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    Home » Recipes » Dessert » Cookies

    Over The Top Lemon Drop Candy Cookies

    Published by Melissa on May 13, 2018 | Updated June 10, 2022 | 44 Comments

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    These Over The Top Lemon Drop Candy Cookies are a bakery style cookie that’s a thin, tender, chewy, with a bright lemon flavor. Lemon Drop Candies are the secret ingredient. Betcha can’t eat just one. 

    Featured Image for post - Over The Top Lemon Drop Candy Cookies

    There is a little cookie store near my home, Over The Top Gourmet Cookies, that sells the best lemon cookie I’ve ever tasted. They don’t have a subtle lemon flavor like some lemon cookies. They are a sweet, but lemon bar tart cookie.

    My neighbor and I decided their secret ingredient is crushed lemon drop candies. (Although I recently found out they use Lemonheads.) 

    Lemon Drop Candies are the secret ingredient for Iced Over The Top Lemon Drop Candy Cookies. Betcha can't eat just one.

    I did an internet search to see if I could find a lemon cookie recipe made with lemon drops and sure enough there were several online, but they used shortening.

    I’m pretty sure the Lemon Cookies at Over The Top are made with butter, so I combined a Lemon Drop Candy Cookie recipe with an Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookie recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cookies. The result is a tender, chewy, scrumptious Over the Top Lemon Drop Candy Cookie.A collage of making Over The Top Lemon Drop Candy Cookies

    The cookies spread quite a bit, so I only baked eight cookies per sheet. You want to take them out of the oven before the middle is completely set so the cookie is chewy and not crunchy.

    The lemon glaze on the cookies really ups the lemon flavor of the cookies. I added just one drop of lemon gel food coloring. Then I finished them with some rainbow sparkling sugar.

    A collage of Over-The-Top-Lemon-Drop-Candy-Cookies-Plated

    Laura from Real Mom Kitchen posted her delicious version of Over the Top Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies. The Over the Top Cookies are definitely the best bakery cookies I’ve ever had. If you are in the Salt Lake area, you need to stop by and try them. My friend tells me their mint cookie is fabulous too.

    If you’re a lemon lover, you need to make these cookies asap.

    Featured Image for post - Over The Top Lemon Drop Candy Cookies
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    Over The Top Lemon Drop Candy Cookies

    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time12 mins
    Additional Time5 mins
    Total Time27 mins
    Course: Cookies
    Servings: 2 dozen
    Author: Barbara Schieving
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    Ingredients

    • 3 cups flour
    • 1 teaspoons baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter
    • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
    • 1 ⅓ cups sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 teaspoons vanilla
    • ½ teaspoon lemon extract
    • 1 4 ounce package lemon drop candies, crushed

    Glaze

    • 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
    • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1 drop of Lemon Yellow gel food coloring optional

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
    • Put sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 30 seconds.
    • Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs one at a time; add vanilla and lemon extract. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Stir in crushed lemon drop candies.
    • Roll into 1-inch balls (I used a #40 ice cream scoop), flatten slightly and bake on parchment-lined baking sheet for 10-12 minutes until edges start to brown and center is almost set. (The cookies spread quite a bit, so I only baked eight cookies per sheet.) Let cool slightly on pan 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to cooling racks; let cool completely.
    • Make a glaze by mixing powdered sugar with lemon juice; then spread over cookie tops.

    More lemon cookies you might like:

    Lemon Bar Cookie Cups, Barbara Bakes
    Lemon Shortbread Cookies, Barbara Bakes
    Light and crispy Lemon Oatmeal Cookies, Your Homebased Mom
    Lemon Crinkle Cookies, Recipe Girl

    Pin It:

    Lemon-Drop-Candy-Cookies-Collage-Barbara-Bakes

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    About Melissa & Barbara

    As of June 2022 Melissa Griffiths now is the one adding recipes. So think of it as Barbara Bakes, and Melissa too! Melissa and Barbara have been blogging friends for over 10 years and when Barbara was ready to retire and spend more time with her family, Melissa took over the site. Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Jill

      November 18, 2021 at 8:21 am

      How do you crush your lemon drops?  They are really a pain and I don’t want to use lemon heads candy. So sticky. 

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        November 19, 2021 at 7:04 am

        Hi Jill- I usually use a Ziploc bag and a meat tenderizer to crush them.

