These lemon cooler cookies are buttery, melt in your mouth cookies bursting with sweet, tart and zesty lemon flavor. Make these lemon cookies with powdered sugar for an extra layer of sweetness. Enjoy these wonderfully refreshing powdered lemon cookies for a taste of sunshine all year long.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I absolutely love to bake with lemon. Lemon cookies are especially fun and delicious recipes I love making. My Lemon Blueberry Cookies, Lemon Lavender Cookie Bars and Lemon Cake Mix Cookies are just a few that I'm always baking. I am so excited to add another easy lemon cookie recipe to the blog. These buttery lemon coolers are another delicious addition I know you’ll because:
- They are quick and easy to make. All you need to do is bring the butter to room temperature, mix everything up in one bowl, chill for 30 minutes, scoop and bake!
- Layers of flavor and texture. From the soft and buttery lemon cookie, to the powdered sugar coating these powdered lemon cookies are full of light and refreshing flavors and textures.
Ingredients
This recipe for sunshine cookies only a handful of pantry basics to make. Make sure you have these ingredients ready to go!
Lemon Cooler Cookies
Dry ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking powder, cornstarch and salt.
Wet Ingredients: Gather granulated sugar, lemon zest, powdered sugar, unsalted butter, an egg yolk, vanilla extract and lemon extract.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these wonderfully buttery lemon cookies:
- All purpose flour: This recipe hasn’t been tested with an alternative flour. However, if you want to make this recipe gluten free, use a good 1-1 flour and measure by weight rather than cups.
- Cornstarch: This helps to prevent the cookie from spreading too much while baking, while also giving the cookie a soft chewiness.
- Unsalted Butter: You can use the same amount of salted butter as written in the recipe, but omit the added salt. To make these lemon powder cookies dairy free, use a plant based butter.
- Granulated Sugar and Powdered Sugar: Using both types of sugar creates that melt in your mouth texture. Both types of sugars are recommended. If needed, substitute one for the other based on weight rather than amount per cup.
- Lemons: Feel free to use other citrus in place of the lemons.
- Lemon and Vanilla Extract: These are both used for flavor. Omit one or the other or both if needed. Use 2 tablepsoons (20 ml) lemon juice in place of the lemon extract.
How To Make
Let me show you how to make lemon coolers in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C) for about 20-30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt until well combined.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters, mix the granulated sugar and lemon zest together until they are the consistency of wet sand.
- Beat in the room temperature butter and powdered sugar into the lemon sugar until well combined on medium speed until light and fluffy. This takes about 3-4 minutes. On low beat in the egg yolk, lemon extract and vanilla extract until well combined. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ¼ at a time, until just combined.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of lemon cooler cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. I like to use a small cookie scoop to get perfectly portioned cookies. With the palm of a clean hand or with a glass, gently press the cookies into a disk shape. Bake the sunshine lemon cookies for 10 -12 minutes. The bottom of the cookies will be very lightly golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven onto a cooling rack. After 3 - 5 minutes, transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
- While the cookies are barely warm, toss them into a bowl of powdered sugar until they are fully coated. If you would like, repeat a second time for a more thorough powdered sugar cookie.
How To Make Ahead, Freeze, Thaw and Store
- Make these lemon cookies with powdered sugar ahead of time: Simply prepare the cookies according to the recipe directions though step 3 and store covered in plastic wrap in the fridge for a day or two.
- Freeze the cookies: Once the cookies are baked and have full cooled to room temperature, place the baked cookies into an airtight, freezer safe container. I suggest not rolling in powdered sugar if you plan on freezing the cookies.
- Thaw the cookies: Transfer your desired amount of frozen cookies onto a plate to thaw at room temperature for a few hours.
- Store baked cookies: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 - 5 days.
- Serve these refreshing lemon lavender cookies with a cup of coffee, tea or even lemonade. If you prefer topping these cooler cookies with more lemon flavor, I highly suggest making my Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.
M’s Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature (soft, but still cool to the touch). This results in a soft, tender, delicious, melt in your mouth cookie.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Chill the cookie dough. This helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
- Fully preheat the oven. Use an oven thermometer to double check the temperature.
- Use a cookie scoop to get perfectly round cookies.
- Make sure the cookies are cooled to barely warm before tossing them in the powdered sugar.
FAQs
Are Sunshine Lemon Coolers discontinued?
These lemon cookies from the 90’s were eventually discontinued when Sunshine Biscuits merged with Keebler in the 1990’s.
What makes cookies fluffy?
Baking powder creates a light and fluffy texture while baking soda causes cookies to spread.
Other Lemon Recipes To Try
If you try this Lemon Cooler Cookies recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
Lemon Cooler Cookies Recipe
These lemon cooler cookies are buttery, melt in your mouth cookies bursting with sweet, tart and zesty lemon flavor. Make these lemon cookies with powdered sugar for an extra layer of sweetness. Enjoy these wonderfully refreshing powdered lemon cookies for a taste of sunshine all year long.
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
- 2 large cookie sheet(s)
- 1 parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp (8 g) cornstarch
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 lemons zested
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature (soft, but still slightly cold)
- ¼ cup (30 g) powdered sugar
- 1 large egg yolk (US), room temperature
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 tsp (5 ml) lemon extract
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar for coating cookies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C) for about 20-30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt until well combined.2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour , 1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters, mix the granulated sugar and lemon zest together until they are the consistency of wet sand.¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, 2 lemons zested
- Beat in the room temperature butter and powdered sugar into the lemon sugar until well combined on medium speed until light and fluffy. This takes about 3-4 minutes. On low beat in the egg yolk, lemon extract and vanilla extract until well combined.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, ¼ cup (30 g) powdered sugar, 1 large egg yolk (US), room temperature, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract , 1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon extract
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ¼ at a time, until just combined.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of lemon cooler cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. With the palm of a clean hand or bottom of a glass, gently press the cookies into a disk shape.
- Bake the sunshine lemon cookies for 10 -12 minutes. The bottom of the cookies will be very lightly golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven onto a cooling rack. After 3 - 5 minutes, transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
- While the cookies are barely warm, toss them into a bowl of powdered sugar until they are fully coated. If you would like, repeat a second time for a more thorough powdered sugar cookie.½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar for coating cookies
Notes
Store baked cookies: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature of in the fridge for up to 5 days.
did you make this recipe?tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram
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