Lemon Cookies
Lemon Cookies are a classic cookie that everyone loves. These cookies are filled with lemon flavor thanks to the lemon zest as well as the lemonade powder they are rolled in. Serve these with cookies or tea for the perfect afternoon treat with the ladies.
I have always loved tea and cookies in the afternoon. As a child, I remember my mom sitting on the porch with her girlfriends as we played in the street as kids. I longed to do this as an adult one day! She would always make these delicious lemon cookies! On occasion, she would share them. They were always bursting with so much flavor! As soon as I became an adult I started making these tasty treats and to this day every Sunday, I always bake a batch of these old-fashioned lemon cookies.
Once you make these, they will become your new after cookie to enjoy in the afternoon (or any time of the day)!
If you are looking for a special cookie to share with your kids, be sure to try our peanut butter cookies with M&Ms as well!
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature, softened
- ¾ cup white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- Fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
- Yellow food coloring is totally optional
- 1/2 cup of dry lemonade powder mix (you will not use all of it)
How to make Lemon Cookies
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 2: Layout the unsalted butter and the eggs so the eggs can come to room temperature and the butter can soften.
- Step 3: In a medium-sized bowl, sift together your dry ingredients, (the all-purpose flour, the baking soda, and the kosher salt). Set aside.
- Step 4: In a large-sized bowl or the mixing bowl for your stand mixer, add in your butter and turn the mixer on medium speed, and cream just the butter for a few minutes. Then add in the white granulated sugar then add in the light brown sugar. Continue creaming the butter and sugars together until you get a nice creamy and fluffy mixture. This takes approximately 5 minutes.
- Step 5: Next, add your eggs, one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture making sure to thoroughly beat the ingredients together after each egg is added.
- Step 6: Zest half of the lemon into the mixture. Then cut the lemon in half. Squeeze the juice from one of the lemon halves into a bowl. Then add one tablespoon of the lemon juice into the batter and add in the lemon extract and mix together until the ingredients have been incorporated.
Make Sure Lemon Cookies Taste Lemony
- Step 7: Turn the mixer off and add 1/4th of the dry ingredients in the bowl with the wet ingredients, turn the mixer on low, and mix everything together. Repeat this process until all of the dry ingredients have been mixed in.
- Step 8: Test the batter. If you don’t feel that you can taste enough of the lemon flavor, zest more of the lemon into the batter and mix the batter together. If you still feel the lemon flavor isn’t coming through, add in more of the lemon extract. Keep in the mind the extract is more powerful so slowly incorporate it, about ½ teaspoon at a time.
- Step 9: Lay a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat down on your cookie sheet. Pour the dry lemonade powder mix into a small bowl. Then either using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, scoop out the batter and roll the dough into small round balls about the size of a walnut. Then roll the dough around in the lemonade mix and make sure it’s lightly covered in the dry powder. Then place the dough ball on the baking sheet. Repeat this process until the baking sheet is full. Leave the balls about 2 inches apart.
- Step 10: Place the cookie sheet into the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Step 11: Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool for a few minutes then place them on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Tips Tricks and FAQs
- Always let your cold ingredients come to room temperature prior to making your cookies.
- When it comes to scooping your flour, make sure to scoop with a spoon and level with a knife method.
- Be sure that your baking soda has not expired for the best results.
- If you are using unsalted butter be sure to add salt. If you are using salted butter, omit the salt.
- Make sure to use Kosher salt when the recipe calls for salt in the recipe. Table salt is to be used at the table for seasoning. Sea salt and Kosher salt are used in baking and cooking.
- If your dough seems sticky, place it in the fridge for about 15 minutes to chill prior to scooping your cookies.
- It is easy to overbake these, doing so will lose the lemon sugar texture that you love!
- The lemonade powder takes these cookies up a notch in lemon flavor, if you prefer you can omit it and use sanding sugar instead or you can use powdered sugar.
- Feel free to double or triple the batch.
