Indulge in the delightful flavor of Italian Lemon Drop Cookies with this easy to make recipe using cake mix. Bursting with zesty lemon flavor and a tender texture, these cookies will transport your taste buds to the sunny streets of Italy.
The convenience of using cake mix makes them incredibly easy to whip up, while the addition of fresh lemon zest and a sweet-tart lemon glaze ensures an authentic and vibrant lemony taste.
Enjoy the taste of Italy with these mouthwatering lemon drop cookies!
Like the idea of using cake mix as a shortcut? Try my Cake Mix Ice Cream Sandwiches, Ultimate Rum Cake recipe, or Pistachio Pudding Cake with White Chocolate Ganache.
Jump to:
- Here's Why You'll Love this Dish
- Ingredients You'll Need
- How to Make Lemon Drop Cookies from Cake Mix
- Storage
- Top Tips
- Possible Ingredient Substitutions
- Variations of Lemon Drop Cookies
- Equipment
- Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
- Other Cookies You'll Love
- Recipe Details
- Top Tips
- PIN it for later here
- Food Safety
- Comments
These lemon drop cookies made with cake mix are a delightful treat that can be enjoyed all year round. These cookies are perfect for picnics, parties, or any occasion where you want to add a touch of sunshine to your dessert spread.
If you are looking for a zesty cookie to add to your holiday tray, these would be a perfect addition or try any other tempting cookie to add to your Christmas Cookie Tray.
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Here's Why You'll Love this Dish
These cookies are the perfect balance of soft and chewy, with a delightful zing that will leave you craving more. Here are more reasons to love these lemon drop cookies:
- Burst of Fresh Citrus Flavor: These lemon drop cookies are bursting with vibrant and zesty lemon flavor.
- Soft Texture: The texture of these cookies is perfectly soft, creating a delightful mouthfeel with every bite. They have a tender and slightly cakey texture that is incredibly satisfying and addictive.
- Easy and Convenient: Using cake mix as the base makes these cookies incredibly easy and convenient to prepare. With just a few simple ingredients, you can whip up a batch of these delicious cookies in no time, making them a great option for when you're short on time but still want a homemade treat.
- Versatile and Customizable: These lemon drop cookies can be easily customized to suit your preferences and add variety.
- Easily Transportable: making them perfect to take with you as a snack or to a get together.
Not only are these cookies easy and convenient to make, but they are a great recipe to make with your kids because of how few ingredients are needed and how easy they are to make.
Ingredients You'll Need
You will need the following ingredients to make Italian lemon drop cookies: cake mix, lemon, eggs, butter, flour and icing sugar.
Lemon flavored box cake mix is used as the base of the recipe.
Butter is used in place of the oil.
Eggs help bind the ingredients.
Lemon zest, lemon juice and icing sugar are used in to make a zesty glaze to place on the lemon drop cookies.
All purpose flour is added to thicken up the the batter and make it dough like.
See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Lemon Drop Cookies from Cake Mix
Pre-heat oven to 350°℉.
Prepare a baking sheet by layering a piece of parchment paper on it.
Mix all ingredients together except flour.
Add flour a little bit at a time until the batter forms a dough that you can scoop like cookie dough. Add more flour if needed.
Scoop dough and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Place into oven at 350 Fahrenheit. Bake for 15 mins or until cookies are firm to touch. Take care not to scorch tops or burn the bottoms.
Storage
These cookies freeze very well. They can be stored in zipped bags at room temperature for about 2 to 3 days. You can also freeze and store them for not longer than 2 months.
When you are ready to use them, you can take them from the freezer and place them in the fridge to thaw out. Once thawed out you can leave them at room temperature in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
Top Tips
For an extra lemony flavor, add lemon zest right to the batter. Use a microplane or a fine grater to zest the lemon, making sure to only grate the outer colored part of the peel and avoid the bitter white pith.
