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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.
Video
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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Really good but I found it to be too sweet for me and I put a little less than 2 cups too. Other than that, a winner.
Absolutely delicious! Super simple recipe, too. I’m not much of a baker but these were easy for me to make and my family went crazy for them! I like that they are a bit thinner but still soft and chewy. They had the perfect amount of lemon taste to me. I did add a little more juice because I didn’t add the exact amount of zest; so maybe that gave it more flavor? Will definitely save this recipe!
Pretty good! They ended up spreading a lot more in the oven than I expected and ended up becoming weird cookie squares, but the taste was great! Delicious cookies with a little lemon to it. It wasn’t very tart, so if you’re looking for that maybe you could add extra lemon juice or substitute an egg for lemon juice, baking powder, and oil (I’ve heard that water, baking powder, and oil substitutes eggs fairly well).
Hi, all. Thanks, Honey for the recipe. I used Meyer lemons as I had a bunch – nice flavor but should probably have used more pith to get some tartness.
Unlike others, my first 2 trays didn’t “fall”, but were crunchy. I diagnosed as too much top heat. (I do not like these modern top-heat only ovens.) So I moved them down to the bottom and watched them like a hawk. Took them out even though little browning. That did it.
Oh, for those of you worried about quantity, I used a scoop 1& 3/8” (3.4 cm) across, pretty well packed, and got about 5 dozen cookies.
Thank you soooooo much for this recipe! They were really good but I couldn’t find the lemon in them I could taste it before I put them in the oven but not after. I was really weird. By the way OMG I love you pictures, your soooooo good at it!!!
Yum! Great tasty way to get rid of a lemon that’s about to go to waste. Simple and delish
Hi! I would love to make these, but I definitely want a lemon-y flavor, would substituting the vanilla extract with lemon extract be too much?
I tried this recipe and it was really good! My only question is they didn’t come out like the picture though. Do I flatten them before I bake them?
I have made these twice and OMG they are delicious (and so easy to make)! The first time, my family and I just ate them as is. The second time, I decided to experiment and whipped up an icing made with confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice. It really took them up a notch – for anyone who likes really intense lemon flavor, I really recommend it! Either way, 5 stars for this amazing recipe!
I make Xmas cookie tins for alot of people for the holidays w/ different cookies.I make them in advance so store them in tins until I can give them out.What is a proper way to store these until time to give them out?