Lemon sugar cookies are soft and chewy sugar cookies filled with fresh lemon zest, lemon juice and lemon extract. Enjoy these easy to make lemon cookies plain or rolled in a lemon sugar coating for extra bright lemon flavor. Make these wonderfully refreshing and beautifully fragrant citrus cookies for a taste of spring and summer all year long.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I absolutely love baking with lemon and lemon cookies are one of my favorite cookie recipes to make. My Lemon Lavender Cookies, Lemon Blueberry Cookies, Lemon Cooler Cookies, Lemon Raspberry Cookies, Lemon Ricotta Cookies, and Lemon Drop Cookies. These soft and chewy lemon sugar cookies are another delicious lemon cookie recipe I know you’ll because:
- Layers of flavors and textures. From the soft and chewy lemon filled sugar cookie to the sweet and crunchy lemon sugar coating, these citrus sugar cookies will delight your senses.
- Easy to make, bake and eat. These chewy sugar lemon cookies taste like you just bought it from a bakery, but they’re actually so easy to make. Simply mix up the lemon sugar cookies, chill for a bit, roll the cookie dough balls in lemon sugar, bake and enjoy.
- You like fresh flavor in classic cookie recipes. Adding bright and fresh lemon flavor to soft and chewy sugar cookie really brings a fun twist to the classic sugar cookie.
Ingredients
This lemon sugar cookie recipe requires only a handful of pantry basics to make. Make sure you have these ingredients ready to go.
Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Dry ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather granulated sugar, lemon zest, unsalted butter, egg, egg yolk, lemon juice and lemon extract.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these wonderfully buttery lemon sugar lemon cookies:
- All Purpose Flour: Make these sugar cookie lemon cookies, gluten free by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure based off of weight (330 g) versus cup for cup.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These both act as leaveners in these cookies.
- Granulated Sugar: Maple sugar would also work well to make this refined sugar free.
- Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice: Lemon sugar cookies need a lot of lemon flavor so I recommend using both lemon zest and lemon juice. For even more flavor I recommend using lemon extract rather than vanilla extract.
- Unsalted Butter: Vegan butter or plant based can also be used in place of regular unsalted butter.
- Egg and Yolk: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Lemon Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the lemon flavors of the cookies. Use the same amount of vanilla extract if you prefer.
Variations
- Lemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon Glaze: Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar (120 g) with 2 - 3 tablespoons (30 - 45 ml) lemon juice until smooth. Dip or glaze over the cooled cookies.
- Lemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting: Prepare the lemon cookies as written in the recipe. Fully cool the cookies to room temperature. Top the cookies with my Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.
- Lemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon Frosting: Prepare the lemon cookies as written in the recipe. Fully cool the cookies to room temperature. Top the cookies with my Funfetti Frosting with these changes: Replace ½ the heavy cream with lemon juice (2 tablespoons).
How To Make
Learn how to make lemon drop cookies in a few easy steps.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well combined. In a separate bowl, add slices of butter into a microwave safe bowl. Heat the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. This should result in some slices butter with melted edges, but mostly whole slices of butter should remain. If you’d like to skip this step, simply bring the butter to room temperature.
- 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. Cream the butter and lemon sugar until well combined. This takes about 2 - 3 minutes on medium speed. On low, mix in the egg, egg yolk, lemon extract and lemon juice until smooth and well combined. Mix the dry ingredient into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Cover the dough and chill in the fridge for at least 60 minutes. While the cookies chill, preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. If you would like to roll the sugar cookies in sugar, zest a lemon into a bowl of sugar for rolling the cookie dough balls. Whisk the sugar and lemon zest until the sugar forms into a wet sand like consistency.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Roll the lemon cookie dough into balls. Roll the lemon cookie dough balls into the lemon sugar. Place the lemon cookie balls onto the lined baking sheet. Bake the lemon sugar coated cookies for 9 - 11 minutes. The bottom of the cookies will be very lightly golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven onto a cooling rack. After 3 - 4 minutes, transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
How To Make Ahead, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Make Ahead: Prepare the lemon filled sugar cookies through to the chilling step and decide which storage method meets your needs. If you plan to make the cookies within 1-2 days of making the dough, storing the dough in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap is fine. For longer storage, I recommend freezing the cookie dough wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in an air tight container. To thaw the dough, transfer the dough to thaw in the fridge overnight. Wait to roll the cookie dough in the lemon sugar until right before baking.
- Store: Place the lemon sugar cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Make sure the cookies are completely cooled to room temperature. Individually wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and place in a ziplock bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the lemon cookies is to let them sit out at room temperature until thawed.
