Just like chocolate crinkle cookies, these lemon crinkle cookies are soft-baked and chewy, coated in confectioners’ sugar, and practically melt in your mouth. Lemon lovers will appreciate that the zingy flavor comes from real fresh lemon, not extract. I call them “very lemon” because there is so much natural lemon flavor!
One reader, Marcia, commented: “Goodbye, favorite bakery. Hello, Sally’s Very Lemon Crinkle Cookies! These are quite possibly the best cookies I have ever baked. Thank you so very much for sharing your recipe. I think I might try this with orange or lime, too. ★★★★★“
I always love a variety of flavors on my assorted holiday cookie platter, and especially like to throw in something unexpected among classics like gingerbread cookies and peanut butter blossoms. In previous years, little lemon coconut drop cookies and apricot thumbprint cookies have been favorites! Today, I’m introducing a zesty (and festive looking!) sweet-tart lemon cookie to your annual lineup of Christmas cookies.
Here’s Why You’ll Love These Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Mouth-watering sweet-tart flavor
- Uses more lemon than other lemon cookie recipes
- No food coloring, no artificial flavoring
- Thick and pillow-soft
- Built-in beauty from the crinkly confectioners’ sugar coating—no icing or decorating
- Warm from the oven, these melt in your mouth
- Feel free to replace the lemon with another citrus fruit, or try using Meyer lemons
Like Chocolate, But With Lemon
Have you made chocolate crinkle cookies, Nutella crinkle cookies, or even chocolate raspberry crinkles before? Like the chocolate version, these lemon crinkle cookies are also thick and soft-baked, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and iconic crinkle surface… but with the fresh flavor of citrus. Unlike these lemon ginger cookies or lemon coconut shortbread cookies, there’s no competing flavor today. This is a purely lemon-flavored cookie, and it’s sure to become a new favorite, no matter the time of year.
Why is it called a crinkle? While snowball cookies and peppermint snowball cookies get their sugar-snow dip after baking, crinkle cookies get a roll in confectioners’ sugar before baking. As the cookies bake, the powdery sugar coating cracks apart as the cookies puff up, leaving a crinkled surface. Hence the cute crinkle name.
What You Need & Why (Ingredients)
The recipe is based off of my coconut lime cookies, and you’ll be happy to find 1/4 cup (60ml) of lemon juice in the dough. Typical lemon cookies have half that amount. Get ready for flavor! Here are some key points about the ingredients you need:
- Flour: All-purpose flour provides the structure of these cookies.
- Cornstarch: The same magic ingredient for softness we use in chewy chocolate chip cookies; you only need a touch and it helps keep the cookies soft.
- Baking Soda: Makes the cookies puff up in the oven, creating that signature crinkle look.
- Salt: Brings out the flavors and balances the sweet.
- Butter: You need proper room temperature butter for this cookie dough, so it will cream nicely with the sugar. If you’re interested in learning more about this crucial step, here is my tutorial on how to cream butter and sugar.
- Sugar: Just the right amount to balance the tangy lemon.
- Egg: Binds the dough together.
- Lemon Juice: I recommend fresh lemon juice for the best flavor, but you can use bottled lemon juice in a pinch. Here is a wonderful juicer if you don’t have one and need a recommendation. And make sure you have a zester.
- Lemon Zest: Zest the lemon first, before you cut it and juice it. Much easier than the other way around!
- Vanilla Extract: For extra flavor.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: For rolling.
In Photos: How to Make Lemon Crinkle Cookies
After you make the dough, you’ll notice it’s quite soft and fluffy. That’s totally expected, and the dough needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. I know it’s a long time to wait, but your puffy cookies will be worth it! Go ahead and make the dough the night before if needed.
After chilling, the dough is much easier to work with. Each cookie is about 1 Tablespoon (20g, 5/8 ounce) of chilled dough:
Roll very generously into confectioners’ sugar:
And arrange on a lined baking sheet, and then bake:
#1 Success Tip: Chill the Dough
Chilling the cookie dough for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator is a non-negotiable. These lemon crinkle cookies contain extra liquid from the lemon juice, so the dough is very soft and sticky. The colder and firmer the cookie dough, the less they’ll over-spread. As you might remember from baking these chewy chocolate chip cookies, chilled cookie dough is not only easier to handle, it bakes thicker cookies.
