These Lemon Crinkle Cookies are tangy, refreshing and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. They are the perfect little treat to pick up your spirit any time of the day.
Soft and chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies covered in snowy white powdered sugar with lovely crinkles all over the surface will add a little sunshine to your day no matter what. Plus, did I tell you how easy it is to make these lemon crinkle cookies?
If you like a crunchier cookie, try these buttery lemon shortbread cookies. Or if you want something really special, try these lemon creamsicle cookies stuffed with cream cheese filling! You really can’t go wrong with lemon any time of the year.
How to make Lemon Crinkle Cookies
The secret to great crinkles is chilling. You can certainly bake this cookie dough without chilling it in the fridge but you will end up with soft and delicious lemon cookies sans the crinkles. Chilling the dough will ensure you get the signature crinkles we want on these cookies.
Making the lemon cookie dough
- First, mix together lemon zest and sugar to release the lemon essential oil. Then beat in softened butter, followed by egg and vanilla extract.
- Sift together flour, and baking powder. Stir in the salt. Then stir the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredient mixture.
- Now, divide the cookie dough with a medium size cookie scoop, roll them into round balls and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and preferably overnight.
- When you’re ready to bake, roll the dough ball into granulated sugar and then powdered sugar and bake for 12 minutes at 350°F.
Make sure you chill the cookie dough if you want those signature crinkles. The cookie dough is so easy to whip up that you can make it the night before just before bed. Then pop them in the fridge and bake them the next day.
Other Tips for Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Can I use baking soda instead of baking powder?
No, I tested this recipe with baking soda and the cookies spread instead of rise and end up too thin without any crinkles.
I wrote a post about the difference between baking soda vs. baking powder if you’re interested in reading more about it.
What to do if the cookie dough is too soft to roll?
If you’re baking on a hot day and the butter is softened too much, the cookie dough can be stickier and softer and can stick to your hand when rolling. If this happens, just chill the dough for 15 – 30 minutes, it should firm up and will be easy to roll.
My cookies don’t have any crinkles, what’s wrong?
Make sure you form the dough balls and chill them well before baking. I prefer to chill them overnight but if you can’t wait that long, you should chill it at least 1 hour and longer if you can. If your first batch doesn’t form crinkles, you may need to chill them longer.
Can I freeze these cookies?
Yes, the cookie dough freezes well. Roll them into balls first and freeze solid, then store in a freezer bag for up to 6 months. You can bake from frozen, do not thaw, just roll the frozen dough balls in sugar as directed before baking.
I hope these tangy little treats bring a little bit of sunshine to your day. They’re sweet enough that you don’t need a glaze but a dollop of lemon curd never hurts!
More Lemon Recipes You’ll Love
- Lemon Bundt Cake
- Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
- Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes
- Classic Lemon Bars
- Lemon Dutch Baby
- Lemon Cake with Coconut Frosting
If you make this recipe, we’d love to see a photo. Tag us on Instagram @wildwildwhisk and @ohsweetbasil. Happy baking!
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Description
Ingredients
Cookie dough
- 4 oz Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- ¾ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Lemon Zest, from 2 large lemons
- 1 Large Egg , room temperature
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ Cup Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
For rolling
- 2 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- ⅓ Cup Powdered Sugar , sifted
Instructions
- Add sugar and lemon zest to the stand mixer bowl and whisk together releasing the lemon essential oil.
- Add softened butter and beat with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, and vanilla extract to the sugar mixture and beat until smooth.
- Sift flour, and baking powder into a small mixing bowl. Stir in the kosher salt. Add the flour mixture to the stand mixer bowl and stir until just combined.
- Portion the dough with a medium cookie scoop and roll into balls. Place cookie dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet or container and refrigerate for at least 1 hours, and preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add granulated sugar and powdered sugar in two separate bowls. Roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar first, then roll in powdered sugar. Place them on a lined baking sheet about 2” apart.
- Baked for 12 minutes until the bottom edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
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