M’s Expert Tips
- Zest the lemon directly into the sugar. One of the easiest ways to boost lemon or any citrus flavor in baked goods like cookies is to zest the lemon directly into the sugar. Then mix the sugar and lemon zest together until the oils release and the sugar feels like wet sand.
- 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, use a cookie scoop to scoop the lemon cookies.
- Add lemon zest to the sugar for rolling. For even more lemon flavor, I suggest zesting a lemon directly into the sugar meant for rolling and coating the outside of the sugar cookie dough ball.
- Give your cookies a “cookie scoot.” Within the first minute of removing the cookies from the oven, use a large biscuit cutter (wider than the cookies) to help shape any cookies back into a more round shape. Place the cutter over the cookies so the edges of the cookie are inside the cookie/ biscuit cutter. In a circular motion, gently nudge the edges back into a round shape.
FAQs
How to increase lemon flavor in cookies?
The easiest way to boost lemon or any citrus flavor in cookies is to zest the lemon directly into the sugar. Zesting the lemon directly into the sugar before adding butter or oil allows the lemon oils to release directly into the sugar rather than into another bowl. Adding lemon juice or extract can also boost the lemon flavor in cookies.
Can I use lemon juice in place of lemon zest in these lemon cookies?
These lemon sugar cookies use both lemon zest and lemon juice. It’s not recommended to replace the lemon zest with more lemon juice as this will add more liquid into the cookie dough and can affect the final texture of the lemon sugar cookies.
How do you know when lemon cookies are done?
Lemon cookies are done when the edges of the cookies are set and lightly golden brown.
Are these lemon sugar cookies like the Girl Scout lemon cookies?
No, these are more like soft and chewy sugar cookies with lemon flavor. Girl Scout lemon cookies are more like shortbread lemon cookies. If that’s the lemon flavored cookie you are looking for, I suggest trying my Lemon Cooler Cookies or Lemon Drop Cookies.
Other Lemon Recipes To Try
- Lemon Brownies
- Lemon Olive Oil Cake
- Lemonade Bundt Cake
- Lemon Ricotta Cake
- Lemon Lavender Cookie Bars
If you try this Lemon Sugar 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 Sugar Cookies Recipe
Lemon sugar cookies are soft and chewy sugar cookies filled with fresh lemon zest, lemon juice and lemon extract. Enjoy these easy to make lemon cookies plain or rolled in a lemon sugar coating for extra bright lemon flavor. Make these wonderfully refreshing and beautifully fragrant citrus cookies for a taste of spring and summer all year long.
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
- 1 - 2 baking sheets
- 2 sheets parchment paper
- 1 medium (2 tablespoon, 30 ml) cookie scoop2
Ingredients
- 2¾ cups (330 g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest from about 3 - 4 medium lemons
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) lemon extract
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, for rolling
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest, for rolling
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well combined.2¾ cups (330 g) all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a separate bowl, add slices of butter into a microwave safe bowl. Heat the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. This should result in some slices butter with melted edges, but mostly whole slices of butter should remain. If you’d like to skip this step, simply bring the butter to room temperature.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- 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. Cream the butter and lemon sugar until well combined. This takes about 2 - 3 minutes on medium speed.1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- On low, mix in the egg, egg yolk, lemon extract and lemon juice until smooth and well combined. Mix the dry ingredient into the wet ingredients until just combined.1 large egg, room temperature, 1 large egg yolk, room temperature, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice , 2 teaspoons (10 ml) lemon extract
- Cover the dough and chill in the fridge for at least 60 minutes. While the cookies chill, preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. If you would like to roll the sugar cookies in sugar, zest a lemon into a bowl of sugar for rolling the cookie dough balls. Whisk the sugar and lemon zest until the sugar forms into a wet sand like consistency.¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, for rolling, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, for rolling
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Roll the lemon cookie dough into balls. Roll the lemon cookie dough balls into the lemon sugar. Place the lemon cookie balls onto the lined baking sheet. Bake the lemon sugar coated cookies for 9 - 11 minutes. The bottom of the cookies will be very lightly golden brown.
- Remove the cookies from the oven onto a cooling rack. After 3 - 4 minutes, transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature.Within the first minute of removing the cookies from the oven, use a large biscuit cutter (wider than the cookies) to help shape any cookies back into a more round shape. Place the cutter over the cookies so the edges of the cookie are inside the cookie/ biscuit cutter. In a circular motion, gently nudge the edges back into a round shape.
Notes
Store: Place the lemon sugar cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
See the Variations section of the blog post if you would like to top these lemon sugar cookies with lemon glaze, lemon cream cheese or lemon frosting.
did you make this recipe?tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram
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