Soft Italian Lemon Knots
A more tender version than the traditional Italian version, these soft lemon knot cookies are kissed with just enough zesty lemon flavor and a moist crumb perfect for dipping in your favorite coffee or tea. Drizzled with a lemony glaze, these ltalian lemon cookies add a punch to your holiday cookie tray.
Servings 40 cookies
Instructions
For the cookie
- Mix flour and baking powder ingredients together in a medium bowl.3 ¼ cup flour, 3 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream sugar and butter for 2 min until creamy and lightened. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Stir/mix in lemon juice and zest until mixed through.1 ¼ cup sugar, 3 eggs, 1 c butter, zest/juice from 1 lemon
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low until combined. Don't overmix
- Use a 2” cookies scoop to make a round of dough. Make a log as wide as your palm, about 4-5".
- Roll cookie tucking one end back over the log about halfway.
- Bring the other end up and over the first side, making a "knot". Place cookies on an ungreased baking sheet, about 3-4 in a row. (I sometimes flip them upside down as the bottom can look better than the top). They don't have to be perfect!
- Bake at 350˚ for 10-13 minutes. Check at the 10 minute mark, removing the cookies when the bottoms are slightly browned. Cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then to a cooling rack to cool completely before dipping.
Make the glaze
- Add powdered sugar to a bowl and stir in lemon juice and zest. Mix until blended. Add a little water as needed or a little more lemon juice. You can also add milk for a less translucent glaze.1 ½ cup powdered sugar, 3-4 T lemon juice, Zest from 1 lemon
- One at a time, dip the cookies into the glaze coating the top and sides. Move to a cooling rack set in a sheet pan or over a piece of plastic wrap or parchment for easy clean up.
- Sprinkle over extra zest for garnish and color. Allow glaze to set until dry.
Notes
Recipe adjusted 12,19.2025 to reduce the baking time from 10 minutes to 8 minutes.
A few notes:
- This is a very sticky dough. I do lightly flour my surface and my hands periodically when rolling the knots.
- You can refrigerate the dough a bit if necessary. I live in the Chicago area so it's typically cool when I make these.
- I don't use butter that has been overly softened as I mix these in a stand mixer. I cut the butter into pieces before creaming with the sugar.
