Lemon Cookies

These Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Cookies are soft and chewy, slightly fluffy and perfectly tangy. They're covered in a rich, creamy lemon frosting too! A delicious sweet treat for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Lemon Cookies

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 30 g (1/8 cup) coconut oil  (or sub coconut butter)
• 10 tablespoons maple syrup  (or sub any other similar sweetener)
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest (make sure lemons are unwaxed)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub rice flour, or plain flour if not gluten-free)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)

For the frosting:

• 75 g (1/2 cup) cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
• 5 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

For the cookies:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave
• Add the maple syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla, and mix well
• Measure out the dry ingredients (ground almonds, gluten-free flour and baking powder) and mix well
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well until you get a soft dough but one that’s firm enough to mould
• If the dough looks too wet, placing it in the fridge for an hour will help it firm up. If it looks too dry, add a splash of any type of plant-based milk
• Use your hands to shape the cookie dough into patties – you should be able to make 7 large cookies. To make super fluffy cookies, I like to make sure the centre part of the cookie is slightly thicker than the rest. And don't worry, unlike traditional cookies, these ones won't spread as they bake
• Transfer the cookies onto a baking tray/baking sheet lined with greased baking paper
• Bake in oven for around 10-12 minutes, until very lightly browned – be careful not to over-bake!
• They will be slightly soft when you remove them from the oven – leave to cool completely to let them harden before applying the frosting

For the frosting:

• Drain the soaked cashews and add to a food processor or blender with the maple syrup and lemon juice
• Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary
• Taste and add extra lemon juice and/or maple syrup if necessary
• Use a knife to spread a bit of frosting over each of the cookies
• Taste best when fresh, but keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days

Notes

*You can alternatively use almond flour

Don’t worry about the cracks on top – I found it was impossible to make these vegan and gluten-free lemon cookies without cracks forming on top. The cracks don’t affect the taste or the texture at all, and the yummy lemon frosting will completely cover them up!

https://www.rhiansrecipes.com/lemon-cookies/