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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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I absolutely love this recipe! I bake it all the time, especially since these cookies are the perfect amount of sweetness – not too sweet and full of lemon flavor. The only change to this recipe I make is the amount of lemon zest. I found that I have to use the zest of 6 larger scaled lemons to really get that lemony flavor – and that could of course be a me problem in not being able to taste it in smaller doses. But 6 is the sweet spot for me, and this recipe is seriously the best!
These cookies are irresistible!! Thank you for the recipe. They are beautifully soft with a delicious crunch and the lemon flavor adds the perfect sharpness to a sugar cookie when you want something a little different. I halved the recipe with respect to everything but the lemon juice and zest–perfect combination when I didn’t want too many cookies but wanted a stronger lemon flavor. LOVE!
These cookies were awesome! Definitely making again!
Incredible! We love chocolate too but these are definitely life changing cookies! Perfect recipe!
Can I use rising flour to make these cookies?
Yes. Mine came out great!
These are dangerously delicious. This time I added white chocolate chips to the recipe and they did nit disappoint! So yummy!
Hi… in you lemon sugar cookies, how long do I need to bake it and in what temperature in Celcius? Thanks. Much love.
This is one of our favorite cookie recipes. We have 6 lemon trees in the yard so we are always looking for good citrus recipes. This is one of the best so far. Thank you!
Do you combine all the dry ingredients together before adding them to the wet
usually
I have been looking for the perfect chewy lemon sugar cookie for ages, and today I found it! Thank you!!
I measured my flour the way recommended in the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion, and then sifted my dry ingredients together to ensure thorough mixing (instead of scooping the flour with the measuring cup, use a smaller scoop to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then level off, it packs the flour less and gives you a more accurate measure) , and they were perfect and crinkly just like yours.