Enjoy a taste of sunshine with this easy and delicious Lemon Sugar Cookies recipe. These soft and chewy cookies are better than a store-bought lemon cookie mix, bursting with bright lemon flavor that will brighten any occasion!
This post was originally published on July 1, 2021. It was updated with new recipe information on April 3, 2024.
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These chewy lemon sugar cookies are guaranteed to add cheer to your day! Each bite is infused with fresh lemon flavor and sweet buttery goodness. The light yellow hue makes the perfect joyful addition to a holiday dessert table, from Easter to Christmas, and they also are a fun treat for weddings, barbeques, or school birthday parties. I can’t think of an occasion that this lemon sugar cookie recipe wouldn’t brighten!
All you need is a small handful of easy-to-find ingredients to make this treat, and the preparation is super simple – no need for cookie cutters! Simply roll the dough into balls and bake. Easy peasy! You’ll have the best soft lemon sugar cookies in less than 30 minutes. If you’re looking for more easy cookie recipes for special occasions, you will love my birthday cake cookies, oatmeal M&M cookies, or cream cheese spritz cookies.
Why You'll Love Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Easy Prep. This recipe is straightforward and requires minimal time and effort, making it easy for both the novice cook and the experienced baker.
- Refreshing Flavor. The combination of lemon and sugar flavors is a delightful burst of tangy sweetness that’s incredibly refreshing!
- Versatile. Enjoy this soft lemon cookies recipe year-round, as a light summer treat or a cheerful indulgence during colder months.
- Perfect for Any Occasion. These cookies are a delicious addition to any occasion, whether you’re craving a simple sweet treat, planning a party, or need a dessert to bring to a gathering.
Ingredients
- Butter: Use unsalted butter to better control the salt flavor in the lemon cookie dough. Alternatively, you can use salted butter and decrease the salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon.
- Granulated Sugar: Creates a slightly crisp exterior and soft inside for these chewy lemon cookies.
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives the cookies the best tender texture. Or you can swap 1:1 with a mix of all-purpose and whole-wheat flour for a nuttier flavor and slightly denser texture.
- Eggs: Use large eggs so you have enough binding for the dough. Bring them to room temperature first for the best soft cookie texture.
- Lemon Zest: You will zest from 2 fresh lemons or about 2 ½ tablespoons of lemon zest.
- Baking Soda: This helps the cookies rise and become light and fluffy during baking.
- Salt: Use fine-grain salt so it dissolves quickly and evenly into the cookie dough.
How to Make Lemon Sugar Cookies
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325ºF and prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 2: Add the eggs and lemon zest to the creamed butter and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 3: In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and mix in until no streaks of flour remain.
Step 4: Scoop the cookie dough into scant 2-tablespoon scoops. Roll the scoops of dough into balls. Then roll the dough balls in extra granulated sugar until completely covered.
Step 5: Place the balls of cookie dough 3 inches from each other on the baking sheets. Wrap parchment paper around the bottom of a drinking glass and gently press the dough balls down until about ¼ inch thick.
Step 6: Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the cookies are the slightest golden color on the bottom and are no longer puffy. (The cookies will puff up as they cook, but once the puff has deflated they should be just golden on the bottom.)
Step 7: Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes. Then move the cookies directly to a wire cooling rack and let them cool until they are at the desired serving temperature.
Recipe Pro-Tips
- Weigh the flour. Using a food scale is the most accurate way to measure the flour and will prevent the cookies from becoming too dense. If you don’t have a scale, spoon the flour into measuring cups and use the top of a knife to level it off.
- Soften the butter to room temperature. Softened butter mixes evenly in the dough for the best cookie texture. It will take 1-3 hours to soften so it is easy to indent when pressing on it gently but firmly with your fingertip. Or soften in the microwave on 20% heat at 20-30 second intervals until just soft.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough before baking. If you have the time, let the dough chill for 30-60 minutes before baking for extra thick and chewy cookies!
- Make uniform-sized cookies. I recommend using a cookie scoop to dish out the dough balls so the cookies are even in size.
- Don’t skip rolling the cookie dough in sugar before baking! This will add a sparkly appearance and a caramelized outer layer that is slightly crunchy and enhances the flavor.
- Keep leftovers soft. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at with a slice of bread to keep the cookies soft!
Recipe Variations & Mix-Ins
- Extra Zesty: Increase the lemon zest in this recipe for a stronger citrus punch and aromatic flavor.
