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Home » Recipes » Desserts

Italian Lemon Drop Cookies

Updated: Jul 30, 2022 · Published: Apr 12, 2020 by Jennifer

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Bake up these Italian Lemon Drop Cookies just like the pros at your local bakery. These cookies have a cakey, lemony texture and are baked to a light golden brown. After they cool, they are smothered in a bright, fresh lemony icing. Yum!

Close-up of Italian lemon drop cookies on a wire rack with multi-colored sprinkles on top.

Italian lemon drop cookies are synonymous with holiday baking. Sometimes referred to as anginetti, these cookies always make their way to my Easter (or Christmas) table.

These lemon drops are soft and pillowy on the inside, not dense like some store-bought varieties. You will often find them adorned with tiny multicolored sprinkles called nonpareils. But I like mine naked, with just a shimmery, satiny lemon icing.

My dear friend Christine gave me this recipe, and we have been friends ever since. Make a batch for your friends and family today (or make them my delicious Italian lemon pizzelle)!

Jump to:
  • What you will need
  • Step by step
  • 📝Top Tips
  • Storage
  • Other Italian favorites
  • 📖Recipe

What you will need

Stock up on lemons so you can make these bright cookies any time of the year!

Ingredients for Italian lemon drop cookies on a grey surface.
  • Flour
  • Baking powder- Gives the cookies their rise
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Milk
  • Shortening- Look for vegetable shortening such as Crisco
  • Lemon- You will need the juice and the zest
  • Powdered sugar- For making the lemon icing
  • Multicolored sprinkles (nonpareils)- Optional. Look for these in the bakery aisle.

Step by step

Use this visual to learn how to bake up the most delicious Italian lemon cookies. For full detailed instructions, please see the recipe card.

Batter in a mixing bowl.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. In an electric mixer, beat the sugar and shortening on medium speed until light and fluffy (see above).

Wet batter in a mixing bowl.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Then add the milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Finished dough in a bowl for lemon drop cookies.

Add the dry ingredients and beat until combined and smooth.

Mounds of cookie batter on parchment paper.

Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour. When ready, pinch off some dough and roll lightly (roughly the size of a golf ball), and place about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.

Cookies on a wire rack.

Bake for about 15 minutes until firm when pressed. The bottoms will have only a light golden brown.

White icing dripping off a whisk into a bowl.

Let cool completely. Prepare the icing (it should be thick). When ready to ice, you can dip the tops in the icing or spoon it over the top.

Icing the lemon cookies is my favorite part! This is the perfect time to enlist any helpers, so as long as they don't eat all the icing (like I'm always tempted to do). Immediately after icing the cookies, add your sprinkles if using.

Lemon icing being dripped by a spoon over a cookie on top of brown parchment paper.

📝Top Tips

  • Don't skip the resting time in the fridge. You want the shortening to be cold for a good rise in the oven.
  • I use a cookie scoop to ensure the cookies are even in shape and size. You could also weigh each ball for consistency. They will not only bake evenly in the oven, but they will look better for serving. This recipe yields 36-40 cookies.
  • Your icing should be THICK. If it's too runny, add more powdered sugar. Icing too hard to spread? Add a drop of milk. The icing won't set up immediately. Let the cookies stand to set, or place them in the fridge to speed up the process.
Italian lemon drop cookies with icing and sprinkles on parchment paper with lemons and sprinkles in the background.

Storage

Lemon drop cookies can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 5 days for maximum freshness. If you live in a humid environment, you can store the cookies in the fridge to prevent the icing from melting.

Other Italian favorites

Try some of my favorite Italian dishes!

  • Lemon pizzelles stacked on top of each other on white wood with lemon in the background.
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  • Espresso panna cotta in small glass jars topped with coffee beans and lemon rind.
    Espresso Coffee Panna Cotta
  • Angled view of baked Italian pignoli cookies on a baking sheet covered with white parchment paper. One cookie has a bite taken out.
    Easy Italian Pignoli Cookies

Did you make this recipe? I would love to hear about it! Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating with a comment right below the recipe card. If you snap a photo of your creation, don't forget to tag me on Instagram @brunchandbatter.

📖Recipe

Close-up of Italian lemon drop cookies on a wire rack with multicolored sprinkles on top.

