These lemon sugar cookies melt in your mouth and have bold lemon flavor! This recipe takes a handful of pantry ingredients and transforms them into light, fluffy, lemony goodness. Every bite makes you think of sunshine! They’re perfect anything from family gatherings to cookie trays and bake sales!
I love how the tangy flavors in fruit cookies surprise people when they bite into what looks like plain-Jane cookies. You’re going to love these sugar cookies! They’re moist, chewy, and lusciously lemony!
If life gives you lemons, let’s make lemon cake mix cookies, lemon crinkle cookies, and lemon white chocolate chip cookies!
Grab your mixer, and let’s make some lemon cookies!
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What I Love About Lemon Sugar Cookies Recipe
This cookie recipe is so versatile! It’s perfect for Christmas, summer BBQs, and anything in between! I also love their:
- The moist, chewy texture
- Intense lemon flavor
- Straight forward prep with simple ingredients
- Makes over 2 dozen
Recipe Notes
This cookie is very simple to make, but here are a few reminders!
Chill time: To get thick, moist, chewy cookies, be sure to let the dough chill for at least 2 hours. Overnight is even better!
Don’t overwork the dough: As you add the dry ingredients, stop mixing just as soon as there are no more streaks of flour. Scrape the sides and mix for one or two more rotations. That’s it! When you are rolling out the dough balls, keep the dough as cool as possible by taking it out in batches.
Ingredient Notes
Butter: For sugar cookies, you cannot substitute margarine. You need good old fashioned butter for the best taste and texture!
Icing: I love these cookies without icing, but if you want to make lemon sugar cookies with icing, you can make a simple lemon glaze to top them.
Whisk together 2 1/4 cups powder sugar, 1/2 cup lemon juice, and some lemon zest. Add more juice to make it thinner. You could also consider using a cream cheese icing with these!
Shaping: I didn’t intend for this to be a cutout cookie recipe, but if you want to try lemon sugar cookies cut out, I do think this dough will work. It might be a little soft, but as long as you don’t over handle it, keep it cool, and liberally flour your rolling pin and work surface, it should work!
Storing Tips
Be sure to allow the cookies to cool completely before storing them in a well-sealed container. Keep them in a cool pantry for the longest shelf life.
Can You Freeze This?
These cookies freezes well. You can freeze the dough by rolling and flattening the dough as usual on the cookie sheet. Just stick the whole sheet in the freezer for about 2 hours. Put the frozen dough balls in a freezer bag.
You can bake them from frozen by adding a couple of extra minutes to their bake time.
The best way to freeze baked cookies is to individually wrap the completely cooled cookies in cling wrap and put them into a freezer container. A rigid container would be best for these cookies since they are a little bit fragile!
Make Ahead Tips
The dough for this cookie will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days!
How Long Can You Keep This?
According to food handling guidelines, baked cookies will keep in the pantry for about 5 days. Frozen dough is good for about 2-3 months, and frozen baked cookies should last close to 6 months.
Recipe Variations
Like this recipe, there are lots of variations on the classic butter cookie. Here are some ideas!
What Other Sugar Cookies Can I Bake?
Sugar cookies can sometimes be a little labor intensive with the required chill time and rolling out. To streamline the process, Sugar cookie bars skip the rolling out, and no chill sugar cookies are designed to go straight into the oven!
They’re great options when you want sugar cookies but are short on time. Another great option is my cinnamon sugar cookies!
What Other Desserts Can I Make With Lemon Flavor?*
I think lemon-flavored cookies are just the right amount of sweet and tart for a dessert after a big meal. Lemon Ricotta Cookies and lemon drop cookies are both chewy, moist, and loaded with lemon! Lemon meringue cookies are a fun twist on the classic pie!
Can I Add Chocolate Chips?
Chocolate and lemon are a fun flavor combo! You could try stirring in about 1 cup of chips and see how it goes! If you want a great fruit and chocolate chip cookie, check out my banana chocolate chip cookies. They’re ultra moist and super chocolaty!
I also love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and strawberry chocolate chip cookies. Make them all for a buffet of fruity chocolate chip cookies!
Would These Make For Good Christmas Treats?
This recipe is perfect for a Christmas treat! They’ll go perfectly with decorated Christmas sugar cookies or lemon shortbread cookies.
Can I Turn These Into Lemon Bars?
The only thing I love more than lemon cookies is lemon bars! I can’t get enough of their chewy, sweet/tart deliciousness! Lemon Cheesecake Bars take it to the next level with a tangy cream cheese filling. I also love my lemon coconut bars with their tropical flavors!
Lemon Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 cups granulated sugar divided
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
Glaze:
- 1 cup Confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1-3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon zest and mix until combined.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour, just until incorporated (do not overmix). Flatten dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch thick and Use cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes. Place on baking sheet 1 inch apart.
- Bake in preheated oven 12-14 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for about 7 minutes. Remove and finish cooling on a baking rack.
- When cookies are completely cooled, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of milk, at a time, until glaze reaches drizzling consistency.
- Place cookies on a wire rack set over a sheet of foil and drizzle with glaze. Sprinkle with jimmies or colored sugar as desired. Allow cookies to sit on the rack until the glaze is fully set, about 3 hours.
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More Sugar Cookies Recipes…
Tis the season for Sugar Cookies Recipes! Be sure to try these!
- Pumpkin Sugar Cookies – ultra moist and perfectly spiced
- Lofthouse Sugar Cookies – Just like the light and fluffy classic treats
- Alton Browns Sugar Cookies – Scientifically proven to be delicious
- Sour Cream Sugar Cookies – Sour cream makes them extra rich and moist
- Halloween Sugar Cookies – Perfect for cutting out for any season
Conclusion
One of my favorite things about lemon sugar cookies is watching people take the first bite. They don’t expect that lemony kick, and it always makes their eyes light up! I can’t wait to hear what you think of them. Be sure to comment below!
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