These easy, one-bowl zucchini cookies with a bright, lemon glaze are soft and cakey, and the perfect way to put all of those fresh summer zukes to good use.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I made these cookies and took them to work. Everyone at work raved about how delicious they were and wanted the recipe.” ~Melanie, FoodieCrush reader
The Ultimate Summer Cookie? I Think So!
Zucchini is an awesome ingredient for baking because it provides an excellent source of moisture to baked goods.
In this recipe, my favorite zucchini bread is transformed into a pillowy soft cookie that’s topped with a tangy lemon glaze. Don’t worry, you don’t taste the zucchini, but it’s there to provide moisture, heft, and texture.
These cookies start with a simple dough studded with grated zucchini, oats, and a kiss of cinnamon. One of the reasons I love this lemon zucchini cookie recipe so much is you can make the cookie dough in one bowl so there’s no need for a mixer. Easy peasy, and so delicious.
Enjoy! Heidi
My Top Tips for Making Cookies with Zucchini
- Peeling the zucchini: Nope, you don’t need to peel your zucchini! The skin is thin and soft, and because you’re grating it anyway, you won’t notice it in these cookies.
- Draining the zucchini: While some recipes have you salt zucchini (to draw out more moisture) then squeeze out excess liquid, there’s no need here. In my recipe testing, I found that the grated zucchini provided the perfect amount of moisture for keeping these cookies nice and soft. (Think of the zucchini as you would carrots in carrot cake!)
- Storage: Because these are pretty moist cookies, I recommend storing them in the refrigerator to help them last longer. I normally never refrigerate cookies, but this is a special exception to the rule.
A Few Ingredient Notes to Keep in Mind
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
Zucchini
Grate the zucchini using the large side of a box grater, then loosely pack it into the measuring cup. Don’t tamp it down or else you’ll measure out too much zucchini (which would make the cookie dough watery rather than cake-like).
Oats
Old-fashioned rolled oats add a subtle chewiness that my family just adores. Don’t use quick / instant oats! They’re more finely milled and are dry and powdery rather than chewy.
Lemon Juice
Ideally you’d buy a couple of lemons and squeeze them to get the ¼ of juice, but you can use a high-quality bottled variety if desired.
For an extra dose of lemon flavor, zest one of the lemons using a microplane zester or the fine side of the box grater.
3 Steps to Making Soft Zucchini Cookies
- Make the super easy cookie dough. The cookie dough is mixed together in one big bowl. I suggest whisking together the wet ingredients first, then adding in the dry ingredients. This will ensure even mixing!
- Scoop and bake. I prefer using a small cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), and I just drop the dough balls onto a lined baking sheet. Try to leave a couple inches between dough balls since the cookies will spread in the oven.
- Glaze and drizzle. Whisk together the lemon juice glaze while the cookies are baking, but wait until they’ve cooled completely to drizzle on the glaze. (Glazing warm cookies always results in a big mess!)
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Lemon Glazed Zucchini Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
For the cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter , melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup zucchini , grated (on the large side of a box grater)
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the lemon glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons butter , melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a large sheet pan with non-stick spray. To a large mixing bowl, add the first 6 ingredients and whisk to combine. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and use a spatula to stir everything until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Use a small cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), to scoop the cookie dough onto the sheet pan, spacing them out, leaving a few inches in between. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden brown.
- While the cookies are baking, make the glaze. Add all of the ingredients to a medium-sized bowl, and whisk well to combine.
- Once the cookies have baked and cooled completely, use a fork to drizzle some of the glaze on the tops of each cookie.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Summer Baked Goods to Try
- Classic Zucchini Bread
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Iced Lemon Loaf
- Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding
- Strawberry Shortcake
We send good emails. Subscribe to FoodieCrush and have each post plus exclusive content only for our subscribers delivered straight to your e-mail box.
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest for more FoodieCrush inspiration.
As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There are affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
Melanie Rice Moffat
I made these cookies and took them to work. Everyone at work raved about how delicious they were and wanted the recipe.