Substitution for lemon juice and lemon zest

I have several cookie recipes that require lemon juice and lemon zest, but are not lemon flavored. I was wondering if I could substitute something else since I'm not a fan of lemons. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks

Sure, you can use any flavoring you have on hand.

 

Karen:)

Probably any citrus, like orange, grapefruit, lime, etc., can be substituted for lemon juice/zest.  

Many times lemon juice and zest are used in recipes just to flavor the dish and can be left out completely.

Sometimes, though, in a bread/dough recipe that calls for baking soda, which is a leavening agent, the acid in the lemon juice may be needed to activate the baking soda so the dough will rise, if there is not another acidic such as buttermilk, yogurt, honey, etc.

In dough recipes where an acidic liquid like lemon juice is not required to activate baking soda, the liquid my be needed to obtain the correct consistency, so if you omit the lemon juice, replace it with another liquid like water or milk, if needed. 

I can't run to the store to buy 1 or 2 fresh lemons/limes, so I keep those little sqeezy bottles of both lemon & lime in the fridge.  They're only 2 for $1 in the produce departments of our local grocery stores.  The addition of lemon or lime to a sweet recipe enhances the sweetness of whatever you're making, so don't leave it out.  I even "squirt" a little my cheesecake recipes - it tastes more like "cheese" cake to me!

When the lemon season (Jan. - Mar.) is over I use bottled lemon juice. I keep some in the refrigerator for baking, soup highlight, and seafood.

For the lemon zest, I use lemon oil. If it is to be cooked in, as in baked goods, I use 1/2 teaspoon of lemon oil in place of the zest of 1 lemon. If I can add it at the end, as with soup,or curd, I use 1/4 teaspoon of lemon oil for the zest of 1 lemon

I got my lemon oil from King Arthur. When I was in Tucson, I got a bottle of orange oil at a kitchen supply store. The citrus oils have to be kept in the refrigerator after opening.

EDIT:  Oops -- I just read the title of your post, and wrote substitutes that provide the lemon flavor -- just read your whole post, and realized that this does not answer the question in the rest of your post.

You can flavor the dough with anything your heart desires.

You can substitute lemon juice with white vinegar. It will give it a slight twang that the lemon juice gives it without the lemon taste. I don't like the taste of lemon in my cookies. Bakery will use lemon juice in cookies as a preservative. I can't hardly stand to eat bakery cookies. You can leave the lemon juice out. If its just used as a preservative.