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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.

Stack of glazed pound cake cookies on a blue and white napkin. The top cookie has a bite taken from it.

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! 

Three pound cake cookies stacked next to a glass of milk with a fourth cookie leaning against the stack.
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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
Ingredients for pound cake cookies arranged on a light countertop.

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! 

Recipe Tip

When measuring powdered sugar, use the same fluff, scoop, and level method that you used for measuring your flour. 

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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.

Sugar and lemon zest combined in a white mixing bowl.

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.

Butter and sugar creamed together in a white bowl.

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.

Unbaked pound cake cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, ready to go 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. 

Lemon glaze in a glass bowl next to a cooling rack of cookies.

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.

Overhead view of glazed pound cake cookies on a wire cooling rack.

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.

Hand holding up a pound cake cookie that is broken in half to show the inner texture.

FAQs

How long will pound cake cookies be good for?

Store the pound cake cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Because of their cakey texture, they don’t last as long as salted caramel pretzel cookies or almond crescent cookies, but I doubt you’ll have any trouble polishing them off within 3 days.

Can you freeze these cookies?

If you want to store the cookies for longer, turn to the freezer. I prefer to freeze them before glazing them, but you can freeze them with the glaze on them as well.

They will keep in the freezer for 1-2 months. They will thaw very quickly, so it’s easy to enjoy them whenever you get a pound cake cookie craving.

Four pound cake cookies stacked on a blue and white napkin.
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Pound Cake Cookies

By: Jamie
4.67 from 3 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Servings: 24 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.

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • lemon zest from one whole lemon
  • cup unsalted butter softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

For the Glaze:

  • 1 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar sifted
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • sparkling sugar for sprinkling optional

Instructions 

For the Cookies:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In large bowl, stir together the sugar and lemon zest until the sugar becomes moist and fragrant.
  • Add butter to the sugar and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes.
  • Add eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix until combined.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
  • Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
  • Using a medium cookie scoop, (1 1/2 tablespoons), scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets leaving 2 inches between each cookie dough ball.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden. Allow cookies to rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Once cookies have cooled completely, prepare the glaze.

For the Glaze:

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and milk.
  • Spoon or pipe glaze over cookies. If desired, immediately sprinkle cookies with sparkling sugar.  Allow glaze to harden before serving.

Video

Notes

Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 122kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 42mg, Potassium: 22mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 180IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 26mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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29 Comments

  1. Elizabeth Stungurys says:

    Just made these cookies they taste great and look so sweet. I will be serving them at my yard sale this weekend. I did make them a little smaller and got 48 instead of the 24  stated in the recipe. Thank you  

    1. Jamie says:

      I’m so glad you like them, Elizabeth!

  2. deb Bailey says:

    can you freeze this cookies once baked and glaze later, making for a wedding shower …and want to make them ahead of time …thanks…..oh ya I didn’t have lemon so I used orange instead …hope they turn out …lol

    1. Jamie says:

      Hi, Deb! I think you can probably freeze the cookies and glaze later. I bet the orange will taste amazing! Let me know!

  3. max says:

    I’m gonna make this just now. Already got print of this page. Thanks buddy…

    1. Jamie says:

      You’re welcome, Max. I hope you like them!

  4. Sam says:

    So easy to make and  I love lemon anything!  Made this batch with the kids adding red, white and blue sprinkles to the dough so they’ll look like funfetti cookies for the 4th. Plan to ice as directed, but I’m sure my little ones will want a few with sprinkles on top.  

    1. Jamie says:

      Great ideas, Sam!

  5. robin says:

    Why do these need to be refrigerated? And I’m guessing these taste lemony?? Regular pound cake is not lemony right?

    1. Jamie says:

      Hi, Robin! Regular pound cake is not lemony. The cookies will stay fresher longer if you refrigerate them. Let me know if you have any more questions!

  6. Paloma says:

    Want to try it out but I’ld love to see a video on this particular recipe.

    1. Jamie says:

      Hi, Paloma! Thank you for your suggestion of a video. I’ll definitely keep in in mind! I hope you enjoy the cookies!

  7. Peggy says:

    Have u ever froze them for eating at a later date?

    1. Jamie says:

      Hi, Peggy! I would recommend freezing the uncooked cookie dough and then baking and glazing when you’re ready. I hope you enjoy them!