- White Chocolate Chips: Creamy white chocolate pairs wonderfully with lemon flavors. Fold in some white chocolate chips or chocolate chunks!
- Poppy Seeds: Try a lemon poppy seed variation by mixing in some poppy seeds for added texture, flavor, and visual appeal.
- Lemon Glaze: Dress up the baked cookies with a homemade lemon glaze by mixing 1 cup powdered sugar, 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and drizzle on top.
- Nuts: Chopped almonds or pistachios add a tasty crunch and nutty flavor that pairs well with the lemon.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Leftover cookies last covered in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Store baked cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Thawing: Allow frozen cookie dough to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying.
FAQs
The easiest way to zest a lemon is with a microplane zester. Place a small plate or bowl underneath you as you hold the lemon in one hand and the zester in another. Lightly run the zester back and forth over the peel of the lemon until you remove the outermost yellow layer of the peel. When you get down to the white pith, rotate to a new section of the lemon peel. Continue zesting until you've zested the whole lemon. Scrape the remaining zest off the back of the zester (there's usually quite a bit that sticks there) and measure the zest for your recipe.
Once you zest the lemons, you can juice them and use the juice in another recipe like this air fryer zucchini, crispy air fryer Brussels sprouts, or blueberry and avocado spinach salad. If you have leftover lemon zest, it will keep stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Use it in recipes like this lemon ricotta pasta or crispy herbed panko chicken.
Yes, you can prepare the cookie dough in advance and store it in the refrigerator for 1-3 days before baking. Or you can prepare the dough and freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. For the easiest preparation when freezing, make cookie dough discs first by flash-freezing the unbaked flattened balls of dough on a prepared baking sheet for 1-2 hours until firm. Once frozen, move the frozen discs to a freezer-safe container. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
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More Dessert & Cookie Recipes
- Lemon Bars
- Strawberry Lemonade Bars
- Strawberry Shortbread Cookies
- Brown Butter White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Lemon Blueberry Muffin Bread
- Meyer Lemon Curd
- Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies
Tools Needed to Make This Recipe
- Mixing bowls
- Microplane/Zester
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Food scale
- Silicone spatula
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Cookie scooper
Lemon Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar additional sugar for rolling the cookies
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ tablespoons lemons zest or the zest from 2 lemons
- 3 cups (or 360g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the eggs and lemon zest to the creamed butter and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and mix in until no streaks of flour remain.
- Scoop the cookie dough in scant 2-tablespoon scoops. Roll the scoops of dough into balls. Roll the balls in extra granulated sugar to cover.
- Place the balls of cookie dough 3 inches from each other on the baking sheets. Wrap parchment paper around the bottom of a drinking glass and gently press the balls of dough down until ¼ inch thick.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, or until the cookies are the slightest golden color on the bottom and are no longer puffy. The cookies will puff up as they cook, but once the puff has deflated they should be just golden on the bottom.
- Remove the cookie sheets from the oven. Cool for 5 minutes. Move the cookies directly to a wire cooling rack and let cool until at the desired serving temperature.
Notes
- Storing: Leftover cookies last covered in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Store baked cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Thawing: Allow frozen cookie dough to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying.
- Weigh the flour. Using a food scale is the most accurate way to measure the flour and will prevent the cookies from becoming too dense. If you don’t have a scale, spoon the flour into measuring cups and use the top of a knife to level it off.
- Soften the butter to room temperature. Softened butter mixes evenly in the dough for the best cookie texture. It will take 1-3 hours to soften so it is easy to indent when pressing on it gently but firmly with your fingertip. Or soften in the microwave on 20% heat at 20-30 second intervals until just soft.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough before baking. If you have the time, let the dough chill for 30-60 minutes before baking for extra thick and chewy cookies!
- Make uniform-sized cookies. I recommend using a cookie scoop to dish out the dough balls so the cookies are even in size.
- Don’t skip rolling the cookie dough in sugar before baking! This will add a sparkly appearance and a caramelized outer layer that is slightly crunchy and enhances the flavor.
- Keep leftovers soft. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at with a slice of bread to keep the cookies soft!
I make these all year round but I brought them to a cookie party last week and they were such a hit! Thanks for a natural lemon cookie recipe!
Yum! Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
So glad you liked them, Jill! Thanks for reviewing and sharing. 🙂
Best,
Chelsea