Description
These chewy lemon crinkle cookies are soft, sweet, and full of bright citrus flavor. Perfect for spring gatherings, holiday swaps, or anytime you crave something light and fresh. This easy recipe uses simple ingredients and delivers bakery-style results from scratch.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 drop yellow food coloring (optional)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar (for coating)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, vanilla, lemon extract, lemon zest, lemon juice, and food coloring (if using). Mix until combined.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a soft dough forms.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop chilled dough into 1 ½-inch balls and lightly flatten. Roll each in powdered sugar until fully coated.
- Place on the baking sheet with space between cookies. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until crinkled and matte.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
- For a shortcut version, use lemon cake mix and Cool Whip instead of scratch ingredients.
- Add lemon curd inside each dough ball for a filled version.
- Freeze dough balls and bake from frozen with 1–2 extra minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: <1g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
Keywords: lemon crinkle cookies recipe, chewy lemon cookies, lemon cookies from scratch, easy lemon crinkle cookies, holiday lemon cookies