These Lemon Sugar Cookies are chewy and soft on the inside with the perfect lemon flavor. With hints of lemon zest and a buttery sugar cookie base, they’re a great recipe for spring, summer, or anytime you’re craving something lemony sweet.
Best Lemon Cookie Recipe
When warmer weather hits, we love lemon desserts in my house. The first thing I always make is my favorite lemon pound cake and these classic lemon squares that are my mother-in-laws recipe my kids have grown up with.
Now enter these soft and chewy lemon sugar cookies. They’re so easy to make with simple baking staples plus fresh lemon juice plus some lemon zest for a more lemon flavor.
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Lemon Sugar Cookies Ingredients Notes
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll down to the full recipe card for the specific amounts.
- All-purpose flour: To ensure your cookies don’t turn out dense, measure the flour properly. Use the spoon and level method so you don’t end up using too much flour.
- Baking soda and baking powder: The baking soda keeps the cookies light and airy, while the baking powder helps keep them nice and soft.
- Salt and unsalted butter: Take the butter out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes before creaming. I use unsalted butter so I can add salt separately to control how much I use. If you only have salted butter on hand, omit the extra salt from the recipe.
- Sugar: I used regular white sugar.
- Large egg: You can bring these out with the butter to bring them to room temperature as well.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Lemon juice and zest: I use the juice of a large lemon. Don’t forget to zest the lemon first before juicing it! If you prefer lemon extract over lemon zest, you can use it instead. If you don’t want to use lots of lemon zest, you can lower the amount to one tablespoon.
Variations + Tips
1. For fluffier cookies, let the dough chill in the fridge, scoop and roll them into balls, and then roll the balls in sugar.
2. Fold in white chocolate chips.
3. Top with festive sprinkles for a little extra presentation.
5. For extra chewy cookies, add an extra egg yolk to the cookie batter.
6. Dip the tops into a lemon icing and let them set before serving like I did in these lemon shortbread cookies.
How to Make Lemon Sugar Cookies From Scratch
This recipe comes together by mixing, scooping, and dropping the cookie dough. They are ready in no time!
Step 1: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go. Then, add in the egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. (You can also use the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment).
Step 3: Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and blend until barely combined and no flour lumps remain. Do not overmix.
Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, at least 2 inches apart.
Step 4: Bake the for 8-10 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven.
Once they’re done, let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Store Leftovers
Refrigerate: These cookies never last long in my house. They can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you still happen to have some, you can keep them in the fridge for an extra day or so.
Freeze: These freeze beautifully. Transfer them to a freezer bag in a single layer. If you’ve got enough to stack, place a sheet of wax paper in between the layers so they don’t freeze stuck together.
You can also freeze the cookie dough balls (again, separated by paper), then bake them straight from frozen when you’re ready. Just add on a couple of extra minutes when baking
More Sugar Cookie Recipes
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Easy Lemon Sugar Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter unsalted, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and sugar and blend with an electric mixer until fluffy, scraping down the sides1 cup butter, 1 ½ cups sugar
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix until combined.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients blend just until barely combined. Be careful not to over mix.
- Using a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the lined baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
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