Description
Soft, chewy lemon sugar cookies made with fresh lemon zest and juice for bold, real citrus flavor in every bite. Crisp on the outside, pillowy on the inside, and ready in under 2 hours.
Ingredients
1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
3 tbsp fresh lemon zest
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 large egg
3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
2. Add the fresh lemon juice and egg. Beat again until fully combined and smooth.
3. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Switch to a spatula and fold by hand until a soft dough forms with no dry flour streaks. Do not overmix.
4. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Place the rolling sugar in a shallow bowl.
6. Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough into uniform balls. Roll each ball fully in the granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
7. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes until the edges show a faint golden color. The centers will look slightly underdone — that is correct.
8. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Do not skip the chill time — 30 minutes minimum, 60 minutes is better. This is what creates thick, chewy, soft-centered cookies. Unchilled dough spreads flat.
Room temperature butter is non-negotiable — set it out 1 hour before baking. Cold butter will not cream properly and will leave the dough lumpy.
Zest only the yellow part of the lemon — the white pith underneath is bitter and will affect the flavor of the entire batch.
Pull the cookies when the centers still look slightly underdone — they finish cooking on the hot baking sheet during the 5-minute rest. If they look fully set in the oven they are already overbaked.
Measure flour correctly — spoon into the measuring cup and level off with a knife. Never scoop directly from the bag or the cookies will be dry and dense.
For extra lemon flavor — add ½ tsp lemon extract along with the fresh lemon juice.
Make ahead — the dough can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours before baking. The longer rest deepens the lemon flavor.
Storage — store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Place a slice of white bread in the container to keep the cookies soft.
Freeze baked cookies — in a single layer then transfer to a freezer bag. Keeps up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Freeze unbaked dough balls — roll in sugar, freeze flat, then bag. Bake straight from frozen at