Citrus lovers will be all over these lemon crinkle cookies. The tangy, bright cookies are soft, chewy, and bursting with lemon flavor.
These lemon crinkle cookies are going to be your go-to dessert come springtime. They are basically sunshine wrapped up into one perfect bite. Soft, pillowy cookies combine with a tangy lemon flavor and then covered in powdered sugar to achieve the crinkle texture in the oven. It's sweet, zesty, slightly sour, and very delicious.
Lemon Crinkle Cookie Recipe
Don't let the signature crinkle look of these cookies make you forget about the flavor. Underneath all of that glorious powdered sugar is a bright lemon cookie dough. The cookie dough uses both lemon juice and lemon zest to get the most of out of the citrus flavor. It's a lemon overload in the best way possible.
While the lemons are the main ingredient when it comes to these cookies, the powdered sugar is just as important. It is what forms the crinkle on the outside of the cookie. Rolling the cookie dough in granulated sugar first is the key to getting the powdered sugar to stick. This helps the powdered sugar stay on throughout the baking process.
Want more lemon treats? My lemon bars and iced blueberry lemon pound cake are excellent lemon treats to bake up.
Ingredients Needed For Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Lemon - Zest the lemons before juicing them to get the maximum amount of zest.
- Powdered Sugar - Creates the crinkle effect.
- Cornstarch - Keeps the cookies soft and fluffy.
- Eggs - Both a full egg and an egg yolk to make a rich dough.
- Sugar - Sugar gets rubbed with zest to bring out the maximum flavors.
Directions For How To Make Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Prepare the lemons.
Zest and juice 3 lemons. Add the zest to one bowl and the juice to another.
- Make the lemon sugar.
Add the sugar to the zest and use your hands to rub the zest with the sugar. This will bring out the oils in the zest and maximum flavor.
- Combine dry ingredients.
Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set to the side.
- Mix wet ingredients.
Cream the butter with the lemon sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla. The mixture might look a little curdled.
- Make the cookies.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and form the cookie dough balls. Place them in a bowl or cookie sheet and let them chill for 2 hours.
- Prepare the oven.
After two hours, preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment. Set to the side.
- Roll the cookies in sugar.
After chilling, roll the cookies in the granulated sugar, followed by the powdered sugar. Then, place the cookies on the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes.
Make Ahead and Storage
The lemon crinkle cookies can easily be made ahead of time. Keep the cookies stored in an airtight container until ready to serve. The cookies can also be prepared and frozen instead of the chilling step. When ready to bake the cookies, take them out of the freezer and roll them in the sugar before baking.
The lemon crinkle cookies can also be frozen after being baked. Store them in an airtight container or plastic bag in the freezer for 2-3 months. Just be aware that the powdered sugar might melt when thawing the cookies.
Tip and Variations
- Zest First - Make sure to zest the lemons before juicing them. Juicing a floppy lemon isn't all that easy.
- Don't Skip Chilling - Don't skip chilling the dough. The extra lemon juice in the batter makes a wet dough and will cause a runny cookie. It will be worth the wait.
- Citrus Flavors - Switch out the lemons with blood oranges, oranges, or limes to switch up the citrus flavor.
FAQs
If your lemon crinkle cookies aren't crinkling, they might be too warm. Chilling the dough will help the cookies spread out evenly in the oven to create a smooth crinkle effect.
You can freeze crinkle cookies, but the powdered sugar might get a funky texture in the freezer. When they thaw, the sugar will melt and absorb into the cookie. It is best to store these cookies unbaked in the freezer and then roll them into powdered sugar to get the signature crinkle texture.
Don't skip rolling the cookies in granulated sugar before rolling them in powdered sugar. The granulated sugar helps the powdered sugar stick onto the dough while in the oven.
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Prepare the lemons. Zest and juice the lemons. Place the zest in a small bowl and set the juice to the side.
- Combine the granulated sugar with the lemon zest. Rub out the oils from the lemon zest using your hands. Set to the side.
- Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set to the side.
- Cream the butter and the lemon sugar using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Cream the butter with the lemon sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The dough might look slightly curdled.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Then, form the cookie dough balls using a cookie scoop. Set the cookie dough balls on a cookie sheet or bowl and place in the fridge to chill for 2 hours.
- When the cookies are done chilling, preheat the oven and prepare the rolling sugars in two bowls.
- Roll the cookies in the granulated sugar and then the powdered sugar and place on the parchment. Bake the cookies in the oven, about 6 at a time, for 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan before moving to a cooling rack.
Leave a Reply