Brightly flavored with lemon, these sugar cookies are a step above plain sugar cookies. Made with real lemon (is there any substitute for freshly squeezed lemon juice?) and fresh lemon zest, these cookies have plenty of citrus flavor. How long it takes: 15 minutes to make the dough, a few hours (or overnight) to chill it, and 12-14 minutes to bake each batch Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, measuring utensils, electric mixer (optional), cookie sheet, oven Servings: 3 dozen cookies, depending on size Sometimes I get a little bored with chocolate. Did I really just say that? No, really, I would never lose my love for chocolate. Who can resist homemade chewy chocolate chip cookies or dark chocolate and pecan cookies? I know I can’t. But there’s a whole amazing world of flavors out there and right now I’m on a lemon kick. I love lemon in sweet things, and savory recipes as well! Skeptical? Try lemon salmon with dill (the easiest recipe), one pan lemon pasta, lemon pepper shrimp, or lemon chicken orzo soup (Instant Pot & stovetop directions). I love these lemon cookies in the summertime. They are a perfect snack or light dessert, with iced tea or lemonade. But when winter rolls around, what’s more welcome than a sunny cookie with a cup of hot tea to brighten your day? So give chocolate a break and try lemon sugar cookies today. I know you’re gonna love them.
About These Lemon Sugar Cookies
This recipe is easy to make. It’s pretty much an old fashioned sugar cookie recipe with the addition of lemon juice and zest. Chill the dough. Allow a few hours or even overnight to chill the dough. There are multiple reasons for chilling cookie dough. Basically, these cookies just turn out better if the dough is well chilled and they’re easier to roll into balls. If you’re in a hurry, put the dough in the freezer for an hour.
What You’ll Need
Enough about mixers, let’s gather what you need to make these cookies.
Butter: Use unsalted butter and let it come to room temperature before you get started. If you only have salted butter, decrease the amount of salt added to 1/4 teaspoon. Sugar: Regular white sugar is what you need. It will give the sugar cookies just the right texture. Egg: Again, it’s best if the egg is at room temperature, just like the butter. If you’re taking it right out of the fridge, fill a small bowl with warm (not hot!) water and put the egg in it. Let the egg take a nice warm bath for 10 minutes. Lemon: You’ll need one lemon for this recipe. Zest the lemon peel first. Use a fine zester or you’ll end up with lemon strings in the cookies. Try not to get the pith (white part) because that can be bitter. Next, cut the lemon in half and squeeze out one tablespoon of juice. Pure Vanilla Extract: Lemon and vanilla really like each other; they go hand in hand for perfectly flavored sugar cookies. All-Purpose Flour: Okay, white flour. I almost always use at least part whole wheat flour in cookies but not these. Whole wheat is too grainy and dominant for these sugar cookies. I haven’t tested white whole wheat flour but I’m thinking that may be okay. Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt: Leavening and flavor, normal stuff for cookies. Coarse Sugar: This is optional but highly, highly recommended. We love the texture of the coarse sugar in these cookies and the way it crunches between your teeth. Turbinado sugar adds a bit of brownish color. If you don’t want that added color, use sanding sugar which is often found in the cake decorating section of your grocery store.
How To Make Lemon Sugar Cookies
First of all, blend together the sugar and butter until it’s nice and creamy. Add the egg and mix it in until it’s completely incorporated. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla, then stir in the lemon zest. Next, measure out the flour and add it to the bowl along with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Lightly stir those three ingredients together on top of the wet ingredients. Many recipes call for doing this in a separate bowl but why make another bowl dirty? Stir the dough well. It will be pretty stiff and thick. Place the dough in a covered container or resealable bag and stick it in the fridge to chill. When you’re ready to bake cookies, preheat your oven and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Remove the dough from the fridge and get rolling. For each cookie, roll about one tablespoon of chilled dough into a ball. I love how all the cookies turn out perfectly round that way. Roll them in sugar and place them on the cookie sheet. They’ll spread quite a bit so allow a little room between each one. Just thinking about one of my favorite recipes, ginger sparkles (aka gingersnaps). Same process: roll the dough into balls, then roll in sugar. Maybe I should call these cookies lemon sparkles. I kind of like the sound of that. Bake until the cookies are lightly browned. Here’s where you make a decision: chewy or crispy? I like chewy cookies so I bake them about 12 minutes. If you like crispy cookies, bake them another couple of minutes (14 minutes). Let them cool briefly on the cookie sheet, then use a large spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Make Them Your Own
Any type of citrus can be used in place of lemon. Try lime, orange, or grapefruit. Zest and juice as directed. We also like these lemon crinkle cookies. Prefer a slice and bake cookie? Try these lemon poppy seed cookies with cream cheese or honey lemon shortbread cookies. Frost the cookies. Omit the coarse sugar and make a simple glaze. Mix together 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, and enough lemon juice to make a glaze consistency. Drizzle fully cooled cookies with glaze and allow to harden, at least 1 hour. Rather have bread? Try my lemon poppy seed bread. You’ll love it.
Storage and Freezing Tips
After the lemon sugar cookies have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container for up to a week. For longer storage, baked cookies can be frozen for up to a month.
Make-Ahead Tip
More Lemony Recipes
Loving lemons? So tart and refreshing, perfect in any season and always available, lemons are a delicious ingredient in both sweet and savory dishes: Freeze cookie dough balls. If you prefer, roll the cookie dough balls, freeze on a tray until firm, then freeze those in a bag or container (this is our preferred method). When you’re ready to bake, simply remove the balls from the freezer, put them on a cookie sheet, and bake them. You’ll need to add a couple minutes to the baking time.
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