Lemon Cookies Recipe
The best quick and easy lemon cookies recipe! No chilling the dough. Just a basic drop cookie loaded with lemon zest and juice. These lemon sugar cookies are soft, slightly chewy, and bursting with fresh lemon flavor — perfect for spring, summer, or anytime you want a delightful twist on classic sugar cookies.
Love lemon treats? You might like my lemon curd cookies, lemon coffee cake, lemon crinkle cookies, and lemon bars too.
Why You’ll Love These Lemon Cookies
These lemon cookies are:
- Simple to make — no fussy dough rolling or cutters required
- Bright & citrusy — lemon zest and juice give a bright fresh flavor
- Soft and chewy — tender centers with just the right texture
- Perfect for any occasion — bake for parties, holidays, or a weekend treat
Plus, there’s zero chill time needed!
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Easy Lemon Sugar Cookies
I loved my easy sugar cookies recipe so much that I wanted a lemon version. Drop sugar cookies are just the best because you simply make the dough, scoop it onto trays, and bake it off. However, there is one extra step in this recipe.
These lemon cookies get extra lemon flavor by rolling them in lemon zest sugar, like you would roll snickerdoodle cookies in cinnamon-sugar. In fact, these cookies are basically like snickerdoodles. Slightly crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. They’re so good and easy!
Ingredients You’ll Need
NOTE: Full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.
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Here’s what you’ll need to make this delightful lemon cookies recipe:
- All-Purpose Flour – Make sure to fluff it up. Stir, spoon, and level when measuring with cups or use a scale to weigh it. It’s important to use the proper amount of flour for baking.
- Baking Powder – To help the cookies rise and be thicker.
- Baking Soda – To help the cookies spread and brown slightly.
- Salt – To enhance the flavor of the cookies.
- Lemon Zest & Juice — For fresh citrus flavor in every bite.
- Unsalted Butter – Unsalted butter is preferred in baking to control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Granulated Sugar – To sweeten the cookies and help them spread.
- Egg – To bind and add structure to the cookies.
- Vanilla Extract – To add flavor to the cookies.
How to Make Lemon Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line half sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- For the Lemon Sugar Coating: Rub together the sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl. Set aside for coating the cookies in a later step.
- For the Lemon Cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together.
- Add the egg, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients all at once to the wet ingredients, and mix until everything comes together.
- Use a #30 cookie scoop (about 2 Tbsp of cookie dough) to scoop the dough into balls. Roll each ball in the lemon sugar to coat the outside, and then place it onto the prepared baking sheets about 2-3 inches apart (no more than 8 per tray).
- Bake at 350˚F for 10-12 minutes until the cookies have spread, and the edges are set. Do not over-bake. (These cookies do not brown.) Allow cookies to cool for 1-2 minutes on the tray, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
This lemon cookie recipe is easy enough for novice bakers, but delicious enough for dessert lovers who adore a citrus treat. With simple ingredients and straightforward steps, these lemon sugar cookies will become a go-to favorite.
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Storing and Freezing
- STORAGE: Store cookies in an airtight container or on a plate covered tightly with plastic wrap for up to 3-4 days.
- TO FREEZE COOKIE DOUGH: Scoop cookie dough balls onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Set in the freezer for 1-2 hours until firm. Then transfer frozen dough balls into a freezer-safe zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. (NOTE: Do not coat dough balls in lemon sugar until ready to bake.) Allow the cookie dough to come to room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Then roll it with your hands slightly before rolling it in the lemon sugar, so it will be warm enough for the sugar to stick to the cookie dough. Then bake normally.
- TO FREEZE BAKED COOKIES: Freeze baked cookies in single layers divided by parchment paper, wrapped well or in a freezer bag, up to 3-4 weeks. Thaw at room temperature.
Pro Tips for the Best Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Infuse your sugar with lemon zest. Rubbing zest into sugar unlocks extra citrus flavor by infusing the citrus oils into the sugar itself. I only did this for the coating, but you can do it for the cookie dough as well.
- Don’t over-bake. Remove cookies when edges are set and the tops are starting to crack; they’ll continue to set as they cool. Underbaking just slightly keeps them moist longer.
- Only coat the cookie dough balls with lemon sugar just before baking. Otherwise the cookies won’t spread as far and the outside will crust (dry out slightly) and crack more.
