Always zest your lemons before cutting and juicing them—it's nearly impossible to zest after juicing, and fresh zest provides superior flavor and aroma to these delicate cookies.

Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking to prevent the gluten-free flour from spreading too much and to achieve that signature soft, gooey center without over-flattening.

Cut cold butter into small cubes and keep it cold while mixing to create pockets of butter that yield the melt-in-your-mouth texture—gluten-free doughs benefit especially from this technique.

Mix just until combined after adding the dry ingredients; overmixing activates the gluten-free flour's binders, resulting in tough, dense cookies instead of the desired tender crumb.

Remove cookies from the oven when the edges are just golden but the centers still look slightly underdone—they'll continue cooking on the hot baking sheet and develop that signature gooey texture.