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Lemon Crinkle Cookies
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These easy, award-winning Lemon Crinkle Cookies are irresistibly soft, chewy, and bursting with bright citrus flavor in every bite. Rolled in powdered sugar for their signature crackled finish, they’re perfect for parties, picnics, afternoon coffee breaks, or anytime you’re craving a bright and refreshing homemade treat.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I made this Lemon Crinkle Cookie recipe for a recipe contest and won! Approved by all who taste them, these lemon cookies are soft, but still slightly crunchy, tart, but still really sweet. I bet you have all the ingredients too. Easy to make, using simple ingredients, and done in 30 minutes, this recipe is for the novice chef.
I think we all can agree that I am a lemon lover. I love love love lemon ridiculously. It’s in the genes. My Mom is the same way. Lemon and I are buddies, especially when it comes to lemon desserts–I have made a Lemon Cream Pie that’s to die for. Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake Muffins? Oh, mama. And traditional but Perfect Lemon Bars!
Ingredient Notes for Lemon Crinkle Cookies
As said above, Lemon Crinkle Cookies use simple, everyday ingredients to make the most delicious lemony treat. You should have most, if not all, of these ingredients already on hand.
- Butter – salted or unsalted butter-use your preference. Just make sure to use real butter, not margarine, for these cookies. Some readers have had trouble making these because they used margarine.
- Granulated Sugar – to sweeten.
- Vanilla Extract – this is a super nice complementary flavor to the lemon.
- Egg – for structure and texture.
- Fresh Lemon Zest – a lot of commenters said that they’d prefer more lemon flavor, so feel free to add in more zest.
- Fresh Lemon Juice – If you can find Meyer lemons, use those, or use store-bought lemon juice if you like. It’s just not as fresh.
- Salt – balances out the sweet and sour.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda – this gives the cookies their rise and texture.
- All-Purpose Flour – this fills out the cookie and gives it some structure.
- Granulated Sugar + Powdered Sugar – rolling the dough in both of these sugars puts the crinkle onto these lemon cookies.
How to Make Lemon Crinkle Cookies
As written, this recipe makes about 24 cookies. Feel free to double the recipe for gifting and sharing! For full recipe details including ingredient measurements, see the printable recipe card down below. Here is step-by-step instructions for making these award-winning cookies:
Step 1: Preheat Oven + Prep Baking Sheets
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease light colored baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Or cover with parchment paper.
Step 2: Make the Cookie Dough
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla extract, egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again.
Switching to a rubber spatula, stir in the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder) slowly until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again briefly.
Step 3: Roll Cookie Dough Balls in Both Sugars
Pour granulated sugar onto a large plate. Pour powdered sugar onto a separate large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball, then roll it first in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar. Place cookie ball on the baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.
Step 4: Bake
Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely golden brown and cookies look matte (not melty or shiny). Remove the lemon crinkle cookies from the oven and let them cool about 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack (this helps them cool evenly and keeps the bottoms from getting soggy).
Pro Tip: If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.
What You Need to Make This
You don’t need anything fancy to make these Lemon Crinkle Cookies, just a few basic baking tools that help make prep easier and the cookies bake evenly every time.
- Hand mixer or stand mixer – this makes mixing the cookie dough much easier and helps fully combine the butter, sugar, eggs, and dry ingredients for a smooth, evenly mixed dough.
- Mixing bowls – having a few medium mixing bowls makes it easier to keep the dry and wet ingredients separate before combining them.
- Cookie scoop – a medium cookie scoop helps keep all the cookies the same size so they bake evenly and get those pretty crinkle tops.
- Baking sheet – a sturdy baking sheet helps the cookies bake evenly without over-browning on the bottoms.
- Cooling rack – letting the Lemon Crinkle Cookies cool on a cooling rack keeps the bottoms from getting soggy and helps them set properly after baking.
Tips for Success
These simple tips will help you get soft, chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies with bright lemon flavor and perfectly crackled tops every time.
- Don’t skip rolling the dough generously in powdered sugar. A thick coating helps create those classic crinkle tops as the cookies spread while baking.
- If the dough feels too sticky to handle, chill it for 20–30 minutes before scooping and rolling. This makes shaping the cookies much easier.
- Use fresh lemon juice and zest for the brightest lemon flavor. Bottled juice won’t give the same fresh, vibrant taste.
- Avoid overbaking the cookies. The centers should still look slightly soft when you pull them from the oven because they continue setting as they cool.
- Rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking if your oven has hot spots. This helps the cookies bake evenly across the tray.
- Wipe excess powdered sugar off your hands occasionally while rolling to keep the coating light and clean instead of clumpy.
What to Serve with Lemon Crinkle Cookies
These Lemon Crinkle Cookies pair well with all kinds of sweet treats and drinks, especially for spring, summer, or holiday gatherings.
- Blackberry Lemonade – the sweet berry flavor pairs really well with the bright citrus taste of Lemon Crinkle Cookies.
- Irish Coffee – a warm cup of Irish coffee balances the sweet, powdered-sugar coating and tangy lemon flavor.
- Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream – soft lemon cookies and creamy vanilla ice cream make an easy dessert combination.
- Lemon Curd – serve a little lemon curd on the side for even more fresh lemon flavor.
- Homemade Greek Yogurt – a creamy side that balances the sweetness of the cookies.
- These cookies also fit nicely on a holiday cookie tray alongside chocolate cookies, sugar cookies, or shortbread.
Storage Directions for Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Allow cookies to cool to room temperature. Place in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 3-4 days.
Make Ahead: Luckily, this cookie dough freezes super well. This is a great way to make Lemon Crinkle Cookies ahead of time.
