Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies

These Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies are soft, perfectly chewy, and flavored with plenty of lemon zest and juice. Your family will love these bright sugar cookies!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made these Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies in the past 10 years, but it’s been a lot.

I originally posted this recipe in 2010 after finding it on Rock Recipes and after 10+ years, I thought it was time to share them again with new photos and updated text.

These Chewy Lemon Cookies are simple to make and bursting with lemon flavor, which in my opinion makes them the perfect cookie for summer!

WHY I LOVE THIS COOKIE RECIPE

I love citrus in my desserts and baked goods. 

Whether it’s lemon in Lemon Blueberry Bread and No-Bake Strawberry Lemonade Cheesecakes, orange in Orange Scones and Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake, or lime in Key Lime Pie Bars and Key Lime Pie Ice Cream…I love it all. 

And I really, really love my Chewy Lime Sugar Cookies. So you know I had to try the recipe with lemon instead of lime. 

And these cookies are so good! I might still prefer the lime version…but I’ll probably need to try them both again to decide for sure. You know, for science.

Now I love basically every type of sugar cookie. Decorated sugar cookies? Soft sugar cookies? Sure! 

But there’s really something special about a crinkly, chewy sugar cookie. Especially one that has a bright lemony flavor. 

I also love that you don’t have to let the dough chill before baking, because sometimes I just want cookies right now.

I had to give most of these cookies to a friend in order not to eat them all myself. 

HOW TO MAKE THESE LEMON SUGAR COOKIES

To make these chewy cookies, you’ll need:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of one large lemon, finely grated or minced
• 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Yep, you’ll use the zest of a large lemon and ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice in these cookies. When we go for lemon flavor, we go hard. 

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl and set that aside.

Beat together the softened butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, then add in the egg, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice.

Once the wet ingredients are well combined, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

No chilling required! I like to use a medium cookie scoop to portion out the dough, then roll the dough into balls and roll them in some more granulated sugar.

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, until they are just set in the center and barely golden. 

Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

CAN YOU FREEZE CHEWY LEMON SUGAR COOKIES?

I love freezing cookies. They’re one of the easiest baked goods to freeze.

If you want to freeze the dough before baking, check out my tutorial on how to freeze cookie dough. Just roll the dough balls in sugar just before baking, after you take them out of the freezer.

If you want to freeze the baked cookies, layer cooled cookies in a freezer-safe airtight container with parchment paper between the layers or place them in zip-top freezer bags. 

Freeze for up to 3 months. They’ll thaw quickly at room temperature, so take them out a couple of hours before serving them at a party or grab a few whenever a cookie craving strikes.