Lemon crinkle cookies are brimming with lemon flavor are light, soft and chewy in the center. Simple to make and super addictive, I bet you can’t stop at one. Every bite is lemony goodness!
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Ingredients you’ll need
Here’s what you’ll need-
- 1 ½ cup plain flour
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 – 4 drops of yellow food color (optional) – use natural food colors
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
These lemon crinkle cookies have citrus flavor coming from lemon juice and lemon zest. You’ll need fresh squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest for the recipe. It adds a pop of lemon flavor to the cookies along with freshness to it. Do not substitute with bottled lemon juice. Bottled lemon juices are concentrated and very tart. The results won’t be the same.
Yellow food color is optional. You can totally skip it. I prefer natural food colors made from natural real ingredients over the others. I used a tiny drop to keep the color of the cookies as natural as it can be without making it too bright yellow. If using food color, use just a drop or two so not to change the color of the cookies too much.
How to make lemon crinkle cookies
Use stand mixer to make cookie dough. I used electric hand mixer.
- Add softened butter and granulated sugar to a bowl. Beat using stand mixer or hand mixer for about 3-4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with rubber spatula every now and then. Continue to beat until butter-sugar mixture is creamy. It’s important to beat until butter and sugar is creamy.
- Add egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat for few seconds for ingredients to combine.
- To the bowl, add salt, baking powder, baking soda and half measure of plain flour. Beat.
- Scrape sides of bowl every now and then while beating.
- Add remaining flour to the mix and beat for few seconds. Do not over mix or beat cookie dough.
- Cover dough and refrigerate it to chill. Chilling dough is crucial, don’t skip it. Lemon crinkle cookie dough will be light, soft and delicate. It’s messy to work with the dough. Chilling helps dough to firm up making easy to scoop and roll the dough in powdered sugar. Chilling also helps in making the cookies pillow-y puffy. Chill dough for atleast 1 to 2 hours.
- Spread powdered sugar on large plate. Scoop out equal portions of chilled dough. I used medium OXO scoop to make equal portions. You can use 1 tablespoon cookie scoop if you have.
- Roll cookie dough generously in powdered sugar. Don’t be shy, more powdered sugar on the dough will make beautiful crinkle effects on cookie.
- Set cookie dough 2 inches apart on baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in pre-heated oven at 350°F for 9 – 11 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown. Remember the center of the cookies will be slightly under-baked (to get soft chewy texture).
- Remove baking tray from oven and allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the tray itself.
- Carefully remove cookies from baking tray and place it on wire rack to cool completely.
- I absolutely love to eat lemon crinkle cookies warm right off the oven.
- Enjoy immediately or once completely cooled store in air tight containers at room temperatures. These cookies will stay good for 7 to 10 days in air tight container at room temperature.
Tips to make best lemon crinkle cookies
- It’s crucial to cream butter and sugar mix well. Beat it for 3 to 5 minutes or until creamed.
- Keep scraping the sides of the bowl with rubber spatula while beating so creaming of butter and sugar is even.
- White granulated sugar is mandatory. Do not use brown sugar in this recipe, it’ll alter the color and taste of cookie.
- Use fresh lemon juice and lemon zest for best flavors.
FAQS
Yes, chilling dough is crucial, don’t skip it. Lemon crinkle cookie dough will be light, soft and delicate. It’s messy to work with the dough. Chilling helps dough to firm up making easy to scoop and roll the dough in powdered sugar. Chilling also helps in making the cookies puffy.
Chill dough for at least 1 to 2 hours.
Yes. To make these cookies gluten free use gluten free flour like blanched almond flour (non blanched almond flour or almond meal will have brown specks in it, using it might change the color of the cookies) or Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour Mix.
Yes, yellow food color is optional in this crinkle cookies recipe. If you want bright yellow cookies, use food color, most preferably natural food colors.
If you don’t care much about the color of the cookies, simply skip it.
Cool the cookies completely on wire rack. Transfer to air tight containers and store on your counter for 7 to 10 days.
For longer storage you can freeze the cookies. Transfer the cookies to freezer zip lock bags and freeze.
When ready to eat, reheat frozen cookies in oven for few minutes.
Cookie dough can also be stored in freezer for later. Roll in powdered sugar so they don’t stick together and freeze in freezer zip lock bags.
MORE LEMON DESSERTS TO TRY:
OTHER LEMON RECIPES TO TRY:
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📋Easy Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup plain flour
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice fresh
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2– 4 drops yellow food color optional – use natural food colors
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Add softened butter and granulated sugar to a bowl. Beat using stand mixer or hand mixer for about 3-4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with rubber spatula every now and then. Continue to beat until butter-sugar mixture is creamy. It’s important to beat until butter and sugar is creamy.
- Add egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat for few seconds for ingredients to combine.
- To the bowl, add salt, baking powder, baking soda and half measure of plain flour. Beat.
- Scrape sides of bowl every now and then while beating.
- Add remaining flour to the mix and beat for few seconds.
- Do not over mix or beat cookie dough.
- Cover dough and refrigerate it to chill. Chilling dough is crucial, don’t skip it. Lemon crinkle cookie dough will be light, soft and delicate. It’s messy to work with the dough. Chilling helps dough to firm up making easy to scoop and roll the dough in powdered sugar. Chilling also helps in making the cookies pillow-y puffy.
- Chill dough for atleast 1 to 2 hours.
- Spread powdered sugar on large plate. Scoop out equal portions of chilled dough. I used medium OXO scoop to make equal portions. You can use 1 tablespoon cookie scoop if you have.
- Roll cookie dough generously in powdered sugar. Don’t be shy, more powdered sugar on the dough will make beautiful crinkle effects on cookie.
- Set cookie dough 2 inches apart on baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in pre-heated oven at 350°F for 9 – 11 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown. Remember the center of the cookies will be slightly under-baked (to get soft chewy texture).
- Remove baking tray from oven and allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the tray itself.
- Carefully remove cookies from baking tray and place it on wire rack to cool completely.
- I absolutely love to eat lemon crinkle cookies warm right off the oven.
- Enjoy immediately or once completely cooled store in air tight containers at room temperatures. These cookies will stay good for 7 to 10 days in air tight container at room temperature.
Video
Notes
- It’s crucial to cream butter and sugar mix well. Beat it for 3 to 5 minutes or until creamed.
- Keep scraping the sides of the bowl with rubber spatula while beating so creaming of butter and sugar is even.
- White granulated sugar is mandatory. Do not use brown sugar in this recipe, it’ll alter the color and taste of cookie.
- Use fresh lemon juice and lemon zest for best flavors.
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