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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.
Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Zest of one large lemon finely grated or minced
- 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup sugar for rolling cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.
- Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.
- Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.
- Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious, light, chewy and perfectly lemony! My family was impressed and they were gobbled up quickly. Especially yummy along with vanilla ice cream.
I made your Chewy lemon cookies they was SUPER delicious
Best lemon cookies I’ve made. You don’t need any frosting or glaze there perfect without out it
Sugar cookies can be boring, with lemon they come to life. This has become my go to recipe when I want to have something a little bit different and tantalize the taste buds.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for stopping back and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
Delicious!! Absolutely good, and they’re best about 5 minuyes after they come out! I will say that my dough was not really rollable, and did not look as pretty as yours, but it was still a delicious cookie!
Glad you enjoyed these, Maggie! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Happy baking!
Jamie
Fabulous. I rarely comment or rate recipes but these cookies knocked my expectations out of the park. Even my husband was going on about them and he’s not even a lemon lover. Added bonus- this recipe yielded more cookies than I thought it would.
I did have to chill the dough for about two hours. I used a 2 1/2 inch cookie scoop. I had to bake them for 15-16 minutes. So delicious!
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Happy baking!
Jamie
where are the raspberries?
Hi Carol – My apologies for the incorrect link in the email, you’re looking for this post: https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/raspberry-lemon-cookies/
Jamie
How did mine sink down upon cooling and did not get the pretty crinkle yours have. They were lightly browned on the bottoms and on the edges but seemed a slight bit undone after cooled. Yours are beautiful. What’s the secret please?
Hi Terry – Unfortunately, without being in the kitchen with you while baking, it’s hard to know exactly what might have happened. The most common issues tend to be not measuring the flour correctly or the butter being too soft/warm. I hope you’ll give the recipe another try!
Jamie
Can the dough be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator?
Hi Rachael – Yes, you could cover the dough and chill it, although you will need to let it come back to room temperature to be able to roll it before baking. Hope this helps!
Jamie