These lemon vanilla tea cookies are tender, flippantly candy, and delicately flavored with recent lemon zest and vanilla. A easy Italian-style cookie completed with a dusting of powdered sugar!

These lemon vanilla tea cookies are the form of easy Italian treats meant to be loved with a cup of tea or espresso, very similar to my traditional Italian butter cookies typically served throughout a day break. They’re straightforward to make, use easy pantry elements, and by no means disappoint.
I really like baking with lemon as a result of it retains desserts feeling recent and lightweight, which is why you’ll discover so many favorites in my greatest lemon recipes assortment. Lemon desserts are excellent year-round, however I particularly love making them within the spring and summer time, together with this recipe and my Italian lemon cookies.
Why You’ll Love These Lemon Tea Cookies
- I really like the mixture of tart lemon and candy vanilla as a result of the flavour is gentle sufficient for hotter months, but cozy sufficient to take pleasure in with a cup of tea in winter.
- The dough may be shortly made in a meals processor, which retains this recipe for lemon vanilla tea cookies easy!


Ingredient Notes
- Lemon: Freshly grated lemon zest and lemon juice give these cookies their vivid, recent taste. All the time zest the lemon earlier than juicing. For greatest taste, don’t use bottled lemon juice.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is used within the dough so as to add sweetness with out overpowering the lemon and vanilla.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works greatest and provides the cookies their tender, flippantly structured texture.
- Egg: One egg at room temperature helps bind the elements and provides moisture to the dough.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla provides heat and balances the citrus taste.
- Butter: Chilly, cubed butter helps create a young cookie and blends simply when blended in a meals processor. I used salted butter, if utilizing unsalted butter add ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Milk: Room temperature milk helps carry the dough collectively easily with out making it too tender.
- Powdered sugar: Used just for dusting, it provides a light-weight end with out making the cookies overly candy.


How one can Make Lemon Vanilla Tea Cookies
To begin, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt to a meals processor and provides it a fast combine.


Add the chilly, cubed butter together with the milk, egg, vanilla, and lemon juice, then combine simply till the dough begins to return collectively. It ought to look tender and barely shaggy, not moist.


Flip the dough out onto a flippantly floured floor and gently knead it simply till clean and compact. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for about an hour, which makes it a lot simpler to form and helps the cookies bake evenly.


As soon as chilled, roll the dough into small balls and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving just a little house between each. Whereas the oven preheats, pop the trays again into the fridge for a brief chill so the cookies maintain their form.


Bake the cookies, then allow them to cool briefly on the pan earlier than transferring to a wire rack. As soon as utterly cool, end with a light-weight dusting of powdered sugar earlier than serving.


ideas for greatest outcomes
- Keep away from the pith when zesting: Solely grate the brilliant yellow a part of the lemon. The white pith beneath can add bitterness.
- Don’t skip the chilling: Chilling the dough is crucial for straightforward shaping and helps the lemon tea cookies maintain their form whereas baking.
- Hold the dough balls even: Rolling the dough into evenly sized balls ensures the cookies bake on the similar fee.
- Watch the bake time: These cookies must be flippantly golden, not browned, to maintain their tender texture.
- Lemon glaze possibility: As a substitute of dusting with powdered sugar, end cookies with a easy lemon glaze, like my lemon shortbread cookies, for a brighter citrus end.


These lemon vanilla tea cookies are the form of easy deal with that quietly steals the present—gentle, aromatic, and excellent with a cup of tea or espresso. Their delicate citrus taste and tender vanilla notes make them excellent for any event, from afternoon breaks to sharing with family and friends. When you strive them, they’re certain to grow to be a kind of go-to recipes you’ll end up making time and again.
- 2 cups all goal flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 pinch salt (should you use unsalted butter then add ¼ teaspoon salt)
- 3⅓ ounces butter (chilly and cubed) (⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons milk (room temperature)
- 1 giant egg (room temperature)
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
EXTRAS
- 2-3 tablespoons powdered / icing sugar
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In a big bowl or meals processor whisk collectively the flour, sugar, baking powder, zest, salt. Add the butter, milk, egg, vanilla and lemon juice, pulse or combine by hand or flat beater till nearly fashioned right into a dough. If the dough is just too moist add a bit extra flour if too dry a bit extra milk.
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Transfer the dough to a flippantly floured flat floor and gently knead to type a compact not sticky tender dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.
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Kind the dough into golf ball dimension balls (or a bit greater should you desire), place on 1-2 parchment paper lined baking sheets 1-1½ inches aside. Chill whereas the oven is pre-heating, roughly 15-20 minutes.
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Pre-heat oven to 350F/180C.
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Bake for about quarter-hour or flippantly golden. Let cool 10 minutes on the pan then transfer to a wire rack to chill utterly. Evenly mud with powdered/icing sugar earlier than serving. Get pleasure from!
How one can retailer the cookies?
Retailer the cookies in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 3 days. They may also be frozen for as much as 2 months; thaw at room temperature earlier than serving.
If the dough feels sticky, it could want a bit extra chilling time. You may also flippantly flour your arms or add a small quantity of flour, simply till the dough is simple to deal with. Alternatively, if the dough is just too dry, add a bit extra milk.
Energy: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fats: 4g | Saturated Fats: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 1g | Trans Fats: 0.1g | Ldl cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 123IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg | Phosphorus: 35mg
Recipe FAQs
Retailer the cookies in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 3 days. They may also be frozen for as much as 2 months; thaw at room temperature earlier than serving.
If the dough feels sticky, it could want a bit extra chilling time. You may also flippantly flour your arms or add a small quantity of flour, simply till the dough is simple to deal with. Alternatively, if the dough is just too dry, add a bit extra milk.
Sure. As a result of the dough wants to sit back, they’re excellent for making forward. You’ll be able to put together the dough and refrigerate it for as much as 24 hours earlier than baking.
This often occurs if the dough wasn’t chilled lengthy sufficient. If the dough feels tender, place it again within the fridge for half-hour earlier than baking.
They might have been overmixed or overbaked. Combine simply till the flour disappears and take away the cookies from the oven as quickly as they’re set.
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