Can I Use Other Citrus Flavors?
Yes! Try these crinkles with grapefruit, orange, or lime. You may also love these similar coconut lime cookies. Note that recipe has a shorter chill time because the dough is filled with coconut, which helps bulk it up.
Or if you can’t get enough lemon flavor, try my lemon thumbprint cookies and lemon shortbread cookies next. These lemon blueberry cookies are also favorites!
Their snowy exterior makes these perfectly festive in the winter months, but the zippy citrus flavor is refreshing year-round! They have become a favorite on my Summer Cookie Recipes collection page. I hope you love these too.
This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page.
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 35 minutes
- Yield: 40 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This citrus spin on a crinkle cookie is a lemon lover’s delight. Chilling the cookie dough is important because it helps the flavors to develop, prevents spreading, and makes the otherwise sticky cookie dough easy to handle. Make sure you have a citrus juicer and zester.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (225g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh or bottled lemon juice, at room temperature*
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest* (packed Tablespoon, it’s a lot of zest!)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Rolling
- 3 Tablespoons (35g) granulated sugar (optional, see step 6)
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Mixture will appear curdled and that’s ok. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Dough is thick, creamy, and sticky.
- Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this sticky cookie dough.
- Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. If the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. This makes the chilled cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Roll in sugar: Scoop and roll balls of dough, about 1 Tablespoon of dough each, into balls. (Each dough ball should weigh about 20g.) Some readers have had trouble with the confectioners’ sugar melting/absorbing into the cookie dough balls, so to prevent that, you can roll the balls in the granulated sugar first. And then roll each ball very generously in the confectioners’ sugar. If you want lots of confectioners’ sugar to show on the baked cookies, roll 2-3x in sugar! Place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 12–13 minutes or until the edges appear set and the centers still look soft. Tip: If they aren’t really spreading by minute 9, remove them from the oven and lightly bang the baking sheet on the counter 2–3x. This helps initiate that spread. Return to the oven to continue baking.
- Cool cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies will slightly deflate as they cool.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The dough can chill for up to 3 days, so this is a great make-ahead recipe. Baked cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls (that are not coated in confectioners’ sugar) freeze well up to 3 months. When it’s time to bake the cookies, remove them from the freezer and thaw on the counter for at least 30 minutes. Roll into confectioners’ sugar as instructed and bake.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets | Cooling Rack
- Granulated Sugar: 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons is an odd amount, but the cookies really benefit from a little extra sugar because of all the tart lemon juice.
- Cornstarch: If you don’t have cornstarch, you can leave it out. It helps maintain a thicker, softer cookie but test batches without it were still intact and delicious.
- Lemons: I usually need 1–2 lemons to yield 1/4 cup (60ml) juice and 1 Tbsp zest. Feel free to replace the lemon with another citrus fruit, or try using Meyer lemons.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
The cookies taste amazing! I
This is one of (if not the best) cookie recipe ever! It was extremely popular with my teenage grandchildren as well as everyone else that had the “privilege” of having one! I did share them very reluctantly. I am a completely cookie lover and keep cookies in my freezer always. The grandchildren love my freezer stash year round but especially at Christmas. Thank you for such a fabulous recipe! From a devoted cookie person and chocolate lover!
Hi Sally! Overall I love this cookie, but it’s got a crunchy texture when it cools- do you know what I could of done wrong?
Hi Claire, it sounds like maybe the cookies were a tad overbaked. If you try them again, take them out a little earlier. They’ll continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet. Hope this helps!
If cookies are crunchy but should be soft, put them in a container or baggie with one slice of bread. I have done this with white and wheat bread.
Check it after about an hour. Once they are soft, remove the slice of bread as they will continue to get softer.
Hello Sally I made the lemon cookies They are delicious I was wondering if I could put more lemon in the recipe The lemon juice and the zest If I did how much more If I did would they need to be refrigerated longer Just asking
Hi Renae, you could add more zest, but adding more lemon juice will add too much moisture to the dough. So glad you loved them.
