Thick and chewy lemon crinkle cookies have the perfect balance of sweet and buttery lemon flavor. They’re rolled in powdered sugar and baked until the surface cracks!
Lemon Crinkle Cookies with Fresh Lemon
Although my first love is and always will be chocolate crinkle cookies, homemade lemon crinkle cookies are not far behind. They are sweet and tart with an irresistible crackled top and unlike lemon cake mix cookies, they are a completely from scratch lemon dessert.
They’re thick, soft, and chewy, plus exploding with lemon flavor from 3 sources of lemon including lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon extract! Plus, lemon lovers will love their bright yellow color from the egg yolk.
Lemon sugar cookies and glazed lemon cookies are also fantastic lemon recipes.
Ingredient Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Butter: I used unsalted butter softened to room temperature.
- Baking staples: Vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt.
- Eggs: You’ll need a whole egg plus one egg yolk. The extra yolk helps keep it extra moist and fudgy and gives it an even more yellow color.
- Triple lemon flavor: From fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon extract.
- Sugars: You’ll need granulated sugar and powdered sugar for coating the lemon crinkles cookies before they bake.
How to Make Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Grab your mixing bowl and beat butter and sugar for a couple of minutes and then add the egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and both extracts. Beat on high speed until combined.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking soda and then add that to the wet ingredients. Mix to combine. Cover and chill the bowl of dough in the fridge for at least an hour.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop about 1-inch balls, coat them in granulated sugar then powdered sugar, and place them all 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12-13 minutes until the edges are set and the centers still look soft.
Tips for the Best Crinkle Cookie
- Use a cookie scoop. This ensures all cookies will be the same size which helps with even baking.
- Perfect crackly crinkle top. Roll in granulated sugar and powdered sugar.
- Line your baking sheet. Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. It will not only lead to easier cleanup but it also helps prevent spreading.
- Do not over bake. The centers will still look soft in the middle. That’s normal as they will continue to set as they cool.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make ahead: Make the cookie dough balls as directed and then keep them refrigerated for up to 3 days until you’re ready to bake them or flash freeze cookie dough balls until they’re solid. Store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for half an hour and then roll them in sugar and bake.
- Store: Keep cookies stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. There’s no need to refrigerate them!
- Freeze: Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Store them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Thaw on the counter before serving.
Love lemon recipes? You will love love these lemon raspberry cookies, lemon sugar cookies and glazed lemon cookies.
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Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice , freshly squeezed
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar , for coating
- 1 cup powdered sugar , for coating
Instructions
- Cream sugar and butter. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add egg, yolk and lemon. Add the egg and egg yolk, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon lemon extracts and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute.
- Dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix 2 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Add to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Chill. Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour
- Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Fill a bowl with granulated sugar and a bowl with powdered sugar.
- Scoop and roll balls of dough. Each ball should be about 1 inch. Roll each ball first into granulated sugar, and then coat very generously with powdered sugar. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 12–13 minutes or until the edges are set and the centers still look soft. Let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely.
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, Christmas, Cookies, Desserts, Easter, 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.
Looks and sounds good, but impossible to get to a printable source of the recipe.
Hi Maria, in the recipe card there is a print button, if you click on that it should open in a new window for you to print our download as a PDF. If you have block ups blocked it may not open in the new window, so I would check your settings.
We love these lemon crinkle cookies! The combination of sweet and lemony flavor is perfect! I made more and stored them in the freezer.
These cookies were amazing and they had the perfect amount of lemon.
These were amazing! I love the flavor and zest of the fresh lemon juice. My family couldn’t stop eating them. Perfect for a summer treat. Will definitely make again!
So glad you enjoyed them and agreed they have the perfect light, fresh taste for summer!
These lemon crinkles were the hit of the summer bbq! There was not one left!
We loved this summery version of a crinkle cookie!