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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.
These cookies were a major success. I substituted the lemon zest with 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract. They tasted amazing, and had the perfect texture. Thank you, Jamie!
I’m so glad you loved the cookies, Alan! Thank you so much for stopping by to share your feedback. Happy baking!
-Jamie
If I’m going to switch out the lemon zest for lemon juice how much juice should I add, and how much flour to balance it out?
Hello! I haven’t attempted this recipe with this adjustment, so I am not sure of the result. If you happen to give it a try, I’d love to know how they turned out. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
Just had to let you know how wonderful these cookies are!!! The guys at work will have these gone tomorrow in record time! Thanks for the recipe. I will be making these over and over.
So glad you loved the cookies, Terry! Thank you so much for stopping by to share your feedback. Happy baking!
-Jamie
I love lemon dessert and my cookies have to be soft and chewy. It’s one of the best cookies I’ve made. Super delicious.
So glad you loved the cookies, Marie! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Happy baking!
-Jamie
When I’m not going for oatmeal chocolate chip, thus is my next go-to. I have made it many times over the last 4 years. 5/5!!!
So glad to hear you love these cookies, Maria! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback!
-Jamie
Thank you so much for this recipe, it has become a staple in my cookie baking days. I give them as gifts and everybody loves them I’ve even gotten non lemon fans to request these. Only thing I do different now is I have to chill the dough atleast 20 to 30 minutes I think it’s because of the altitude of the state I live in because I didn’t have any issues when I lived in the east coast. I also add an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract since I love the vanilla and lemon taste. Thank you!!
So happy you enjoy the cookies, Chanel! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
If I follow the recipe how many cookies does it make
The recipe will make 24-30 cookies.
When I tried this recipe, I added lavender to the dry ingredients, which turned out to be a happy thought.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies, Lydia! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
When I made these the batter was more like cake batter than cookie batter. I had to add more flour and refrigerate. They are ok, but what was with the consistency of the batter? I weigh my flour and bake all the time. It was weird.
I made these and they were more like cake batter than cookies, so I had to add more flour, and then refrigerate. What was the problem? Only difference was that I used a creamy cream cheese and not the block. They came out fine, but I thought the consistency of the batter was extremely gooey.
Ruth-
The difference probably came from the cream cheese. I’m glad the recipe turned out for you. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie