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lemon cookies

Golden Oreo Lemon Cookie Bars

May 17, 2021 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

These sweet and tangy Golden Oreo Lemon Cookie Bars combine two classic flavors for the ultimate cookie bar – fresh, tangy lemon and sweet, vanilla cookies. Move over, chocolate, these Oreo cookie bars will win over any cookie aficionado!

Golden Oreo Lemon Cookie Bars

If you’re here then there’s a good chance I don’t have to convince you how good these cookie bars are. You probably love lemon. And cookies! But I just gotta say, these bars are so good that even your lemon-hesitant family and friends will like them! They’re a classic cookie bar flavored with lemon extract and fresh lemon zest (plus a little vanilla) and vanilla Oreos. They’re a sweet feast for the eyes. And you don’t need to worry that someone else will bring them to the potluck 😉

What You’ll Need + Possible Substitutes

  • Plant-based butter is the perfect butter substitute to make these bars dairy-free while keeping that classic butter flavor. Feel free to use stick or tub “butter”, though stick butter will need to be softened prior to beating (tub butter is soft enough to use straight from the fridge). Regular butter will also work in this recipe.
  • Sugar sweetens the bars and helps create the cookie texture we all know and love. You can use your favorite granulated sugar – white, raw/unrefined, or coconut sugar.
  • Brown sugar has molasses in it, which helps with the moisture of these cookies. You can use light or dark brown sugar.
  • Eggs bind the ingredients together and the extra yolk adds chewiness to these bars. I haven’t tested this recipe with any egg alternatives.
  • Lemon extract + lemon zest add tons of lemon flavor. I highly recommend adding both – the extract is more concentrated (and easier since there’s no work involved) and the fresh zest adds visual appeal. If you don’t have one or the other, you can swap each out for the other. 1 tsp of lemon extract = 1 tsp fresh lemon zest.
  • Vanilla extract helps with the flavor. It’s not totally necessary, but I like to add it!
  • Salt assists in flavor development and helps to cut the sweetness slightly.
  • Baking soda + baking powder leaven the cookie bars.
  • All-purpose flour is the only flour I recommend for this recipe as I haven’t tested any others.
  • Golden Oreos are the wow factor of these bars! I mean, look at them! You can use any brand of vanilla sandwich cookies, or for extra lemon flavor, you can try a lemon cookie variety.

More Lemon Desserts

Lemon Ginger Cupcakes 

Soft Iced Lemon Cookies

Lemon Cake Donuts with Lemon Icing

Yield: 9-16 Cookie Bars

Golden Oreo Lemon Cookie Bars

Golden Oreo Lemon Cookie Bars

Sweet and zesty lemon cookie bars made even better with pieces of Golden Oreos baked right in! These tasty squares are a hit for kids and adults alike!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup plant-based butter (or regular butter), softened (see Note 1)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 tsp lemon extract
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Zest of two lemons (+ more to top)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup Golden Oreo pieces (8 Oreos) + more to top (about 4 Oreos)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare an 8x8" baking dish. Spray the dish with non-stick spray (I used olive oil) and then line with a strip of parchment paper, folding the excess over the sides.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the egg and egg yolk. Beat in the extracts and lemon zest. Finally, beat in the salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
  3. Add the flour and use a large spoon to gently mix until combined. Stir in the Golden Oreo pieces - you can break them up however big/small you'd like. The dough will be very soft.
  4. Spoon the dough into your prepared baking dish and gently spread into an even layer. Press more Golden Oreo pieces into the top of the dough.
  5. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until the edges begin to brown and the middle no longer looks wet.
  6. Allow the bars to cool in the dish until nearly room temperature. Once cooled, run a butter knife around the edges and then use the parchment paper to lift the whole bar up and out onto a cutting board. Top with extra lemon zest and then gently slice into 9 or 16 squares.
  7. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

  1. For plant-based butters, both tub and stick butter will work. Stick butter will need to be softened prior to beating. Tub butter can be beat right out of the fridge as it's already soft.

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Bars

Did you make this recipe? I would love to see!

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

Filed Under: Bars, Dairy-free Tagged With: golden oreo desserts, golden oreo lemon, golden oreo lemon cookie bars, lemon cookie bars, lemon cookies, oreo cookie bars

Soft Iced Lemon Cookies

February 17, 2020 by Rachael Ng 8 Comments

This recipe was updated & slightly modified in April 2022.

