Pound Cake Cookies

Pound cake cookies are everything you love about traditional pound cake, but in cookie form. These soft, delicate cookies are topped with a lemon glaze for a bright, delicious finish.

You know what is better than a slice of cake?

Well, almost nothing. But right up there is when you can turn a slice of cake into a cookie.

That’s what’s happening with these sweet little pound cake cookies. I love pound cake, don’t get me wrong, but it does take a while to bake.

But these cookies? I can mix together the dough and have them out of the oven in just about 30 minutes. What a win.

What are pound cake cookies?

If you love cream cheese pound cake, lemon cream cheese pound cake, or sour cream pound cake, you are pretty much guaranteed to adore these cookies.

These pound cake cookies are everything you love about a slice of pound cake packed into cookie form. They are soft, cakey cookies with a buttery flavor.

The cookies themselves also have lemon juice and lemon zest in the dough and are finished off with a lemony glaze, giving them a bright flavor that is incredible for spring.

I also love to top these sweet little cookies with sparkling sugar for a pretty finish.

And the best part about pound cake cookies is how quick and easy they are to make! 

How to make pound cake cookies

Unlike pound cake which takes quite a long time to bake, you can have these pound cake cookies made and out of the oven in about half an hour!

Ingredients you’ll need

For the cookies themselves, you will need:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ⅔ cup softened unsalted butter
• 2 large
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Make sure you know how to measure flour correctly. Having the correct amount of flour will help these pound cake cookies turn out perfect every time.

You also need to make sure your butter is softened. If you forget to set it out ahead of time, check out my tips for softening butter quickly.

And please, please make sure you use freshly squeezed lemon juice in these pound cake cookies! It tastes so much better than the bottled stuff and really will make a difference in the final cookies.

For the glaze, you will need:

• 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons milk

Super simple, right? But I promise, it adds so much flavor to these cookies! 

Making this recipe

To make the pound cake cookie dough, start by working the granulated sugar and the lemon zest together in a bowl. I like to use my fingertips to do this, but you could also use a fork.

This is a method I use a lot in recipes that call for citrus zest, such as lemon ricotta cookies and lemon blueberry bread. This extra step helps release the oils in the zest so that the flavor really infuses into every bite of the cookies.

Once the sugar is moist and fragrant from the lemon zest, add the butter and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. This will take at least 3 minutes.

If you aren’t sure why this step is important, check out my post on how to cream butter and sugar. It’s a foundational step that can make a big difference in your baked goods!

Next, add the eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla, mixing until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder, then slowly add this mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until the dough is just combined.

Use a medium (1.5 tablespoon) cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto lined baking sheets. Make sure to leave at least 2 inches between each cookie so they have room to spread in the oven.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. They’re done when the bottoms of the cookies are golden.

Let the pound cake cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Once the cookies have fully cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk, then drizzle the glaze over the cookies. If you like, add a bit of sparkling sugar for an extra pretty finish.

Recipe variations

I adore citrus desserts, so I love the bright, lemony flavor of these pound cake cookies.

But don’t stop at lemon! Swap out the zest and juice for your own favorite citrus. Some delicious options to try include:

• Oranges
• Lime
• Key lime
• Grapefruit

You could also skip the citrus and try an almond version by adding some almond extract along with the vanilla in the cookie dough.

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