tools!
• Press the dough with two fingers to flatten a bit. If the dough sticks to your fingers, wet your fingers with a little warm water.
• Bake until set, puffy, and just lightly golden around the edges, 8-10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once cooled, mix together the glaze. In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar. Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice and stir with a fork until smooth. The glaze should be thick enough to cling to the top of the cookies but not so thin that it will drip off the edges. If too thick, add more lemon juice a teaspoon at a time. If too thin, add more powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time.
• Dip the cookies upside down in the glaze, covering the top of the cookie. Set the cookie back down on the wire rack and let sit until the glaze hardens, about 1 hour.
• Store cookies at room temperature in a sealed container. Cookies keep for about 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 8mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Almond Flour Lemon Cookies appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

And oftentimes, by the time I’ve altered a recipe to be dairy-free, it just makes sense to go all the way and make it 100% plant-based. Not because I have to personally, but because I want to!

But I also want everyone around me – meat-eaters and vegans alike – to love my recipes. So it’s kind of a personal challenge for me to make awesome-tasting vegan recipes for all. 

Take these Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. All I really needed to do was start with a solid recipe and swap the eggs for a vegan-friendly binder. Okay, so I made a couple other changes, too, but the eggs are the most important. My first choice for vegan baking is usually flax eggs – simply ground flaxseeds (or flax meal) and water mixed together. After the mixture sits for a few minutes, the flaxseed gels, and voila! Instant binder, no eggs needed! 

Because the flax eggs alter the recipe, I also found a needed to make another couple of tweaks in order to achieve those perfect crinkles that we know and love in chocolate crinkle cookies.

First, I added a bit of baking soda just to really help the cookies expand and make those nice big cracks we expect from perfect chocolate crinkle cookies. Second, I roll the cookies in granulated sugar first, before the powdered sugar. The granulated sugar helps soak up some of the excess moisture that the vegan dough has in it. Both of these tips I got from this page – I have no idea who these people are, but I found the info to be incredibly useful!

Oh, and I added a bit more vanilla. Because vanilla.

And boom! Christmas-cookie-platter-worthy chocolate crinkle cookies right here, baby! Honestly, we can’t even tell the difference between these vegan chocolate crinkle cookies and their traditional counterpart. 

They’re sweet, with a bit of crunch on the outside thanks to the sugar, and then soft, fudgy, and almost brownie-like inside. 

The perfect holiday cookie, vegan style. But you don’t have to be a vegan to love ’em – promise!

The post Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Nutella icing is perfect for vanilla or banana cupcakes, chocolate cake, or pumpkin anything. If you or a loved one are Nutella lovers, this Nutella frosting is definitely going to be your love language!

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Why You’ll Love Fluffy Nutella Buttercream
• Ingredients
• How to Make Nutella Buttercream
• Tips for Success
• What to Frost with this Buttercream

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
• Read Comments & Reviews

The Story Behind the Recipe

Dessert is beautiful in many, many ways, but in our house, we especially appreciate its ability to bridge the divide between my vegetarianism and his carnivorous diet.

Because, unless we’re putting lard in our pie crusts or sprinkling bacon on our ice cream (and even my bacon-loving guy isn’t really on board with the bacon-in-desserts thing), dessert is naturally vegetarian!

No need for our usual fork-in-the-road recipes, which really isn’t such a bad way to live, but there’s something fun about being able to nosedive simultaneously into, for instance, the same Fluffy Nutella Buttercream frosted cupcakes.

I first created this recipe all the way back in 2012, so it’s been around a long time! It’s consistently been one of the most popular and well-loved on my website, and I hope you’ll love it, too.

Why You’ll Love Fluffy Nutella Buttercream

This fluffy, light buttercream combines your traditional buttercream ingredients, butter and powdered sugar, with a nice dose of Nutella. A little vanilla adds a perfect note, and a good pinch of kosher salt rounds out the sweetness while also highlighting that delicious chocolate-hazelnut flavor that’s uniquely Nutella.

And lastly, it’s got heavy whipping cream, which I love, love, love adding to my buttercream recipes. It gives an otherwise heavy frosting such a wonderfully airy texture.

In the case of the photos here, I topped basic vanilla cupcakes (from the same vanilla sponge cake recipe I used for my Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes) with Nutella icing. Pure, simple perfection!

Ingredients

• Butter – I recommend starting with unsalted butter so that you can better control the salt content in your Nutella buttercream. Make sure it’s room temp so it’s easy to blend.
• Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioner’s sugar.
• Nutella – Or another chocolate-hazelnut spread.
• Vanilla extract – The mellow sweetness of pure vanilla extract helps enhance the chocolate-hazelnut flavors.
• Salt – Just a pinch to help round out the sweetness.
• Heavy whipping cream – Only a couple of tablespoons needed, but key to achieving the fluffiest fluffy Nutella buttercream!

How to Make Nutella Buttercream

It’s really, really easy to make this Nutella Buttercream recipe! Just whip the butter and powdered sugar together with a mixer …

Then it’s time to add the Nutella. Increase the speed to medium and beat for around two minutes until fluffy and luscious.

