The Best Lemon Sugar Cookies Recipe! Soft in the center and crispy on the outside, these Lemon Drop Cookies are buttery and delicious!
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These Easy Lemon Cookies are buttery and delicious
These Lemon Sugar Cookies are the ultimate cookie. They have soft chewy centers and perfectly crispy edges. Sweet sugary edges are balanced with the perfect tang of lemon.
Unlike Classic Sugar Cookies that can be a bit boring, these are full of flavor. Soft, bright, and delicious!
If you love lemon desserts, you have to try our Lemon Brownies or Easy Lemon Bars!
Why you'll love this Lemon Cookies Recipe
- Bright Flavors: These cookies are just loaded with lemon flavor making them so fresh and delicious!
- So Simple: While these cookies look unassuming, they are so bright and soft!
- Perfect for all occasions: You may think of lemon desserts only in the Spring, but they are perfect for Summer and any Baby or Wedding Shower!
Easy Lemon Cookies ingredients
To make easy lemon cookies you'll need:
- all purpose flour
- baking soda
- salt
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- lemon juice, zest
- lemon extract
- egg
substitutions
Baking Soda: Baking soda is essential for this recipe. Do not substitute with baking powder.
Butter: Butter is essential to this recipe. We haven't tried it with dairy free butter but it might work!
Sugar: We don't recommend substituting white sugar.
Eggs: We don't recommend substituting eggs, but you can read this article on Egg Substitutions for Baking if you need to substitute. Try it at your own risk!
Lemon: You can substitute lime juice/lime zest in place of the lemon to make lime cookies!
Lemon Extract: Helps to add flavor, we don't recommend substituting. You could use vanilla extract but it will not have the same lemony flavor!
How to make Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, lemon extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth. Stir in the combined dry ingredients until just combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Scoop chilled dough into one tablespoon balls, roll in granulated sugar until coated, and place on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes until edges are set, but center is still soft. Let cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
Liz's tip for the best cookies:
Short on time? Scoop the cookie dough and freeze in balls for 10 minutes on a parchment lined baking sheet rather than chilling the whole bowl for 30 minutes!
How to store Old Fashioned Lemon Cookies
Storing: You can store these lemon sugar cookies recipe for up to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Freezing: You can freeze baked sugar cookies for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw completely before enjoying.
Freezing Cookie Dough: You can freeze this cookie dough. Scoop into balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or use these cookie dough freezing trays. Freeze without rolling in sugar. When ready to bake, thaw for 20 minutes, roll in sugar, and then bake. Check out this post for How to Freeze Cookie Dough for tips on saving cookie dough for later.
Old Fashioned Lemon Cookies Recipe FAQs
We don't recommend substituting. You could use vanilla extract but it will not have the same lemony flavor!
I haven't tried this, but you would need to add about 3 tablespoons more (4 tablespoons total) which may make the cookie dough more wet.
You roll the cookie dough balls in the sugar before baking.
Other easy cookie recipes:
Old Fashioned Lemon Cookies
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon lemon zest zest of one lemon
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 egg
For Rolling the Dough:
- ½ cup granulated sugar do not add to the batter! this is just for rolling the dough in.
Instructions
- Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
- Beat in egg, lemon extract lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth.
- Stir in dry ingredients until just combined.
- Cover bowl, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Once dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350º F and prepare a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and scoop dough into one tablespoon balls.
- Roll into balls, and roll balls in granulated sugar until coated.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet with about 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until edges are set, but center is still soft.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Patrice Wimbley
Can these cookies be cut out cookies also?
Liz @ Tasty Treats & Eats
No they can't! Sorry!