Panera Lemon Drop Cookies Recipe (Sugar-free & gluten-free)

Ok lemon lovers, these are for you! 

This healthy, copycat panera lemon drop cookie recipe will create soft, pillowy cookies that are slightly crispy on the edges and infused with vibrant lemon flavor. They are sweet and perfectly tart all at once. 

Plus, they contain far less calories and carbs than the original, with an added bonus of 6x more fiber and double the protein.

I love these healthy Panera Lemon Cookies straight out of the fridge with a warm cup of tea for a nutritious afternoon treat. They store really well in the fridge for days and in my opinion, they get even better after a couple days because the flavors develop. Loading them up of fresh lemon zest and juice provides extra vitamins and minerals to these brightly flavored, sugar dusted, summertime love nuggets. 

It’s an easy recipe that requires no fancy kitchen equipment or chill time. Most traditional sugar-cookie style recipes require a few hours of dough chilling time prior to baking. The extra fiber contained in the DD Swaps allows the dough to hold together well in the oven without the extra chill step.

I love these cookies made with Whole-Grain and Grain-Free Flour. The Whole-Grain Swap cookies will have a few extra healthy carbs, but I love the hearty, earthy flavor these cookies have. The Grain-Free Flour will provide a keto/paleo version. This low-carb version is equally delicious, has a more nutty flavor and creates a denser, chewier cookie overall. I tested this recipe using both flours in equal parts (1 cup Whole-Grain plus 1 cup Grain-Free Flour to equal the full 2 cups of Flour Swap the recipe calls for), which was my taste/texture preference. Plus, mixing the flours is a great way to create a lower carb version and still allows for a small dose of healthy grains.

For most of my patients, I’m a big advocate for balanced macronutrient meals breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here is an easy way to know what type of Flour Swap to choose to create a balanced macro meal. We’ll use dinner as an example. If your dinner consists of just protein and veggies, I recommend eating Whole-Grain Swap cookies for dessert to serve as your healthy carb for that meal. Conversely, if you already had a healthy carb with dinner (quinoa, sweet potato, beans, etc), I would recommend the Grain-Free Swap cookies for dessert so you don’t overeat carbs at that meal. Easy, right! Balanced macro meals are the best thing you can do to keep your metabolism firing optimally, create blood sugar stability and keep you feeling full and satisfied throughout your day (or night). If you’re a diabetic or need to stay in ketosis, always bake using the Grain-Free Flour Swap.

3. Add wet ingredients and blend using a large spoon, electric hand mixer or stand mixer until no lumps remain.

5. Fold-in sugar free white chocolate chips if desired.

6. Use your small cookie scoop to make equal sized dough balls, roll between your hands, then press each cookie on the parchment lined cookie sheet. The cookies will expand as they bake but they won’t spread much so flatten each cookie down to the approximate thickness you want for your finished cookie.

7. Bake for about 9 minutes (both Whole Grain and Grain-Free cookies baked the same amount of time in my oven) until the edges start to turn slightly golden and the tops start to crack.

8. Remove from the oven and cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool.

9. Once the cookies are at room temperature, coat each cookie in Powdered Sugar Swap.