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Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Lemon Crinkle Cookies are deliciously soft, chewy, and bursting with lemon flavor in every bite. Everyone will love their vibrant color and fresh citrusy flavor.
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Lemon Crinkle Cookies are deliciously soft cookies with an irresistibly zesty flavor. The perfect cookie for lemon lovers, the top of these cookies features a unique crackly appearance on top. Your tastebuds will love the fresh citrusy flavor of these sweet cookies.
If you love lemon cookies you’ll also want to make Lemon Meltaway Cookies, Lemon Raspberry Cookies, and Lemon Sugar Cookies.
Lemon Crinkle Cookies Ingredients
You will need:
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar plus ¼ cup for rolling cookie dough in before baking
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (1 stick, 113 grams)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zest
- 1 egg
- 4 to 5 drops yellow food color gel
- ½ cup powdered sugar for rolling cookie dough in before baking
Substitutions and Additions
Citrus Flavor: You could replace the lemon juice and zest with either lime juice and zest, or even orange juice/extract and zest if you want to try something different.
Nuts: Try adding ½ a cup of finely chopped pecans or walnuts to the dough for an added crunch.
Chocolate Chips: I think white chocolate chips would be such an excellent complement to the tangy lemon flavor. Add ½ cup to the dough to add this sweet surprise to the cookies.
Meyer Lemons: Meyer lemons have a slightly sweeter taste than regular lemons but can easily be used as a substitute in this recipe.
How to Make This Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe
STEP ONE: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside.
STEP TWO: Using either a stand mixer or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the butter and 1 cup granulated sugar for 3 to 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
STEP THREE: Lower the mixer speed to medium, and add the lemon juice, lemon extract, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Mix for an additional 30 seconds.
STEP FOUR: Keeping the mixer on medium, add the egg and mix until no more yellow streaks of egg are visible.
STEP FIVE: Lower the mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture 1 cup at a time. Mix just until the flour mixture is just combined, do not over-mix the dough.
STEP SIX: Add the 4 to 5 drops of yellow food color gel. Mix just until the yellow is worked into the dough. Cover well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
PRO TIP: Chilling the cookie dough for at least an hour will prevent them from spreading out too much while baking. The dough can also be refrigerated for up to 3 to 4 days before baking.
STEP SEVEN: Just before you remove the dough from the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper, and set them aside.
STEP EIGHT: Using a tablespoon cookie dough scoop, scoop out the cookie dough. Roll the dough into balls. Roll the dough balls 1st in the ¼ cup of granulated sugar, then roll the dough balls in the powdered sugar.
STEP NINE: Space the dough balls 2 inches apart.
PRO TIP: You can use your hands to roll the dough into balls, but a cookie dough scoop will keep your hands clean and help to form the balls into a uniform size.
STEP TEN: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, the edges should not be golden, and the center should appear to be not completely set.
STEP ELEVEN: Allow the cookies to rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before moving the cookies to a cooling rack.
PRO TIP: The decorative “crinkle” happens when you roll the balls in the powdered sugar before baking. As the cookies expand in the oven, the sugar pulls apart to create a unique pattern.
How to Serve
Lemon Crinkle Cookies are the ultimate summer cookie. Bring them to your next neighborhood barbecue or picnic with friends and family. You can also enjoy them year-round anytime you need a lemony treat. Enjoy them with a cold glass of iced tea on the side or even some hard lemonade.
Storage
ON THE COUNTER: Store any leftover lemon cookie crinkles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. Make sure to transfer these to the container with care so that the delicate sugar coating does not rub off.
IN THE FREEZER: The baked cookies can be frozen in an airtight container, in a single layer, for up to 4 months.
MAKE-AHEAD: You could make these ahead of time, roll them into balls and freeze them right before the baking step. Thaw and pop in the oven a few at a time to make them last longer.
Lemon Crinkle Cookies are bursting with lemon flavor in every bite. Their vibrant color and zesty flavor brighten up every dessert spread. These soft and chewy cookies will have everyone asking for the recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my cookies flat?
A couple of things can cause your cookies to not rise properly. The most common is either your dough wasn’t chilled enough or the butter was melted rather than softened.
Why didn’t my cookies crinkle?
The most common reason is that the dough either wasn’t chilled long enough or it got too warm when it was rolled into balls. Another reason could be that there wasn’t enough powdered sugar on the cookies. The dough will absorb some of that sugar, so be sure to use a generous amount.
Can I use store bought lemon juice?
This recipe strongly benefits from freshly squeezed lemon juice. You already need lemon zest for the recipe, so go ahead and use the same lemon for both purposes.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Bailey’s Chocolate Cheesecake Trifle
- Orange Fluff
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Lemon Crinkle Cookies are deliciously soft, chewy, and bursting with lemon flavor in every bite. Everyone will love their vibrant color and fresh citrusy flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, rolling cookie dough in before baking
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened, 1 stick or 113 grams
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zest
- 1 egg
- 4 to 5 drops yellow food color gel
- ½ cup powdered sugar, for rolling cookie dough in before baking
Instructions
- Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside.
- Using either a stand mixer or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the butter and 1 cup granulated sugar for 3 to 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Lower the mixer speed to medium, and add the lemon juice, lemon extract, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Mix for an additional 30 seconds.
- Keeping the mixer on medium, add the egg and mix until no more yellow streaks of egg are visible.
- Lower the mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture 1 cup at a time. Mix just until the flour mixture is just combined, do not over-mix the dough.
- Add the 4 to 5 drops of yellow food color gel. Mix just until the yellow is worked into the dough. Cover well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Just before you remove the dough from the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper, set them aside.
- Using a tablespoon cookie dough scoop, scoop out the cookie dough. Roll the dough into balls. Roll the dough balls 1st in the ¼ cup of granulated sugar, then roll the dough balls in the powdered sugar.
- Space the dough balls 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, the edges should not be golden, and the center should appear to be not completely set.
- Allow the cookies to rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before moving the cookies to a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- Chilling the cookie dough for at least an hour will prevent them from spreading out too much while baking. The dough can also be refrigerated for up to 3 to 4 days before baking.
- You can use your hands to roll the dough into balls, but a cookie dough scoop will keep your hands clean and help to form the balls into a uniform size.
- The decorative “crinkle” happens when you roll the balls in the powdered sugar before baking. As the cookies expand in the oven, the sugar pulls apart to create a unique pattern.
Comments
Sherri says
Absolutely delicious! These are going to be a new Christmas tradition! Thank you! The perfect lemon cookie!