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    Buttery Lemon Tea Cakes

    December 9, 2020 by Chrissy Leave a Comment

    These lemon tea cakes are light, buttery, and have the perfect amount of sweetness. It's not a super strong punch of lemon, but just enough to dance on the back of your tongue with each bite.


    Ingredients for lemon tea cakes

    These cookies are so simple to make. Not only because the dough doesn't need to be chilled, but especially because they only have 6 ingredients! If you want to make a batch of these, here's what you'll need.

    • All-purpose flour

    • Powdered sugar

    • Unsalted butter

    • Vanilla extract

    • Salt

    • Lemon zest


    Why I love these cookies

    These cookies are extra, super special to me. Every year, my Grandma and I have a cookie day, which is basically is a 10-12 hour long day of baking all of the holiday goodies. And every year, we make an old family recipe called "Russian Tea Cakes". They're essentially a rolled shortbread that requires no chilling, and they're rolled in powdered sugar once baked. My grandma loves these cookies and LOVES lemon, so I thought that putting a twist on these cookies would be super fun!

    Aside from the sentimental value, they are just so easy and quick to make! They're great on their own, or with a cup of tea or coffee in the morning.



    Tips for the best lemon tea cakes

    • Don't pull the cookies out too early. You want to make sure that these cookies are baked all the way through, so they have a great firm and crispy bite once cooled. You want to make sure that the bottoms are a nice golden brown color, and that the tops are maaaybe just starting to turn a slight golden color.

    • If you want more lemon flavor, add more lemon zest or a little lemon extract. Normally, I would say to definitely add lemon juice to things to get a great lemon flavor. However, you don't want to add too much moisture to these cookies, because you don't want them to spread! So adding a little more lemon zest should do just the trick.


    Don't like lemon?

    Not a fan of lemon? No problem! You can simply leave out the lemon zest, for a great, buttery tea cake. You can also replace it with another flavor or add-in like almond extract, orange zest, or some chopped nuts!

    Buttery Lemon Tea Cakes

    Recipe by Chrissy
    Servings

    16-18

    cookies
    Prep time

    8

    minutes
    Baking time

    21

    minutes
    Total time

    30

    minutes

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups all-purpose flour

    • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

    • ½ cup powdered sugar + ⅓ cup for rolling cookies

    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    • ¼ teaspoon salt

    • 2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons)

    Directions

    • Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
    • In a large bowl or mixer, cream together the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
    • Add in the flour and salt. Mix until everything comes together and the dough is firm enough to roll.
    • Roll into roughly 1 - 1 ½ inch balls, and spread about 1 ½ - 2 inches apart.
    • Pop in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes.
    • In a small bowl, add the additional ⅓ cup of powdered sugar. Roll the cooled cookies in the powdered sugar to cover them completely. Enjoy!

    More Cookies

    • Espresso Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Small-Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Giant Single-Serve Funfetti Cookie
    • Chocolate Peppermint Skillet Cookie

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    Hi, I'm Chrissy! I am the recipe developer and food photographer for The Hungry Kitchen! I love creating decadent desserts that everyone can make and enjoy!

    More about me →

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