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Soft chewy lemon cookies with fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon extract to give them the extra lemon tang! These lemon crinkle cookies are rolled in powdered sugar and baked until soft and chewy. The best lemon cookie recipe!
Back in January when we had a plethora of lemons growing from our trees, I went to Instagram and asked what lemon recipes you wanted to see on Modern Honey. I couldn’t believe the huge response and all of the creative ideas!
You asked for a lemon crinkle cookie recipe over and over again!
Why you will love this recipe:
Bright, fresh lemon flavor – Perfectly sweet with a pop of citrus lemon tang in every bite!
Soft + chewy texture – Soft centers with lightly crisp edges and that classic crinkle top making them look like beautiful bakery style cookies.
Easy, no-fuss recipe – Simple ingredients and straightforward steps, anyone can make this recipe.
A popular cookie recipe on Modern Honey has always been my Lemon Sugar Cookies. They are perfectly soft and chewy with slightly crunchy edges. They have a light lemon flavor and taste amazing!
However, I wanted to create a lemon cookie with extra lemon flavor so I created the best lemon crinkle cookie recipe.
The beauty of these soft and chewy lemon cookies is that I use lemon in three different ways — lemon juice, fresh lemon zest, and lemon extract. By using all three of these lemon ingredients, you get a lot of lemon flavor in every single bite!
These homemade lemon cookies are for all of my lemon lovers out there!
Lemon Cookies Ingredients:
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Lemon Zest
- Lemon Extract
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Powdered Sugar
Since this recipe calls for both lemon zest and lemon juice, I suggest using fresh lemons (instead of bottled juice). Always zest your lemons before juicing! Adding lemon extract just adds a boost of extra lemon flavor but it is optional.
How to make the Best Lemon Cookies:
- Start by creaming together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. This creates air in the batter which gives the cookies loft once they hit the oven. It also helps the butter to wrap around the sugar and create a smooth texture.
- Add fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon extract, and eggs. By using all three lemon ingredients, you are giving these chewy lemon cookies the most lemon flavor possible.
- Add dry ingredients and mix only until combined. Don’t overmix the dry ingredients or the cookies will become tough. We want tender cookies!
- If you want the cookies to have a more yellow coloring, add yellow food coloring to the dough.
- Roll the lemon cookie dough into balls and then place the powdered sugar into a bowl. Roll the cookie dough balls into the powdered sugar.
- Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake until soft and chewy. Don’t overbake these lemon crinkle cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s):
- Why are my lemon crinkle cookies not crinkling?
This usually happens if the dough isn’t chilled enough or if there isn’t enough powdered sugar coating. Make sure to chill the dough and roll generously in powdered sugar before baking. - Do I need to chill the dough?
It’s not required however chilling helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much and creates that signature crinkle effect. - Can I use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh?
Fresh lemon juice is highly recommended for the best bright, natural flavor, but bottled can work in a pinch. - Why are my cookies flat?
Flat cookies can be caused by warm dough, too little flour, or overmixing. Try chilling the dough longer and measuring ingredients carefully. - Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes! You can chill the dough for up to 24 hours or freeze it for later baking.
Lemon Cookie Recipes:
Popular Lemon Recipes:
- Lemon Brownies
- Lemon Olive Oil Cake
- Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Lemon Bundt Cake
- Lemon Cream Pie
- Lemon Sheet Cake
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
Storage:
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4–5 days. You can also freeze the cookies for 2-3 months in an airtight container.
Baking Tools:
- Light Colored Baking Sheets
- Parchment Paper Sheets
- KitchenAid Mixer
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Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- kitchenaid mixer
- baking sheet
- parchment paper baking sheets
- measuring cups and spoons
- turner
- spatula set
- cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Butter (softened)
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 large Egg + 1 Egg Yolk
- Lemon Zest (from 1 lemon)
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Lemon Extract
- 1 1/2 cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- Yellow Food Coloring (optional)
- 1/3 cup Powdered Sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar, until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Add egg, egg yolk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract. Mix for 1 minute longer.
- Fold in flour, baking powder, and salt. Add yellow food coloring, if so desired. Chill the cookie dough for 15-30 minutes.
- Place powdered sugar into a bowl. Roll the cookie dough into small balls and then roll into the powdered sugar, coating it well.
- Place on a light-colored parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the cookies are still soft in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5-10 minutes.
Notes
- I suggest Nielsen-Massey Lemon Extract
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are addicting!! So good I will definitely make again
New favorite lemon cookies!! They are so good with the lemon tang and the sweet powdered sugar? Absolute perfection
Just made my 4th batch of these delicious cookies this week….my neighbors loved them!!!
My neighbor is asking for these cookies again…..they are addicted!
Well I just got another visit from my neighbors….along with a big bag of lemons from their tree….requesting (begging) for another batch of these cookies. I can’t believe how many batches I have made for them the past few months….they obviously love them…and so do we!
This recipe is a keeper! Basic ingredients with simple steps. Came out perfect — soft and chewy as advertised. We seem to have a never ending supply of lemons from our trees, so I am making another batch per my hubby’s request. 🙂
Favorite cookie right here! I like to make them really big….so get 10-15 cookies per recipe. I also add more zest than it calls for….love to make them really lemony!
Tripled the measurements for 30 cookies and ended up with 72 delicious and moist lemon cookies! these were so easy to make! will use this recipe again for sure!
Excellent, delicate, light cookie! Resting time on the pan after removing the cookies from the oven is essential to firm up the cookies. Cooling dough is essential as well. I refrigerated the dough a few hours, and it was still soft as I formed the cookies. Put formed cookies on baking pan in the refrigerator for several minutes before baking them. Turned out very nicely! They came together quickly. Will make them again.
The perfect summer cookie! So soft and delicious.
I need to make these but I have a question. The recipe yields 10 cookies, which in this Dallas heat isn’t even worth turning on the oven. So I want to do 20. When I click on the “2x” to double the recipe, all the ingredients increase by double except for the egg yolk and the zest from 1 lemon. So, is this an error in the calculation or should it be two egg yolks and 2 lemons of zest?
Jay, it’s not 10 cookies. I thought the same thing, so made a triple batch, I’ve been baking all afternoon – I have about 60 cookies, They are delicious. you definitely need to chill them or they are too soft to form into balls. I had to keep putting them back in the fridge as I made such a large batch. Sharing another tip from a chocolate crinkle cookie recipe – roll them in granulated (regular) sugar before rolling them in powdered sugar – it keeps the powdered sugar whiter.
Jennifer, thanks so much for the response and clarification. I typically chill my dough for cookie recipes, so will make sure to do that. I also roll my chocolate crinkle cookies in granulated sugar prior to the powdered sugar and people love them. Funny thing is I make a whole series of treats for Xmas and the chocolate crinkle recipe is always the favorite…while I think it’s somewhat ordinary. I gave my wife’s friend a large batch for her birthday and she devoured them before her family ever saw a single one!
Can you freeze these?