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Soft chewy lemon sugar cookies are always a hit! A light lemon cookie that will be a crowd favorite.
Lemon Sugar Cookies
I may be a chocoholic but these cookies got me from the first bite. Actually, I lie. It was from the first bite of cookie dough because after one taste, I was hooked! Since my Mom loves all things lemon, I decided I had to break free from my chocolate love affair and make something that she would love – a sweet, soft lemon sugar cookie.
She was smitten with the first taste! This cookie is bursting with fresh lemon flavor without being too tart and if you could imagine a marriage between a soft sugar cookie and a tangy lemon, you will get this delectable lemon sugar cookie.
This is a soft, chewy lemon cookie with a light lemon flavor. It is a simple, crowd-pleasing recipe that everyone loves! Add more lemon zest for extra lemon flavor.
Key Steps for making the BEST Lemon sugar cookies:
- Cream butter and sugar for four minutes or until light and fluffy. This breaks down the sugar so you don’t end up with grainy cookies. It also whips in the air, which not only helps to give the cookie body but keeps it from going completely flat once it hits the hot oven.
- Use fresh lemon juice. The fake stuff you find in the grocery store just tastes fake. Fresh lemon transforms so many dishes and since it’s the star ingredient in this cookie, fresh is best.
- Use a zester to get the vibrant yellow skin from the lemon and leave the bitter white part behind. We want the good stuff! Click HERE to buy a zester for about $10 bucks.
- These cookies are best soft so don’t overbake. An outstanding cookie can become mediocre just from overbaking. I always use non-stick silicone baking sheets. These silicone baking sheets are some of my favorites because they work well and are reasonably priced.
- Top with sparkling sugar just as you are removing the cookies from the oven.
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Lemon Sugar Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter cold, cut into cubes
- 2 cups Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest may put more lemon zest for extra flavor
- 3 cups Flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- *may put in a drop of yellow food coloring for color
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest and stir to combine.
- Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix just until combined.
- Drop dough onto light colored baking sheet.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar or white sparkling sugar.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank as always for all of your incredible support. xo Happy Baking!
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Another successfully executed Melissa Stadler recipe!! Baked these just now, at the cabin….triple thumbs up!!!!
Hi Judy! You are the BEST! I am so sorry for the delay in responding — my comment bar disappeared for a long while and I just got it up and running again. I am so happy that you loved the lemon cookies. Thank you for all of your amazing support. xoxo – Melissa 🙂
Dear Melissa ! I need your help !
I made these cookies and the first time around I completely fell in love 🙂 … I have tried twice more after it and for some reason they always go completely flat in the oven (when big blend 🙁 …)
What am I doing wrong????
I have had that happen before and I get so baffled! I can completely understand. A few things to consider:
Make sure the butter is cold and straight out of the refrigerator. I cut it into cubes so that it mixes well with the sugar. Also, chill your dough for at least 10-20 minutes which should help keep its shape. Let me know if those things help out. They shouldn’t be flat. Good luck and thanks for trying! – Melissa
And yet the pictures on your site show a very flat cookie????
I tried these today. It is a must try. So incredibly good. Soft but crunchy at the same time. Perfect!!
Hi Catherine! Thank you so much for your sweet comment. That’s the key to a great cookie, right? It has to be soft and crunchy at the same time. Thanks!! – Melissa 🙂
Baking a batch right now for our Memorial Day cookout. The are delicious, so light & sweet! Just not sure why mine don’t look like yours? Mine are puffy, even after cooling. Should I flatten w/ a fork before baking? Your photos are awesome!
Hi Cathy! A Memorial Day cookout sounds like so much fun! If they are puffing up, you can flatten them with a fork and that will definitely make them flatter. They should definitely puff up in the oven but once you take them out, the do come down some. Let me know how they turn out and thanks for reaching out! – Melissa
I tried these out today and loved them!
Thank you so much, Brigette! So happy to hear you loved them. 🙂
Hi, I made these cookies, and they came out great. I used softened butter and after scooping the cookies into balls, I froze them overnight. I do this for all my cookies. They came out perfectly! Freezing the cookies makes for a better shaped, thick cookie. These were a good 1/2″ high. Just thought I’d share my tip. Thanks for the great recipe!! :0)
They came out pretty good. I added a few drops of yellow food coloring in order to achieve that beautiful yellow color. The cookies have the perfect lemon taste. Soft and chewy but with a little crunch. Yummy!
Great idea, Nikki! That would add to the yellow color of the cookies. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely loved these cookies..my 4 yr old son loved them more than me..my hubby don’t even eat sweets, but he sure enjoyed these cookies.. THANK YOU!
Love it! Thank you Bettina! I love when the kids approve of them. 🙂
They are delicious and delightful. I ended up doubling the lemon juice which gave more lemon flavor and then I added in some cream of tartar which gave the flavor a little zing and bite to the cookie. It’s a winner for kids and grown ups!
Hi Anne! That is such a great idea! I am going to try it next time for sure. Also, love the idea of adding cream of tartar. I love that you play around with recipes because the experimentation is the fun part. Thank you for reaching out and have a great night! – Melissa
Would you add finely group d nuts to the recipe? Has anyone tried that?
Just printed this to make in a few days. Beautiful. I love lemon cookies and this looks super. You should have a photography studio!!!
You are the sweetest, Pam! I am such a rookie with photography and am just learning but I appreciate the compliment. xoxo
First time in this blog, and I`m amazed 🙂
I tried this recipe and the the jury (my kids) said that it`s brilliant. Thank you!
Hi Angela! Thank you so much for your comment. I love that you call your kids the “jury” because I do the same thing. They are honest and will always tell you how it is. 🙂 I am so happy they passed the test!
These are the best cookies I’ve ever made, and I’ve made a lot of cookies.
Hey! I’m trying this! How do I️ get the flatness and the size you made? How big would you make the scoop of dough? Xo
Thanks!!!!
I am curious about this too. My cookies were fluffy and plump. Tasted great but looked nothing like the picture.
Same questions. Mine seemed too round first batch, so I turned down the heat a bit, flattened them a bit, but I think they needed less flour to spread better in my oven (I hate my oven). They were smooth, not crinkly like the picture.
I also think that I would have gotten a better texture if I had softened the butter and mixed by hand at the butter/sugar stage and then chilled in the fridge a bit before cooking. Cold butter had to be beat with an electric mixer, but that can whip air into the cookie which makes it too cakey.
I need to make 8 dozen for a cookie exchange. how many cookies does this make?