Possible Ingredient Substitutions
There are limited substitutions for this recipe to consider, but here are a few:
- Vegetable Oil: Instead of using butter, you can substitute it with vegetable oil for a non dairy option. Keep in mind that the texture may slightly differ.
- Lemon Extract Substitution: If you don't have lemon juice on hand, you can replace it with lemon extract. Use approximately a little extract at a time to gauge the flavor and measurement.
- Cake Mix Substitution: If you prefer to make the cookies from scratch instead of using a cake mix, you can substitute it with a homemade lemon cookie dough recipe or use gluten free flour.
- Non Dairy Milk and Butter: use non dairy milk and butter to create a cookie dough that is dairy free.
The perfect recipe isn't that far away. I'd love to know how you substituted ingredients to fit your dietary needs. Drop a comment below and let me know!
Variations of Lemon Drop Cookies
Here are a few variations to consider if your craving more than just lemon:
- Lemon Coconut Cookies: Mix in some shredded coconut to the dough for a tropical twist and added texture.
- Red Velvet Cake Mix: make a red velvet cookie from cake mix
- Sprinkles: add sprinkles to your cookie for a birthday cake theme.
- Chocolate Chips: add chocolate chips to make a chocolate chip cake mix cookie.
These variations provide an opportunity to get creative with the recipe and tailor it to your taste preferences or experiment with different flavor combinations. Enjoy the versatility and have fun exploring different options to elevate your lemon drop cookies!
If you can think of any other way to make this recipe unique, go for it!
Equipment
Equipment plays a large role when baking. Non stick baking sheets, parchment paper or silicone baking sheets come in handy when baking any cookies. Not only does this equipment make for easy cleanup, but it makes an impact on the appearance of the final product by avoiding cookies getting stuck to baking pans.
Measuring spoons and a cup also come in handy if you don't have these already.
Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
Cake mix comes already mixed with flavor, sugars, flour and baking powders not making them an equal alternative to flour. However, you can use cake mix to make cookies.
Cake batter is more fluid than cookie dough. Much like a baked cake is not as dense as a baked cookie.
You can make an extraordinary pimped up cookie from cake mix by adding sprinkles, chocolate chips, nuts and dried fruit.
Other Cookies You'll Love
If you like this recipe for Lemon Drop Cookies made with cake mix, then you'll fall for these cookies too!
Recipe Details
Lemon Drop Cookies made from Cake Mix
https://easyhomemaderecipes.caIngredients
Cookies
- 15.25 oz cake mix 1 box, lemon flavor
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour add more flour if needed
Cookie Glaze
- 1 cup icing sugar
- ¼ tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
Cookies
- Pre-heat oven to 350°℉.
- Mix all ingredients together except flour.
- Add flour a little bit at a time until the batter forms a dough that you can scoop like cookie dough. Add more flour if needed.
- Scoop dough and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Bake for 15 mins or until cookies are firm to touch. Take care not to scorch tops or burn the bottoms.
Cookie Glaze
- In a small bowl, add lemon juice to icing sugar and mix with a spoon or mini whisk.
- Add lemon zest and mix.
- Add more icing sugar if need to thicken or add a little more lemon juice if too stiff. It's better if it's on the stiff side.
- Spread glaze onto cookies or pipe using a piping bag or home made piping bag made from a sandwich bag.
Notes
Top Tips
For an extra lemony flavor, add lemon zest right to the batter. Use a microplane or a fine grater to zest the lemon, making sure to only grate the outer colored part of the peel and avoid the bitter white pith.Nutrition
PIN it for later here
Food Safety
Note that the storage guidelines provided on this page and site are estimates from personal experiences. We are all adults and as an adult you are responsible to ensure that the food you eat is safe to eat. Since, I'm not a food safety expert, you are responsible to review your local guidelines on food storage prior to storing any food left-overs.
Remember to:
- Not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For Canadian Guidelines check the Government of Canada Food Safety Guidelines or see more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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