Easy lemon cake mix cookies made with just 5 simple ingredients. These delicious Spring cookies are bursting with fresh lemon flavor!
Other lemon cookie recipes I can’t get enough of include these lemon sugar cookies, glazed lemon cookies and my lemon crinkle cookie recipe!
Table of Contents
Easiest Lemon Cookie
Spring is here, which means I want all things light and lemony! First up on my baking list were these lemon cookies made with cake mix. Next, I will be adding some lemon zest to my favorite meringue cookie recipe!
I also can’t wait to make my lemon brownies and lemon muddy buddies. And for warm spring days when I want something chilled, this recipe for lemon meringue pie or lemon icebox pie recipe are the best!
These cookies are bursting with lemon flavor. The base is a lemon cake mix and then I added in lemon juice and zest in the batter. They are so pretty too. It’s like a chocolate crinkle cookie in lemon form.
Only 5 Ingredients
Honestly, these are my FAVORITE cake mix cookie to date! They are seriously so simple to make and only take 5 ingredients. They’re the perfect cookie for the beginner baker.
- Box of lemon cake mix
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs
- Lemon
- Powdered sugar
How to Make Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
MIX. Mix together the cake mix, oil and eggs. Then add 1 Tablespoon each fresh lemon juice and zest and mix until combined. At this point, I recommend refrigerating the dough for about 15 to 20 minutes so that it’s easier to work with.
ROLL. Scoop the dough into balls, then roll into powdered sugar. I like to use a medium cookie scoop or spoon to ensure my cookies are evenly sized. Then place on a lined baking sheet.
BAKE. Bake at 350°F for about 9 to 11 minutes, or until the cookies are set (but not brown). Let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Baking Tips
- Refrigerate the dough so that it’s easier to work with.
- Use a cookie scoop and drop the dough directly into the powdered sugar, so it doesn’t stick to your hands.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent brown bottoms.
- Add extra lemon zest if you prefer extra citrus flavor.
- When removing from the oven, the cookies should be set but not brown. They’ll continue baking as they cool.
Freezing
Another great thing about these fcookies is that they freeze really well! Once out of oven, let them cool completely. Then freeze the cookies on a baking sheet for about 30 minutes, or until hard. Add to a freezer container or bag and store in freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, remove cookies from the freezer and let thaw on counter for about 2 hours prior to serving.
Love lemon recipes? You will love love these lemon raspberry cookies, lemon blueberry cupcakes or lemon poke cake, too!
More Cake Mix Cookie Recipes
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Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
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Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce box lemon cake mix
- ½ cup vegetable oil , I like to measure just under the 1/2 cup line
- 2 large eggs
- 1 lemon
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Combine the cake mix, oil and eggs in a large bowl. Add in 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon of lemon zest.
- Stir together just until combined. If you have the time, refrigerate the dough for 15-20 minutes (it will make it a little easier to work with, since it is sticky).
- Then use a medium scoop or spoon to scoop the dough onto the prepared baking mat. Then roll dough balls into the powdered sugar.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the cookies are set. You don’t want them to brown. Allow to cool on the pan for a couple minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Cake Mix Cookies, Cookies, Desserts, Freezer-Friendly, Fruit Desserts, Kid-Friendly, Nut-Free, Reader Favorites
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
No measurements listed??
Hi Minnie, if you click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page, it will take you to the recipe card with specific measurements and instructions :)
First time making these and they came out perfect!!! Followed recipe exactly and added just a little extra zest as mentioned in notes. Absolutely love these! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed the lemon cookies, they’re some of our favorites!
hiya – these taste great, but even after refrigerating for an hour the mix was more than sticky (very light and fluffy though :) ) … there was no way i could roll them into balls. so everything was perfect except for the height. any ideas? thanks tons
Hi Kris! It’s hard to say without being there but maybe too much oil was added? They are definitely a stickier dough, so I typically use a cookie scoop to drop that right into the powdered sugar. Then I gently roll them and place on the pan.
I used 1/3 cup oil instead of 1/2 cup
These cookies were so easy to make. The whole kitchen smelled lemony. The hardest part was rolling them. The dough is very sticky and soft. I did refrigerate for 15 minutes. They look and taste great.
Refrigerating the dough definitely helps! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Jan!
Think adding Blueberries would be ok?
I’ve never tried but I don’t see why not! Let me know how it goes if you give it a shot!
The best!!!!!
So glad you like them :)
The batter was so tiny I had to add some from anther cake mix.
Great recipe easy to follow
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your comment and review :)
Hi Jamielyn,
My Lemon Deluxe Cake Mix, comes in a 468g box. Would I have to change any measurements in your recipe ingredients to make those devine looking/sounding Lemon Cake Mix Cookies? – Thanks!
Nope, it should work using the measurements in the recipe :)
Very easy to make. Just delicious as well, I only wish they were thicker when done. Definitely will make these cookies again! 😋
When you roll the cookies, do you leave them in a ball or flatten them out before baking?
No need to flatten them out. Leave them in a ball :)
For people who would rather have icing on the cookies. Instead of rolling the dough in powdered sugar, I always mix powdered sugar and milk with 2 tsp of lemon juice!
That sounds so yummy! I’ll have to try it sometime :)
I have been making these cookies for years and they are soooo good! This recipe is my all time favorite and they are super easy to make.
I’m so glad you love this recipe! It’s one of my favorites too :)
So quick to make and absolutely delicious…& pretty on a serving $ desert plate too !!
Can’t go wrong on this recipe !!!!
Do you think adding frozen or fresh blueberries would work in this recipe?
I haven’t tried it before so I’m not sure. Sounds delicious! Please let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Wonderful recipe! Thank you so much for sharing, and so EASY!❤️
This cookie recipe is soooooooooooooooooooooo delicious! It made a lot of friends and family very happy :D TFS
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit! Thanks for leaving a comment and review!
These are so easy and made a great treat to whip up with my little girl. We loved them!
So glad I found this recipe and a way to make cookies with cake mix. So good! We loved them!
Can you freeze the leftover mix?
Hi! You can definitely freeze the cookies. I’m sure the dough would freeze well too if you would prefer to do that. I would just flash freeze in dough balls, thaw before baking and then roll in powdered sugar.