        Reply
    2. Carol

      May 14, 2018 at 6:27 am

      What a treat! Lemon is a favorite around here so I know these would be a hit. They’re so pretty with that sunny yellow glaze and colored sugar too. How fun that you could recreate a bakery cookie you love-now you can enjoy your favorite treat any time!

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        May 18, 2018 at 6:01 am

        Thanks Carol! I hope you’ll give them a try 🙂

        Reply
    3. Carol

      October 18, 2017 at 3:02 pm

      Anybody know of crushed lemon drops for sale? Thanks.

      Reply
      • Linda

        November 19, 2017 at 10:51 pm

        Buy Lemon Heads, they are around $1 per box, then you can crush then in your food processor.  I used twice the rec’md amount.   Brach’s Lemon Drops cost about three times as much.

        Reply
        • Barbara Schieving

          November 20, 2017 at 6:21 am

          Thanks for sharing that tip Linda!

          Reply
    4. Deb Rinehart

      June 17, 2016 at 12:47 pm

      OMG!!!! You rock this recipe!!…I made these last week & they were a total hit..My daughter brought home some lemon drops, so when I found your recipe, I couldn’t wait to make them! I’ve posted your recipe on my page on FB.. Your cookies are too good not to share…Easily the best lemon cookie recipe ever! Thank you so much for sharing!!!

      Reply
    5. Carly

      October 14, 2010 at 7:16 pm

      So I have been craving Over the Top’s lemon cookie, decided to see if I could try to find a recipe like it online and I found your site!! Thanks so much for this recipe!! And yes, “Over the Top Cookies” is the best, but hopefully I can satisfy my craving for that delicious lemony cookie whenever I want with this recipe 🙂

      Reply
    6. Justin

      July 14, 2010 at 5:48 pm

      something tells me i'd love these

      Reply
    7. Red Couch Recipes

      July 01, 2010 at 1:55 am

      Barbara, I am sure my family will love this fun spin on lemon cookies. Joni

      Reply
    8. Mimi

      June 30, 2010 at 3:34 am

      A nice tangy lemon cookie, what could be more perfect on a summer day.
      Mimi

      Reply
    9. Anonymous

      June 28, 2010 at 11:20 pm

      I thought at the store they said it was crushed lemon heads. They really are great cookies!!

      Reply
    10. livestocreate

      June 28, 2010 at 3:45 pm

      I'm puckering up even READING your recipe… thanks for sharing it!

      Reply
    11. Sue Sparks

      June 28, 2010 at 3:51 am

      Barbara, I love LEMON, and these are so perfect for summer! I love the photo with the lemon drops! BTW, when my youngest daughter was in T-ball, her team uniform was yellow and their team name was The Lemon Drops:)

      Reply
    12. Carrian

      June 28, 2010 at 3:47 am

      we always want to tyr those cookies but always manage to go when it's closed

      Reply
    13. AmyRuth

      June 27, 2010 at 7:28 pm

      A great idea. Thanks for sharing
      AmyRuth

      Reply
    14. Jamie

      June 27, 2010 at 2:29 pm

      Tender, chewy, luscious and lemony are for me! Bookmarking this recipe! I love it!

      Reply
    15. Antonella-Vera55

      June 27, 2010 at 9:58 am

      that sounds really great and delicious!!!congratulations!!!enjoy your Sunday! A big hug from Italy

      Reply
    16. Kim

      June 26, 2010 at 9:31 pm

      I have never heard of or seen a lemon drop cookie! How fun and delicious. I'm a huge fan of lemon and really want to try this recipe.

      Reply
    17. Kat

      June 26, 2010 at 5:33 pm

      These sound so delicious. I love lemon so I am definitely putting these on my cookie list to bake. Thanks so much.

      Reply
    18. Nutmeg Nanny

      June 26, 2010 at 12:56 pm

      These look amazing! I love the idea of crushed up lemon drops…one of my favorite candies!

      Reply
    19. Faith

      June 26, 2010 at 11:15 am

      What a great secret ingredient! I never would have thought to add crushed lemon drops — this sounds incredible!

      Reply
    20. Sarah, Maison Cupcake

      June 26, 2010 at 10:12 am

      These sound great, I love all the old fashioned sweeties!

      Reply
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