To freeze the dough, simply follow the directions, including rolling the dough in powdered sugar. Don’t bake! Instead, flash-freeze on a parchment paper-lined plate. After an hour, stick all the dough balls in a freezer-safe bag. You should be able to keep these in the freezer for about 2 months before using them.
To bake from frozen, put them directly on the cookie sheet and pop them in your preheated oven. Sometimes the cookies need an extra minute or 2 to bake correctly, so check them often!
You can also freeze these cookies already baked. Allow them to cool to room temperature and place in a freezer-safe, airtight bag and into the freezer for up to 2 months.
FAQs About Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Why are my cookies spreading so much?
A common problem when making these Lemon Crinkle Cookies is that they flatten out way too much! Why?
Butter.
This recipe calls for softened butter, not melted butter. The best way to get softened butter is to plan ahead. A couple of hours before you make these cookies, set 1/2 cup of butter on the counter. As it sits there, it will soften.
But if you are in a pinch, you can microwave butter to soften it instead. Microwave in 5-second intervals, rotating your cube of butter each time. Please, please, please use caution when softening this way. It can easily go from solid to melted in seconds! And in turn, your cookies will spread way too much.
Why is my cookie dough sticky?
If you already used melted butter instead of softened butter, and your lemon crinkle cookie dough is sticky, don’t worry! You have two options to fix this.
Pop your dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to let it solidify a bit.
OR
Add in small amounts of flour until your cookie dough comes together better. Definitely use my photo of the cookie dough above to base your dough on.
Why won’t my cookies spread at all?
A lot of you have mentioned to me that these cookies don’t spread. This problem happens because there is too much flour in your cookie dough!
Fluff up your flour, spoon it into your measuring cup, and then level the top. That is the correct way to measure flour and how I measured it for this recipe. So be careful when measuring, and you’ll have perfect lemon crinkle cookies.
Variations
This post was originally posted in 2011! Since then, I’ve received over 600 comments about how amazing these lemon cookies are. In some of these comments, I’ve noticed people putting their own spin on things, which I love! You are making these cookies for you, your family, and friends, so make it your way! I thought I’d share some of my favorite renditions of Lemon Crinkle Cookies below.
White Chocolate Chips. Add some creamy chocolatey-ness to your lemon crinkle cookies by mixing in white chocolate chips. Yum!
Gluten-Free. Yes, you can make these cookies gluten-free. Simply replace regular flour with your favorite gluten-free flour blend (same amount needed). So easy, so thank you, faithful and adventurous readers who did the experimenting for us.
Glaze. Either top with a simple vanilla glaze or with a lemon glaze. Mix together milk, powdered sugar, and your choice of flavoring.
Different Citrus. You can use an entirely different citrus to make these cookies. Think of the possibilities. Lime, Orange, or Grapefruit flavored crinkle cookies.
More Cookie Recipes to Try!
- Soft Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Cookie Recipe
- Double Chocolate M&M Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Triple Chocolate Brownie Cookies
- Classic Coconut Macaroons
More Favorites from Lauren’s Latest
- Dry Turkey Brine
- Best Crepes Recipe
- Saltine Christmas Crack
- PB Energy Balls
- Strawberry Pavlova Dessert
- Best Ever Beef Stew
- Hashbrown Sausage Casserole
- Christmas Salad Pomegranate
- Parmesan Bites
The lemon lovers in your life are going to fall in love with these chewy lemon cookies! The printable recipe card is below. Happy Baking, friends! 🙂
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
These award-winning cookies will make you an addict. Lemon Crinkle Cookies are chewy, soft, and bursting with hints of lemon in every bite!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 whole egg
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
for the coating
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a light colored* baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Or cover with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla extract, egg, lemon zest and lemon juice. Scrape sides and mix again.
- Switching to a rubber spatula, stir in flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder slowly until just combined. Scrape sides of the bowl and mix again briefly.
- Pour granulated sugar onto a large plate. Pour powdered sugar onto a separate large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll it first in the granulated sugar and then in powdered sugar. Place cookie ball on the baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte (not melty or shiny). Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
*If using a non stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 105kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 64mgPotassium: 13mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 118IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 4mgIron: 1mg
Rate This RecipePlease consider Leaving a 5-Star Review!
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Delicious lemon cookies. My family and friends love when I make these
It’s very creamy and soft!
I use 1 lemon for zest and lemon juice
Very yummy!
Made these yesterday and added some chopped macadamia nuts(a neighbor has a lemon and macadamia nut tree and I was looking or a way to use them!) Turned out perfectly! Thank you! Can’t wait to make some more!
These cookies are wonderful! Sweet with lots of lemon flavor. They are my new “go to” cookies. Something different from the usual chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin. Mine didn’t look like your picture though. The sugars barely showed up.
I luckily froze the dough while I cleaned up for about 20 minutes and they were fluffy. They did not crinkle. I doubled the lemon amounts on instinct and still I think they were faintly lemon flavored.
however, we had cookies in a under an hour. which I will add a star for.
Lovely cookie. I followed all directions, but my cookies didn’t ‘crinkle’.
The measures are weird, for some you need more of the ingredients and for some less. More flour is needed to be able to roll them into balls.
FREEZE THEM. Really, I would highly recommend you freeze them before baking if you’re going to make this recipe. It seems to turn out for some and fail for the other half (perhaps due to climate or other unmentioned factors) and I unfortunately fell into the latter group. Thankfully, I had frozen a handful of rolled dough and after baking them for about 18 minutes, they turned out normal. You might also want to add some extra lemon zest as these have a very faint lemon flavour.
Cookies were light and lemony!