Storage
You will want to store your cookies at room temperature in an airtight container. These will stay fresh for about 3 days.
Freezer
These cookies freeze nicely in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
More Recipes:
Lemon Cookies
Lemon Cookies are a classic cookie that everyone loves. These cookies are filled with lemon flavor thanks to the lemon zest as well as the lemonade powder they are rolled in. Serve these with cookies or tea for the perfect afternoon treat with the ladies.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- • 1 teaspoon baking soda
- • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- • 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature, softened
- • ¾ cup white granulated sugar
- • ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- • 2 large eggs, room temperature
- • Fresh lemon zest
- • 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
- • 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
- • Yellow food coloring, this is totally optional
- • 1/2 cup of dry lemonade powder mix (you will not use all of it)
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2: Layout the unsalted butter and the eggs so the eggs can come to room temperature and the butter can soften.
Step 3: In a medium-sized bowl, sift together your dry ingredients, (the all-purpose flour, the baking soda, and the kosher salt). Set aside.
Step 4: In a large-sized bowl or the mixing bowl for your stand mixer, add in your butter and turn the mixer on medium speed, and cream just the butter for a few minutes. Then add in the white granulated sugar then add in the light brown sugar. Continue creaming the butter and sugars together until you get a nice creamy and fluffy mixture. This takes approximately 5 minutes.
Step 5: Next, add your eggs, one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture making sure to thoroughly beat the ingredients together after each egg is added.
Step 6: Zest half of the lemon into the mixture. Then cut the lemon in half. Squeeze the juice from one of the lemon halves into a bowl. Then add one tablespoon of the lemon juice into the batter and add in the lemon extract and mix together until the ingredients have been incorporated.
Step 7: Turn the mixer off and add 1/4th of the dry ingredients in the bowl with the wet ingredients, turn the mixer on low and mix everything together. Repeat this process until all of the dry ingredients have been mixed in.
Step 8: Test the batter. If you don’t feel that you can taste enough of the lemon flavor, zest more of the lemon into the batter and mix the batter together. If you still feel the lemon flavor isn’t coming through, add in more of the lemon extract. Keep in the mind the extract is more powerful so slowly incorporate it, about ½ teaspoon at a time.
Step 9: Lay a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat down on your cookie sheet. Pour the dry lemonade powder mix into a small bowl. Then either using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, scoop out the batter and roll the dough into small round balls about the size of a walnut. Then roll the dough around in the lemonade mix and make sure it’s lightly covered in the dry powder. Then place the dough ball on the baking sheet. Repeat this process until the baking sheet is full. Leave the balls about 2 inches apart.
Step 10: Place the cookie sheet into the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Step 11: Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool for a few minutes then place them on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Notes
When scooping out the flour, make sure to use the scoop with a spoon and level with a knife method.
Make sure that your baking soda hasn’t expired to get the best results.
When baking, if you are using additional salt, use unsalted butter. If you are using salted butter, omit the salt from the recipe.
Make sure to use Kosher salt when the recipe calls for salt in the recipe. Remember that table salt is to be used at the table for seasoning. Sea salt and Kosher salt is to be used in your baking and cooking.
If your dough seems a bit sticky, place the bowl into the fridge or freezer for 10 – 15 minutes so it can chill.
Do not let the cookies over bake or you will not have the sugar cookie texture you are looking for.
If you aren’t a fan of the lemonade powder, you could also roll the cookies in sanding sugar, top them with turbinado sugar, or roll them in powdered sugar. Or you can leave them plain if you prefer.
These cookies aren’t overly sweet and go perfectly with a cup of tea or a cup of hot coffee.
To store, keep in an airtight container on the counter for two to three days, however, they won’t last that long!
To freeze, place them in a freezer-safe container, separated by parchment paper, for up to two months. Then to enjoy them, place them on the counter to thaw at room temperature, then enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Yield
36Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 80Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 12mgSodium 64mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 0gSugar 8gProtein 1g