- Do not coat with sugar if adding frosting. Or the sugar may make it hard for the frosting to stick to the dough. You may also want to add that extra lemon zest to the cookie dough itself if you don’t plan to use the lemon sugar coating.
Recipe Notes
- Stir, spoon, and level the flour – or it weigh in grams. Flour is probably the hardest ingredient to measure properly. Too much flour will result in a dense/dry cookie, which is usually the risk of using measuring cups over a kitchen scale. (affiliate) Weighing flour is the most accurate way to get the right amount. If using cups, do your best to stir the flour enough to incorporate air into it so that it’s light and fluffy. Then spoon the flour into the cup, and level it off with the back of a knife. Do NOT shake the cup to level it out or scoop directly into the flour.
- Use a cookie dough scoop. This helps the cookies bake evenly and look uniform. I prefer a #30 scoop. (affiliate) NOTE: The bigger the number, the smaller the scoop, and the smaller the number the bigger the scoop. A #30 scoop is about 2 Tbsp of cookie dough and is what I used for the cookies shown.
- Space cookie dough 3-inches apart, not two. I like to bake 8 cookies per tray compared to the typical dozen (12). First of all, you don’t want your cookies melting into each other. Secondly, the more cookies on the tray, the thinner the cookies bake because the heat is trying to distribute evenly across all of the cookies. If you like thicker cookies, make sure you bake them like this.
Lemon Cookies Recipe
These lemon sugar cookies are soft, chewy, and full of fresh lemon flavor from real zest and juice. This easy lemon cookies recipe comes together quickly with simple pantry ingredients and bakes up perfectly tender every time. A bright, citrusy twist on classic sugar cookies that’s perfect for spring, summer, or whenever you’re craving homemade lemon cookies.
Yields cookies
Ingredients
Lemon Sugar Coating
- ⅓ cup (68 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest, (about 1 large lemon)
Lemon Cookies
- 3 ¼ cups (406 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon & level) *See Notes
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature*
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest, (about 1 large lemon)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup (59 ml) lemon juice, fresh
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line half sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- For the Lemon Sugar Coating: Rub together the sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl. Set aside for coating the cookies in a later step.
- For the Lemon Cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together. Add the egg, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients all at once to the wet ingredients, and mix until everything comes together.
- Use a #30 cookie scoop (about 2 Tbsp of cookie dough) to scoop the dough into balls. Roll each ball in the lemon sugar to coat the outside, and then place it onto the prepared baking sheets about 2-3 inches apart (no more than 8 per tray).
- Bake at 350˚F for 10-12 minutes until the cookies have spread, and the edges are set. Do not over-bake. (These cookies do not brown.) Allow cookies to cool for 1-2 minutes on the tray, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Measure the flour carefully. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale. I tested this recipe with 3 ¼ cups (406g) of flour (cookies shown in pictures) and 3 cups (375g) of flour. The greater amount will create thicker cookies, but they tend to dry out faster unless you slightly underbake them. The lower amount is a just bit thinner, but could spread a lot if your butter or cookie dough gets too warm. (Risky for novice bakers.) If you want to go in-between that, 3 cups + 2 Tbsp (391g) of flour would probably be just right, even though it’s a weird measurement.
- Use room temperature butter. This is colder than you think. The butter should be slightly cold still, and give a little when touched.
- Only coat the cookie dough balls with lemon sugar just before baking. Otherwise the cookies won’t spread as far and the outside will crust (dry out slightly) and crack more.
- Do not coat with sugar if adding frosting. Or the sugar may make it hard for the frosting to stick to the dough. You may also want to add that extra lemon zest to the cookie dough itself if you don’t plan to use the lemon sugar coating.
- STORAGE: Store cookies in an airtight container or on a plate covered tightly with plastic wrap for up to 3-4 days.
- TO FREEZE COOKIE DOUGH: Scoop cookie dough balls onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Set in the freezer for 1-2 hours until firm. Then transfer frozen dough balls into a freezer-safe zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. (NOTE: Do not coat dough balls in lemon sugar until ready to bake.) Allow the cookie dough to come to room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Then roll it with your hands slightly before rolling it in the lemon sugar, so it will be warm enough for the sugar to stick to the cookie dough. Then bake normally.
- TO FREEZE BAKED COOKIES: Freeze baked cookies in single layers divided by parchment paper, wrapped well or in a freezer bag, up to 3-4 weeks. Thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 171kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 24mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 220IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
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