Description
This Lemon Cookie Recipe offers a delightful balance of zesty lemon flavor and sweet buttery dough. These soft, chewy cookies are perfect for any occasion and easy to make with simple ingredients. Chilling the dough enhances texture, resulting in thicker, more flavorful cookies with a crisp edge and tender center.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 large egg
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
For Rolling
- ¼ cup (50g) sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the Butter Mixture: In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest together for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is creamy and well combined.
- Add Lemon and Egg: Add fresh lemon juice and the large egg to the butter mixture and beat again until fully incorporated, creating a smooth batter.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients. Mix gently by hand using a spatula until the dough just comes together, ensuring not to overmix.
- Chill the Dough: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes. This step firms up the dough, preventing excess spreading and enhancing cookie texture.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Sugar: Remove the chilled dough from the fridge. Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Pour ¼ cup of sugar into a small bowl to roll the cookie dough balls.
- Form and Roll Dough Balls: Use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough into balls. Roll each ball thoroughly in the sugar to coat evenly.
- Arrange and Bake: Place the sugar-coated dough balls on a silicone-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake in the preheated oven for 13 minutes or until the cookie edges show a faint golden color.
- Cool the Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes after baking, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Refrigerating the dough is key to thicker, chewier cookies by minimizing spread during baking. If pressed for time, chill the dough for at least 15 minutes or between baking batches.
- This recipe works well with gluten-free flour such as King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour for those with gluten sensitivities.
- Using fresh lemon zest and juice ensures a bright, authentic lemon flavor; avoid bottled lemon juice for best results.
- Spacing cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet helps them bake evenly without merging.
- If you want a stronger lemon flavor, add an extra tablespoon of lemon zest.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
