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Lemon White Chocolate Chip Cookies are chewy citrus lemon sugar cookies with sweet white chocolate chips.
Lemon White Chocolate Chip Cookies
A soft chewy lemon cookie is one magical thing. One of my most popular recipes on Modern Honey is my Lemon Sugar Cookies. Since it is such an in-demand recipe, I thought that I would change it up by adding white chocolate chips to make a perfect contrast to the tart lemon. The results are one amazing white chocolate lemon cookie!
Rumor has it — the Oscars are tonight. Is that an excuse to eat dessert? I should say so. I am actually pacing myself for the Bachelor Finale tomorrow night. I hear it is going to be a doozy. I may need to have a cookie close by. A stash of these white chocolate chip lemon cookies may just come in handy.
We love this time of year in our home because we are busting at the seams with fresh lemons. Since we live by citrus groves and have generous friends with an abundance of lemons on their trees, we are invited to bring our bags and fill them to the brim with vibrant, juicy lemons.
Since our house is full of them, I am making EVERYTHING lemon. The beauty of lemons is they can be used in both savory dishes, in sweet dishes, and everything in between. There’s just something wonderful about the fresh lemon juice and lemon zest in these cookies.
How to make Lemon White Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- Start with slightly cold butter. Take butter out of the refrigerator and let sit for several minutes. Cut into cubes and place in mixer. Cream with sugar for at least 4 – 5 minutes or until it is light and fluffy.
- Add Eggs one at a time. This gives the creamed mixture time to fully incorporate.
- Use Fresh Lemons. This recipe calls for both lemon zest and lemon juice. Lemon zest is important as it gives the cookie the strong burst of lemon flavor. Use a zester to ensure you only get the outer yellow part. Click here for an inexpensive zester.
- Use a mix of leavening agents. This recipe calls for a mix of baking soda + baking powder. It gives the cookies a nice rise.
- Optional: add yellow food coloring to give the cookies a bright yellow color. The lemon zest alone doesn’t give it a vibrant yellow color but a subtle light yellow color. If you want them to look more vibrant, use food coloring.
- Sprinkle with sparkling sugar for crunch, if so desired.
- Use high-quality white chocolate chips. My favorite brands are Ghirardelli and Guittard.
- Bake on Silpat silicone baking sheets or parchment paper to keep from sticking. You can find silicone baking sheets here. Bake just until edges starts to become crispy.
If you love lemon, you will love these lemon recipes:
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Lemon White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter slightly cold, cut into cubes
- 2 cups Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 1/2 - 2 Tablespoons Lemon Zest may put more lemon zest for extra flavor
- 3 cups Flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 2 cups White Chocolate Chips
- *may put in a drop of yellow food coloring for color
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, cream slightly cold butter and sugar for 4 - 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs one a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest and stir to combine. If using yellow food coloring, add it now.
- Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix just until combined.
- Fold in white chocolate chips.
- Drop dough onto light colored baking sheet. Use a silicone baking sheet such as a Silpat or parchment paper.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar or white sparkling sugar, if so desired.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Happy Baking, my friends!
How long will these stay fresh?
These are amazing! I followed the recipe and they turned out perfect. It would’ve been nice to know how big to make them… I ended up having to bake them longer due to sizing. Still, going to be a go-to cookie recipe for me!!
They were DELICIOUS! Wish it would’ve said in the recipe that they don’t brown in the oven – I overbaked them slightly. Also a size for the dallops of dough would’ve been helpful. But overall, a success! Will definitely be making them again.
Hi Melissa!
I very recently made your Lemon White Chocolate Cookies.
They were fantastic and loved by all who were gifted with them.
I followed your recipe completely, until I didn’t! That is, I added to your ingredient list:
~1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup sweetened coconut
1+ tsp lemon extract (the key to even more great lemon flavor!)
Ghirardelli white chocolate, chopped
I did use 1 drop of yellow gel food coloring which gave a warm & yummy lemon hue to the cookies.
Using a 1.5″ scoop gave 4 doz cookies that were approx 3″ diameter.
I did not add coarse sugar to the tops of the cookies.
You’ll notice that all of my sentences are past tense, because all 48 of them are GONE! Gone but not forgotten, because I’m making another batch right at this moment.
Thank you for this beautiful cookie! We make a great team!!
MK
Oh my goodness!! These are delicious! They will be a standard cookie for us!
Earlier this summer I flew down to Florida to drive back north with my friend who was moving back home. She couldn’t wait to take me to Publix to get their Lemon White Chocolate Chip Cookies. She brought 6 packages back to share with her family. I was determined to find a recipe that would make her forget all about Publix and this recipe was my first attempt. Slam dunk! I can’t wait to see the look on her face!
I used Ghirardelli white chocolate chips and Wilton “Sprinkles”. Using a 1 1/2” scoop I got 54 cookies plus the dough I sampled.
You wouldn’t happen to have a recipe for Heath Bar Cookies would you?
This recipe
10/10 recipe!!!!!!!
I used 2 cups milk chocolate chips and it was delicious! perfect drop cookies and I usually don’t like lemon desserts!
These are amazingly delicious. I had some candied lemon peel on hand and added that in… so good. These are a great knockoff of the Panera lemon-white chip cookies, but better. Will definitely make again.
Turned out really well, even without vanilla!
I halved the recipe due to lack of lemons but look how nice they look!
LEMON WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES https://imgur.com/gallery/ONVDAdB