These Iced Lemon Cookies are soft, tangy, and bursting with lemon flavor. Made in one bowl, and ready in no time, these cookies are perfect for spring…or any time a lemon cravings kicks in!

Soft Iced Lemon Cookies

It’s still citrus season, and is it just me or does the coming of spring scream CITRUS DESSERT TIME? Lemon, orange, grapefruit, and lime. All of those fruits peak during the cold season here in North America, but they’ll forever remind me of the warmer spring and summer seasons; after all, I didn’t even know that winter was citrus season until I started food blogging. Anyway, these Soft Iced Lemon Cookies are the perfect (seasonally appropriate!) dessert to take us into warmer weather. A sweet, chewy sugar cookie flavored with fresh lemon zest and then topped with a tangy lemon icing with lots of lemon juice. So good. And if you’re going to cheat on chocolate, it might as well be with these sweet gems 😉

This cookie dough is my favorite dough for any and all chewy sugar cookies, and this version is quick and so easy – no refrigeration required! Plus the icing is a simple, 4-ingredient mix! Basically, if you want lemon cookies to eat right now, or you don’t have a lot of time to bake, then this recipe is for you! These cookies also save really well, so if you want to make them the day before an event, they’ll still be soft and chewy the next day. In fact, I like them even better after given a day to set/rest.

More Lemon Recipes

Lemon Ginger Cupcakes

Golden Oreo Lemon Cookie Bars

Lemon Cake Donuts with Lemon Icing

Yield: 16 Cookies

Soft Iced Lemon Cookies

Soft Iced Lemon Cookies

Soft and chewy lemon sugar cookies topped with a sweet, tangy lemon icing. The perfect quick and easy cookie for any citrus lover!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

Lemon Cookies

  • 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
  • 2/3 cup (148g) white granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup olive oil (see Note 1)
  • 1/2 tsp lemon extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract (or vanilla extract)
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (195g) all-purpose flour
  • Zest from 3 lemons

Lemon Icing

  • 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
  • Juice from 1-2 lemons (2-3 Tbsp)
  • Zest from 1-2 lemons

Instructions

Bake the Cookies

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk, sugar, oil, and extracts. Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour and use a large wooden spoon (or other utensil) to work the ingredients together. Finally, mix in the lemon zest.
  3. Scoop 6-8 dough balls 1 1/2 Tbsp in size on your prepared baking sheet. Gently roll the dough balls smooth, re-shaping into perfect circles as needed. Slightly flatten each dough ball.
  4. Bake cookies at 350°F for 6-8 minutes - be careful not to over bake as that will lead to dry cookies.
  5. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack. Repeat Steps 3-5 until all cookies are baked.

Frost the Cookies

  1. Once the cookies have cooled completely, you can make the icing. In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar, almond extract (if using), and 1 Tbsp of lemon juice. Mix until combined. Add more lemon juice, 1 tsp at a time, until you've got a thick glaze - when you drizzle the glaze on itself, it should take 3-4 seconds for the ribbons to disappear.
  2. Spoon the glaze/icing onto each cookie, using the back of your spoon to spread the icing over the cookie surfaces. Allow the icing to set before sprinkling fresh lemon zest over the cookies.
  3. Once set, store the cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

    1. Oil: make sure to scrape out ALL of the oil and use a liquid measuring cup.
    2. Sugar: feel free to use any kind of plain granulated cane sugar for the cookie dough: white granulated sugar, unrefined granulated sugar, raw sugar, etc.

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

Filed Under: Cookies, Dairy-free, Fruit Tagged With: chewy lemon cookies, dairy free cookies, dairy free lemon cookies, frosted lemon cookies, iced lemon cookies, lemon cookies, lemon sugar cookies, soft lemon cookies, tangy lemon cookies, the best lemon cookies

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Meet Rachael

Hi! I’m Rachael, a home baker who creates dairy-free, indulgent treats. As a sweets lover and former candy addict, I believe we shouldn’t have to give up everything we love in pursuit of wellness. That’s why I create delicious and approachable desserts that you can enjoy, in moderation, no matter your goals! Because, let’s face it, sometimes you just need a giant slice of frosted cake, sans guilt! Read More…

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