Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Lemon crinkle cookies are soft, chewy cookies that are coated in confectioners’ sugar. Fresh lemon zest and juice adds plenty of flavor!
Lemon desserts are some of my favorite desserts. They have a zesty flavor that is irresistible to the tastebuds. These lemon crinkle cookies are no exception. They are soft and chewy with a generous kick of lemon flavor. The coating of confectioners’ sugar make the cookies “crinkle” and reveal cracks as they bake (just like the Christmas classic chocolate crinkle cookies).
Why this recipe works: Lemon crinkle cookies has lemon zest rubbed into the sugar to increase the citrusy flavor. The dough is chilled so the cookies are guaranteed to turn out chewy and with the signature crinkles.
How to make lemon crinkle cookies
- Make the cookie dough. Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside. Combine sugar and lemon zest, then beat in melted butter until absorbed. Add eggs, vanilla and lemon juice and mix until combined. Finally, mix in dry ingredients just until combined.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. This step is really important to guarantee crinkles and good texture!
- Roll the dough into balls and generously coat each ball in confectioner’s sugar. I like to use a medium cookie scoop for this step for equally sized cookies.
- Bake the cookies at 350 F for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are set and the cookies crinkle.
Don’t have time to chill the dough? Roll the dough into balls (the dough will be soft) and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes while the oven preheats. Right before putting the cookies into the oven, roll them in confectioners’ sugar.
Helpful tips
My best tip for this recipe is to rub the lemon zest and sugar between your fingers to increase the lemon flavor in the cookies. I do it for all my lemon recipes! It’s necessary to chill the dough. It makes all the difference in texture and guarantees cracks in the cookies for the crinkle effect. When rolling the dough into balls, work quickly so the dough doesn’t get too warm before baking. Finally, be generous when coating the confectioners’ sugar on the cookie dough balls. The dough will absorb some of the sugar while baking, so really cake it on!
Frequently Asked Questions
I do not recommend bottled lemon juice. It doesn’t have nearly enough flavor, plus you’ll need a lemon for the zest anyway.
There could be a couple reasons for this. The first culprit is usually the dough is too warm. Either it wasn’t chilled long enough or the dough got too warm while you rolled the dough into balls. You have to work quickly in this step! If working in batches, keep any remaining dough in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Another reason could be there wasn’t enough confectioners’ sugar caked on the cookies. Be generous as the dough will absorb some of the sugar.
Yes, the dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before scooping into balls and baking.
Keep lemon crinkle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Related recipes
Lemon is a fantastic baking ingredient. My most loved recipe by friends and family are my mom’s lemon bars. They are gooey and sweet with a buttery shortbread crust. Also popular are my recipes for lemon poppy seed muffins and lemon poppy seed bread. Looking for more citrusy cookies? Try these lemon curd cookies or bake some chewy lemon sugar cookies. They always brighten my day!
If you’re looking for more crinkle cookie recipes, try my red velvet crinkle cookies (great for Valentine’s Day!) They have that unique red velvet flavor and taste just like the cake. Around the holidays one of my favorite cookies to bake are gingerbread crinkle cookies. They are oh-so-chewy thanks to the molasses!
Lemon crinkle cookies will brighten your day instantly. Be sure to use fresh lemon juice and zest for the ultimate flavor! I love baking lemon cookies when friends are visiting (the cookies are always a hit!) What occasion will you be baking lemon crinkle cookies for? Tell me in the comments when you leave a review and tag @ifyougiveablondakitchen on social media!
Get the Recipe: Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons (265 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (60 g) confectioners’ sugar for coating
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add sugar and lemon zest. Rub the sugar and zest between your fingers to increase the lemon flavor. Add melted butter to the bowl and use an electric mixer to mix until butter is absorbed. Add egg and egg yolk and mix until combined, then mix in the lemon juice and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours. When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and use a medium cookie scoop to scoop dough and roll into balls. Work quickly so the dough stays relatively cold before baking. Roll each dough ball in confectioners’ sugar (really cake it on!) and place on prepared cookie sheet about 3 inches apart.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are set and the cookies have cracks showing. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5 Comments on “Lemon Crinkle Cookies”
I am a chocolate-lover when it comes to baked goods but every now and then a lemon flavor steals my heart. THESE ARE SO GOOD. Run don’t walk to your kitchen and make these right now. It’s like a Girl Scout cookie leveled up.
Holy yum! These are addictive.
Very delicious! For sure will be one of my favourites recipes
Hi Haley,
Haven’t made these yet but they look DEEEE-lish!
What is the consequence to reducing the sugar content in the cookies? As I grow older I am finding that most from scratch recipes (cookie, cakes, muffins….) are too sweet for my liking.
Thanks a Bunch,Deb
Hi Deb! I’m glad you like them! The easiest way to lower the sugar content for this recipe is to skip the sugar coating on the outside. This won’t affect the texture of the actual cookie. If you reduce the sugar in the dough, the cookies will be a little less moist and chewy. Hope this helps!