Description
These bright and cheerful cookies are bursting with sunny lemon flavor and boast a wonderfully chewy texture. Their signature crinkled tops, dusted with powdered sugar, make them a delightful treat for any occasion, guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.
Ingredients
Lemon cookie dough:
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoon lemon zest from 2 small lemons or 1 ½ large lemon
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 tablespoon (15ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon lemon extract (optional)
1 ¾ cups (250g) all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
For rolling:
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, cream together softened butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest using a rubber spatula or mixer until the mixture is pale and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. You can enhance the lemon flavor by rubbing the zest and sugar together between your fingertips before mixing.
2. Mix in the egg until fully combined, then add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and lemon extract (if using), mixing until incorporated. Stir in the lemon juice.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 2 hours.
5. Preheat your oven to 350F (175C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
6. Scoop portions of dough, just over 1 ounce each, and roll them into smooth balls. You should get about 20 cookies.
7. Place granulated sugar into one bowl and powdered sugar into another. Roll each dough ball first in the granulated sugar, then coat evenly by rolling in the powdered sugar.
8. Arrange the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches of space between each cookie.
9. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed, have cracked on top, and are still slightly soft in the center. Be careful not to over-bake.
10. Once baked, transfer the cookie sheets to a wire rack and let the cookies cool on the sheets for 3 minutes. They will likely deflate a bit as they cool.
11. Carefully move the individual cookies to the wire rack to finish cooling completely. Enjoy your delicious lemon crinkle cookies.
Notes
Zest with Care: When zesting lemons, aim to remove only the yellow part of the peel, avoiding the bitter white pith underneath.
Soft Centers: Resist the urge to overbake. The cookies should look slightly underdone in the center when you take them out of the oven; this is key to their chewy texture.
Even Coating: Ensure the dough balls are completely coated in powdered sugar. This layer not only provides sweetness but also creates the beautiful crinkled surface during baking.
Cooling is Key: Allowing the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack helps them set properly without breaking.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-12 minutes per batch
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American