Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cookies

These vegan lemon drizzle cookies are soft, chewy and taste just like the type of cookies you can buy at bakeries. The zesty lemon pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the icing sugar drizzle and together they make the perfect combination for summer snacking.

If you’ve read any of my other cookie posts, you’ll know by now that chewy cookies are probably my favourite dessert of all time. I hope you love them as much as I do because I’m sharing another cookie recipe today!

Seeing as it’s just coming into Summer here in Scotland, I wanted to create more desserts that use Summer flavours. And for me, summer desserts mean lots of lemons!

I have to say that lemons are one of my favourite ingredients to bake with in the Spring/Summer time. They are so versatile and I just love how the sourness of the lemon balances out the sweetness so nicely.

If you would like more lemon desserts without eggs or dairy, check out my mini lemon loaf cakes, lemon drizzle cake, lemon cupcakes and lemon curd.

How to make vegan lemon drizzle cookies

Before you begin, you’ll need to have the following ingredients to hand:

• 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds
• 200g of vegan margarine (I used Vitalite)
• 150g of caster sugar
• 100g soft brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 320g self-raising flour
• The zest of 1-2 lemons
• 130g of icing sugar

Step 1:

Preheat your oven 200°C/400°F and have a non-stick cookie tray or two to hand. Alternatively, line a regular baking tray with greaseproof paper.

If you’re using a fan or convection oven, set the temperature to 180°C/350°F instead, to prevent the cookies from burning.

This recipe makes enough dough for 12 very large cookies, so you can put 2 trays in at once or you can bake half the batch at a time.

Step 2:

Put the flax seeds into a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of cold or room temperature water. Give it a good mix and let it sit for a few minutes. It will become thick and gelatinous, and will act as an egg replacement in this recipe.

Step 3:

In a large bowl, cream the vegan margarine together with the caster sugar and the brown sugar. Once you’ve combined it well, add the vanilla extract and stir it in.

Step 4:

Add the flax seed mixture that you made earlier and stir it into the butter and sugar mixture. Don’t worry about the “seedy” texture as that will be barely noticeable after the cookies are baked.

Step 5:

Add the self-raising flour to the bowl and use a wooden spoon to stir it in. Once the mixture starts sticking together a little bit, you can use your (clean!) hands to push it together into a firm dough.

The texture of the cookie dough will depend on the type of vegan margarine that you use, as some contain more water than others. If the dough is too wet, you can add more self-raising flour until it comes together in a firm ball without sticking to your hands.

If the dough is too dry and falls apart, you can either add a bit more vegan margarine or a splash of plant-based milk to help it stick together.

Step 6:

Add the zest of 1 lemon to the dough and use your hands to press it into the dough. Don’t knead it in too much- just enough until it’s combined.

Step 7:

Divide the cookie dough into 12 equal-sized pieces. I typically use a scale to weigh out each piece to make sure they’re exactly the same size. This helps to make sure that the cookies will bake evenly and it also prevents the odd one from getting too crispy.

Roll each piece of cookie dough into a ball, then flatten slightly into a disc shape. The cookies will spread out a little in the oven so don’t flatten them completely; around 1-inch thickness is fine.

Step 8:

Place your cookie dough “discs” onto the baking tray, leaving a few inches of space in between to allow for spreading. I usually bake 5 or 6 per tray.

Bake for 12 minutes. They will still be a little soft when they come out of the oven but will firm up as they cool. Leave them on the tray until they’re completely cold.

Step 9:

Prepare your lemon drizzle by mixing 50g of icing sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. You want it to be super runny. Drizzle the icing over your cooled cookies and top with some more lemon zest if you like.

Leave your lemon drizzle cookies to sit at room temperature for around 60 minutes to let the icing harden then enjoy!

More vegan cookie recipes:

• Red velvet cookies
• Biscoff and white chocolate
• Double chocolate chip
• White chocolate chip
• Orange cookies
• Strawberry cookies
• All vegan cookies

FAQ:

I hope you love the recipe! If you try it at home, please let me know how it goes by leaving a rating and/or comment below. Happy baking! xo

5 from 1 vote

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Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cookies

Chewy vegan cookies with a lemon drizzle icing on top.

Course Dessert

Cuisine vegan

Keyword vegan lemon drizzle cookies

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Servings 12

Calories 327 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Ground flax seeds
• 200 g Vegan margarine (¾ cup + 1 tablespoon)
• 150 g Caster sugar (¾ cup)
• 100 g Soft brown sugar (½ cup)
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 320 g Self-raising flour (2+½ cups)
• Zest 1 Lemon

For the icing:

• 130 g Icing sugar (1 cup)
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
• Extra Lemon zest, to top (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F (or 180°C/350°F if you're using a fan or convection oven). Line a baking tray or two with baking paper or make sure you have non-stick cookie trays to hand.

2. Mix the ground flax seeds with 1 tablespoon of cold water and set aside for a few minutes. It will become thick and gelatinous.

3. In a large bowl, cream the margarine, caster sugar and brown sugar together. Add the flax seed mixture and the vanilla extract. Mix well.

4. Add the self-raising flour and stir it in. When it starts to stick together, use your hands to press it together into a dough. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour. If it's too dry, you can add more margarine or a splash of plant-based milk.

5. Add the lemon zest to the dough and use your hands to gently knead it in.

6. Divide the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Press each ball into a disc shape, around 1-inch in thickness. Don't flatten them completely as they will spread out a little bit in the oven.

7. Place the discs of dough onto your baking tray(s), leaving a few inches of space inbetween to allow for spreading. I typically bake 5-6 per tray.

8. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes then let them cool completely before removing them from the tray.

For the lemon drizzle:

1. Mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice to make a very runny icing. Use a small spoon to drizzle it over the cookies. Top with the extra lemon zest if using.

2. Let the icing set fully on the cookies before enjoying.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cookies

Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)

Calories 327 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Sodium 96mg4%

Carbohydrates 56g19%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 38g42%

Protein 3g6%

* All values are an estimate only and will vary depending on the food brands used.