115 lemon cookie recipes

Ground almonds and cinnamon fold into stiff meringue to create these chewy Italian amaretti cookies where lemon zest and vanilla cut through the sweetness with bright, aromatic notes.

Lemony springerle, traditional German embossed cookies stamped from a wooden mold and air-dried overnight before baking. Lemon zest brightens the classic anise.

Hamantaschen, the triangular Purim cookies, here filled with a rich honey-nut mixture brightened with lemon. A rum-scented dough folded into the traditional three-cornered shape and baked to a golden glaze.

Haselnussmakronen, traditional German hazelnut macaroons: a cocoa meringue folded with crushed hazelnuts and lemon zest, baked low into chewy, flourless cookies. A naturally gluten-free holiday treat.

Fave dolci, Italian almond cookies shaped like fava beans with ground almonds, orange flower water, lemon zest, and cinnamon. A traditional Southern Italian sweet.

Pfeffernuesse are traditional German spice cookies made with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, black pepper, rum, and candied lemon peel, finished with a white icing.

Sesame-almond cookies made with olive oil and white wine, scented with lemon zest, orange zest, and cinnamon. Crisp, not-too-sweet Italian-style biscuits.

Pineapple-walnut dip: creamed cottage cheese and sour cream blended with crushed pineapple, toasted walnuts, and lemon. A versatile sweet-savory dip for fruit, cookies, or chicken.

Cookie tacos are crisp buttery tuile shells shaped into taco folds while hot, then stuffed with lime-scented sour cream and lemon pie filling and piled with sugared strawberries. A playful dessert that draws every eye at the table.

Buttery lemon drop cookies glazed with fresh citrus. Tender melt-in-your-mouth texture from egg yolk dough, rolled in sugar and baked until barely golden.

Old-fashioned sandwich cookies with a choice of two homemade fillings: raisin with lemon, or chopped date with orange zest and nutmeg. Three dozen per batch.

European-style spice cookies with ground hazelnuts, lemon zest, and warm cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Topped with a whole almond and egg-glazed for a glossy finish.

Anise-scented raisin biscotti with walnuts, lemon zest, and orange zest. Butter-based dough double-baked until crisp. A traditional Italian dunking cookie with citrus and spice.

Delicate, paper-thin cookies infused with toasted saffron, ground almonds, and a whisper of lemon. Sugar-sprinkled and crisp at the edges, this recipe yields 100 elegant bites.

Linzer pastry dough with a full pound of butter, egg yolks, lemon zest, and vanilla. A rich, tender Austrian dough for jam-filled cookies, tarts, and meringue-topped pastries.

Anise biscotti (mandel bread) with lemon zest, anisette liqueur, and star anise baked twice for a crisp, crunchy dunk-worthy cookie. An Italian-Jewish crossover recipe with optional hazelnuts or sliced almonds.