Mix in the vanilla and salt, then add the heavy whipping cream and beat for around one more minute. Your Nutella frosting will lighten a shade or two in color and become even more fluffy.

SO DELICIOUS!

Now, it’s time to slather the Nutella icing of your dreams onto your cake of choice. You can use a piping tip and pastry bag, or just pile it into a plastic bag and snip the corner off. Pile it high!

Tips for Success

• Start with room-temperature butter. This way, the powdered sugar can completely mix with the butter and get nice and fluffy.
• Start with unsalted butter, too. This way, you can control the exact amount of salt that you add to your Nutella buttercream.
• Start mixing slowly. If you turn the mixer on high, it’ll probably look like a blizzard just hit your kitchen, thanks to the powdered sugar that’s sprayed all over. Start nice and low and slow, until the powdered sugar is blended into the butter. You can increase the speed after that.
• Make ahead. Make this buttercream up to 7 days ahead of time. Place it in the refrigerator to keep, then move it back to room temp about 30 minutes before you want to use it.

What to Frost with this Buttercream

• Chocolate Crazy Cake
• Chocolate Layer Cake
• Banana Spice Cake
• Pumpkin Spice Cake
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

Nutella in buttercream form. Pure heaven.

Dessert – especially this one – is a beautiful thing indeed.

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Fluffy Nutella Buttercream Frosting Recipe

This fluffy – and super easy – buttercream frosting recipe features everyone’s favorite chocolate-hazelnut spread, Nutella. Pure perfection. One batch of this buttercream should be plenty to frost one standard-sized layer cake or generously top a dozen cupcakes.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword nutella buttercream, nutella frosting, nutella icing

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 313kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks; room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar aka confectioner's sugar
• 2/3 cup Nutella or other chocolate-hazelnut spread
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch fine-grain sea salt or table salt up to 1/4 teaspoon, to taste
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Instructions

• In a stand mixer afixed with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and powdered sugar on low until well-blended. Add the Nutella and increase the speed to medium. Beat for two minutes.
• Add the vanilla extract and salt and whip for an additional 30 seconds.
• Add the whipping cream and beat for about one minute, until the frosting lightens slightly in both color and texture.

Notes

1 batch makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes or one 8- or 9-inch layer cake. 

Recipe update 9/16/2024: Updated photos. Change recipe to call for fine-grain sea salt or table salt instead of kosher salt. I find I like finer grain salt in my baked goods these days. If you prefer a larger-grain salt, kosher salt will still work!

Nutrition

Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 509IU | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Fluffy Nutella Buttercream Frosting Recipe appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Forgive the horrible outdoor light and the messed-up exposure.

Forgive the composition. Forgive the fact that this normal, 6-ounce coffee glass looks like a gallon-sized urn next to these cookies, for some strange reason. I was on an almond-poppyseed-butter-sugar high. I really can’t come up with a better excuse than that.

I hope you can see that they’re actually rather pretty cookies, despite my best efforts to capture otherwise. They’re almond-flavored, poppyseed-speckled shortbread dough rolled in more poppyseeds. Then, after these bad boys are sliced, baked, and cooled, they’re dipped in an almond-vanilla glaze and sprinkled with crushed sliced almonds.

That sounds like a bit of work, but I promise these come together really quickly and are worth every minute. Sweet, nutty poppyseeds. Crunchy almondy goodness. Buttery shortbread.

Yeah, the photos suck, but these cookies? They rock.

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Almond Poppyseed Shortbread Cookies

Sweet, nutty poppyseeds. Crunchy almondy goodness. Buttery shortbread. This recipe makes a small-ish batch (about 15 cookies), so be sure to double it if you're feeding a crowd.

Prep Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Author Kare

Ingredients

• Cookies
• 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons poppyseeds + 1/4 cup for rolling
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Topping
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• Small pinch salt
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

• With an electric stand or hand mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter, sugar, almond extract, and salt until smooth.
• Turn mixer to low and add the flour and 2 teaspoons poppyseeds, mixing just until the dough forms.
• Place the dough on a piece of waxed or parchment paper sprinkled with a little flour. Put a little flour on your hands and gently roll the dough into a 1 1/2 inch diameter log.
• Sprinkle the 1/4 cup poppyseeds on the paper and roll the log in the poppyseeds, pressing gently, until the log is well-coated with the seeds.
• Wrap the log tightly in the paper and twist the ends.
• Refrigerate until firm, about an hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Unwrap the log, and slice with a serrated knife about 3/8 inch thick. If the dough is crumbly, wait a few minutes for it to soften slightly and try again.
• Place slices about 1 inch apart on your baking sheet and bake until lightly golden around the edges, about 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let sit for about five minutes, then move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt until smooth.
• Carefully dip the tops of each cookie in the glaze, then set back on the wire rack.
• Grab a handful of almonds and, using your hands, crumble the sliced almonds directly over the tops of the cookies.
• Allow glaze and almonds to set, about 30 minutes. Gently shake any excess almonds off the cookies, and serve.

The post Almond Poppyseed Shortbread Cookies appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.