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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 minutes mins
    Cook Time12 minutes mins
    Additional Time5 minutes mins
    Total Time27 minutes mins
    Course: Cookies
    Servings: 2 dozen
    Author: Barbara Schieving
    Prevent your screen from going to sleep

    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. The Sugar Queen

      June 26, 2010 at 2:00 am

      I wish I had some lemon drops right now, so I could make these! I am going to add them to my grocery list. They look delicious!

      Reply
    2. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

      June 26, 2010 at 1:59 am

      Fantastic sleuthing mum! They look great and I love a super lemony cookie too! Must run in the family 😉 xxx

      Reply
    3. Megan

      June 26, 2010 at 1:31 am

      Oh these look terrific!!!

      Hey, I gotta good idea, you could bring a batch to Sanfran. We could munch on them on the boat to Alcatraz! 😉

      Reply
    4. Mags

      June 26, 2010 at 1:04 am

      Oh my….I would absolutely love these. Anything lemon is right up my alley..

      Reply
    5. Gera @ Sweets Foods Blog

      June 26, 2010 at 1:01 am

      I enjoy a lot lemony stuff-more in cookies! Excellent to have a batch right now, here 🙂

      All the best,

      Gera

      Reply
    6. Julie

      June 25, 2010 at 9:12 pm

      Wow, these look SO good! I guess necessity (or craving) really is the mother of invention 🙂

      Reply
    7. Lori

      June 25, 2010 at 7:22 pm

      Good thinking Barbara. I love lemon drops. I am quite sure I would LOVE these.

      Reply
    8. tasteofbeirut

      June 25, 2010 at 6:43 pm

      I love anything lemony, including cookies, especially variations of shortbread or sugar cookies; I am actually sucking on a lemon drop right now (it is supposed to contain Vitamin C too) and have been all evening!
      Great recipe.

      Reply
    9. sweetlife

      June 25, 2010 at 5:44 pm

      lemon drops are one of my fav candies, and to have the recipe for cookies, how exciting, great recipe

      sweetlife

      Reply
    10. Lo & Go

      June 25, 2010 at 3:48 pm

      Lemon is one of my favorite ingredients to use, especially in desserts! I'll have to try these out for sure!

      Reply
    11. Cool Lassi(e)

      June 25, 2010 at 3:32 pm

      Awesome cookies. Love any dessert/cookie made with tangy lemon.

      Reply
    12. Rocky Mountain Woman

      June 25, 2010 at 3:27 pm

      What a great idea for a refreshing hot summer day treat! yum, with sweet tea!

      Reply
    13. Foodessa

      June 25, 2010 at 1:22 pm

      Isn't it great when you manage to figure out the secret ingredient about a treat you enjoy so much. Speaking of treats…this will become mine too because I absolutely adore lemons 🙂
      Thanks for sharing this great recipe with us.
      Flavourful wishes,
      Claudia

      Reply
    14. Cathy

      June 25, 2010 at 1:10 pm

      Wonderful, Barbara. I could feel my salivary glands pucker as I read your post. I love lemon and can't wait to try these cookies. I'm a Reese's peanut butter cup fan as well so will check out that recipe too.

      Reply
    15. Jessica @ How Sweet

      June 25, 2010 at 10:35 am

      I love lemon desserts so I know I'd love these!

      Reply
    16. Laura

      June 25, 2010 at 4:57 am

      I'm gonna have to try your lemon version!

      Reply
    17. islandeat

      June 25, 2010 at 4:09 am

      Hi, Barbara. Well done! I grew up in a house which was a 30-minute walk from Ferrara Pan Candies (the makers of Lemon Drop candies, which had a tiny outlet store even), so I was excited to see a cookie incorporating that tart candy. Thanks, Dan

      Reply
    18. Cristie

      June 25, 2010 at 3:30 am

      Not only do these cookies look good, but they taste WONDERFUL! Thanks so much for giving us a delicious plateful. My husband fell in love 🙂

      Reply
    19. elra

      June 25, 2010 at 3:28 am

      Sounds absolutely delicious Barbara. Perfect for weekend treat.

      Reply
    20. Amanda

      June 25, 2010 at 3:20 am

      These are beautiful Barbara!! I bet they taste amazing 🙂

      Reply
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