Lemon Sugar Cookies

Fresh and delicious using real lemons, this old fashioned lemon sugar cookie recipe is the kind your grandma used to make. Soft and chewy on the inside, sugar coated on the outside and perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

Lemon Sugar Cookies Ingredients

These simple ingredients come together to make the most luscious and lemony soft cookies.

• Unsalted butter– Cookies made with butter have the tendency to spread more while cookies made with shortening are more apt to hold their shape and bake slightly up instead of out.
• Granulated Sugar– These are lemon sugar cookies, they need sugar!
• Eggs– Eggs add lift, but make sure to beat them before adding them to the batter. This will reduce the time the cookie dough is being mixed. Over-mixing is the most common reason for dry cookies.
• Lemon extract– You can also use almond or vanilla extract but I love the concentrated flavor of lemon extract in these cookies.
• Lemon zest– This is optional but it adds loads of lemony flavor and fun little specks to the dough. You can also add dried lemon that comes in the spice aisle.
• Cream of tartar– This is an absolutely mandatory ingredient for the best lemon sugar cookies. It’s the key to making sure you wind up with soft cookies.
• Baking soda– This leavening agent gives the cookies their incredible texture. Be sure not to confuse it with baking powder!
• Fine sea salt– I don’t suggest using table salt or iodized salt — it tastes metallic. Also, don’t sub out for coarse salt, it won’t have the same effect or spread as evenly due to larger crystals.
• All Purpose Flour- This provides structure and is the glue that keeps your lemon cookies together!

Variations

I love these cookies just as they are but there are a few spins you can put on them.

• Fresh Lemon Juice- Fresh lemon juice is another good way to get lemon flavor, but isn’t as concentrated as lemon extract so you’ll need to add double or even triple depending on the intensity of your lemon. Do not use bottled lemon juice. This is far muted from fresh or extract and will probably be unrecognizable in the finished lemon sugar cookies.
• Lemon Zest– Lemon zest can be used with vanilla or lemon extract or fresh lemon juice. It can also be omitted if you don’t have any lemons on hand. One teaspoon is all you need to add cheery little flecks of flavor bomb into each cookie. Or use the dried version.
• Salted Butter– If all you have on hand is salted butter, you can use it. Just omit the sea salt.
• Cookie Butter– You can also make these into homemade cookie butter.
• Topping– Melt white chocolate chips and drizzle it over top for a pretty presentation.

How to Make Old Fashioned Lemon Sugar Cookies

These cookies are like biting into sunshine — and they’re a breeze to make!

1. Cream the butter well before adding the sugar. Creaming gives the cookie dough air and helps to make them fluffy while also dissolving the sugar granules.
2. Add the eggs, lemon extract (or fresh lemon juice), and lemon zest. If you have the time, allow this mixture to sit for 15-20 minutes. Lemon essence will infuse the butter and only further bring out the lemony-goodness. If you don’t have the time, no worries- they will still taste great!
3. Next, sift together the dry ingredients before adding them to the wet ingredients in batches.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill.
5. Using your hands or a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop to form dough balls and roll them in the sugar for the crunchy outside.
6. Set the sugar-coated dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Place the sheet in the preheated oven and bake until the cookies begin to crack, but not brown .They may look a tad doughy, this is what you are aiming for!
8. Remove from the oven and cool briefly on the sheet before using a spatula to move them to a wire rack for cooling. Allowing the cookies to sit on a hot baking sheet for too long will just result in them cooking for longer and potentially drying out.

Storage

Allow the cookies to cool fully before storing or freezing. I use airtight plastic bags or an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for up to 5 days. I also like to microwave them for 5-10 seconds to melt the butter a little.

Make Ahead

You can make the dough ahead of time and chill it for up to 24 hours before forming the cookies and baking.

Freezer

Lemon sugar cookies are also freezer-friendly. Package them in an airtight bag and they will stay good for up to 6 months. You can take out just one and it will thaw on the counter in about 30 minutes.

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Soft and lemony old fashioned sugar cookies.

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Chill Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 30

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Equipment

• Wire Cooling Rack
• Stand Mixer
• Sifter
• Parchment Paper
• Cookie Dough Scoop

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs , lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest , optional
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• For rolling:
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest , optional

Instructions

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the butter until soft shiny and light in color.
• Add the sugar and beat until combined.
• Add the eggs, lemon extract and lemon zest.
• Sift together the cream of tartar, baking soda, fine sea salt and flour.
• In 3 batches, add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
• Turn into a piece of plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour, but up to 24 hours. Using plastic wrap ensures the dough won’t dry out.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F and line an insulated baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and then dip and roll in granulated sugar (and lemon zest, if desired).
• Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
• Bake for 10 minutes, or until just cracking. You should be able to see shiny dough inside the cracks, which means the cookies are done. They may look undercooked, that is normal!
• Allow the cookies to cool for 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheet and then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.
• If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.

Notes

If you use salted butter, omit the additional fine sea salt.

Nutrition

Calories: 152 kcal, Carbohydrates: 22 g, Protein: 2 g, Fat: 7 g, Saturated Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 27 mg, Sodium: 81 mg, Potassium: 35 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 13 g, Vitamin A: 205 IU, Vitamin C: 1 mg, Calcium: 5 mg, Iron: 1 mg

Author: Jessica Formicola

Calories: 152

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemon sugar cookies

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