Italian Lemon Drop Cookies

Bake up these Italian Lemon Drop Cookies just like the pros at your local bakery. These cookies have a cakey, lemony texture and are baked to a light golden brown. After they cool, they are smothered in a bright, fresh lemony icing. Yum!
5 from 2 votes
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Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Resting and Cooling Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Servings 36 cookies
Calories 95 kcal

Equipment

  • large bowl
  • stand mixer
  • baking/cookie sheets

Ingredients
 

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup white granulated sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup milk, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoon lemon zest from about 1 medium lemon
  • 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice zest the lemon first before squeezing
  • 4-6 tablespoon multicolored sprinkles optional

Lemon Icing

  • 3 cups powdered (confectioner's) sugar
  • 4 teaspoon lemon zest from about 1 large lemon
  • 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice zest the lemon first before squeezing
  • 2-4 tablespoon milk; more if needed

Instructions
 

  • Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. If you don't have parchment paper, you can use 2-3 ungreased cookie sheets.
  • In a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
    4 cups all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoon baking powder
  • In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and shortening at medium speed, until light and fluffy (it will resemble freshly packed snow).
    1 cup white granulated sugar, ½ cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
  • Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended.
    3 large eggs, room temperature
  • Stir in the milk, lemon juice and lemon zest.
    ½ cup milk, room temperature, 2 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Add the flour mixture, and beat until combined and smooth.
  • Gather the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. I cover my mixing bowl and place the whole bowl in the fridge.
  • Preheat the oven to 350℉. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Pinch off a piece of the dough (either by hand or using a cookie scoop- #60, or weighing the dough, about 0.5 ounces each). The dough should be roughly the size and shape of a golf ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet 1.5 inches apart.
  • Place the sheets in the middle and/or top rack of the oven (no more than 2 sheets at a time- so they bake evenly). Bake for 12-15 minutes, until firm when pressed, but not brown on top. The bottoms should be lightly golden brown. When ready, remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool.
  • Let cookies completely cool before frosting, or you can put them in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process.
  • When the cookies have cooled, dip or spoon the icing over the tops. Place them over foil or wax paper to avoid any mess. If using sprinkles, add them right after you ice them. Allow to set and enjoy!
    4-6 tablespoon multicolored sprinkles

Lemon Icing

  • Whisk the lemon juice, zest, and powdered sugar. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time to thin slowly until it reaches a very thick, but spreadable consistency.
    3 cups powdered (confectioner's) sugar, 4 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2-4 tablespoon milk; more if needed

Notes

  • Don't skip the resting time in the fridge. You want the shortening to be cold for a good rise in the oven.
  • Avoid the bottom rack of the oven, as it will cause the bottoms to brown too quickly. Bake in the middle/top racks of the oven, rotating halfway through for best results. Don't bake more than 2 sheets at a time to prevent uneven baking.
  • Your icing should be THICK. If it's too runny, add more powdered sugar. Icing too hard to spread? Add a drop of milk. The icing won't set up immediately. Let the cookies sit to set, or place them in the fridge to speed up the process. I like a LOT of icing, so I make a double batch.
  •  

Nutrition*

Serving: 1 cookieCalories: 95kcalCarbohydrates: 19.4gProtein: 2.1gFat: 2.2gSaturated Fat: 0.8gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 20mgPotassium: 1042mgFiber: 0.7gSugar: 6.5gCalcium: 442mgIron: 1mg

*Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Nutrition information can vary depending on many factors, such as products used, measurements and substitutions, therefore it is recommended that you obtain nutritional calculations based on your own finished recipe.

Have you tried this recipe?Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram. Tag @brunchandbatter or hashtag it with #brunchandbatter

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Comments

    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Amanda says

    January 01, 2021 at 4:58 pm

    5 stars
    We loved these. I didn’t need to make a double batch of the icing - mostly because my teenager helpers were a little impatient and ate several of them straight out of the oven because they smelled so good.

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      January 01, 2021 at 6:09 pm

      So glad you are enjoying all the recipes. Happy New Year!

      Reply
Author looking at the camera holding eggs.

About Jennifer

Oh hey there! I'm Jennifer, the recipe developer, blogger, and food photographer behind Brunch and Batter. I've been a seasoned home cook (and nurse) for over 25 years, specializing in unique breakfast recipes, updated lunch classics, and simple, no-fuss desserts. I'm so glad you found me! Read more...

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