You’re my go to for yummy baked recipes and I never had any issues. My family loves everything! This time, I followed the recipe as is until the chilling part – I chilled for 30 mins, then rolled out the dough into balls and chilled again for 3 hrs before rolling in granulated sugar, then confectionery sugar. The flavor was good but the texture was more cake-like and not chewy. What did I do wrong? Was it the chilling process?
That shouldn’t have made a difference in the chewiness of the cookies. How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post. Too much flour int he dough will make cakey cookies.
My new favorite cookie!!! These are so delicious and unique in flavor. They came out perfect with your recipe.
Hi! Can I substitute greek yogurt for the butter in lemon crinkle cookies?
Hi Robin, We haven’t tried that substitution. You’ll need a fat that is solid at room temperature so that it can be creamed with the sugar.
Made these for the Christmas cookie assortment that I gift to friends and family (I thought the lemon would be a welcome bright spark amongst all the richness). Boy howdy, are these cookies GOOD! Rave reviews from my giftees. We kept the extras for ourselves and every time we bite into one we say, “this is a damn fine cookie.” This one will stay in my year-round baking rotation, for sure. The powdered sugar stayed on the cookies through baking (I followed your suggestion to roll in granulated sugar first), but looked a bit odd. I dusted with a touch more powdered sugar after they cooled and it fixed the aesthetic. Another knockout recipe, Sally!
I love this recipe. But, the first time I made them they were super lemony. The past two times they’ve been sweeter and lost their lemon flavor. I followed the exact recipe. Any thoughts?
Hi Sarah, You could add more lemon zest or about 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract.
Made these cookies this year to zest up our holiday box and will be making them again and again. The lemon level is great for a crowd; for our at home version we added a tad more because we like to be punched in the face with zing – either way they’re phenomenal. The texture is beautiful and, while i love a classic chocolate crinkle, these are the crinkles of my future.
Also, these were fun to make with our young nieces because we tasked them with the sugar rolling and they had a lot of fun making a mess and getting them ready to bake.
I really enjoyed these lemon cookies! Perfect for gift boxes .
Excellent! Love these! Felt a tad bit time consuming with all the rolling but totally worth it. Great lemon flavor, soft.
My mom gave me over 100 lemons from her lemon tree. I was looking for every lemon recipe to use them up. This cookie was such a winner! My husband can’t stop eating them!
If using Meyer’s lemons, would you recommend reducing the sugar since they are much sweeter than normal lemons? If so, by how much? I’ve just discovered your site and I love it. I’ve already made your spritz cookies and they turned out perfect!
Hi Angie, we haven’t tested this recipe with Meyer lemons, but several readers have reported success with using them, without reducing the sugar or changing anything. If you try it, please report back!
Hello – with all of your lemon bakery recipes, could you replace and/or add lemon oil instead of lemon extract? If adding (in addition to), would it matter the amount or just say adding about 1/4, or 1/2 teaspoon would be okay? Or can you just use half the amount of vanilla extract, and other half lemon oil?
Hi Lee, a lemon oil will be much stronger than an extract so you’ll need to use less. Start with a few drops and see how it tastes.
These are SO good. Chewy, cakey, just the right amount of lemon and sweetness. I can’t stop eating them!
What would the difference be in using powdered sugar vs confectioners sugar ?
Hi Bonnie, there’s no difference. Enjoy the cookies!
I prepared exactly had written but the powered sugar was absorbed into the cookie? Should I chill after I rolled I the sugars?
Hi Alison, this happens, especially on particularly humid days. Unfortunately, we haven’t found the best fix beyond making the coating extra thick/heavy. Sifting confectioners’ sugar on the cookies after they cool does help though.
I made these over the summer and while everyone thought they were good, no one could taste much of the lemon flavor. I have lemon extract and would like to try again for Christmas. Do you have any ideas on how much lemon extract I should add along with the juice and zest? Maybe about a teaspoon? Or do you think it’s better to add a little at a time? I’m just afraid of over working the dough. Also, what your secret on keeping the confectionery sugar on so it will crinkle? Some of mine did and some didn’t. Thanks.
Hi Bella, You could add more lemon zest or about 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract. Enjoy!
I’m a little late for this but I whisk my lemon zest with the sugar in a stand mixer for like 5 minutes and just add it to the recipe when it calls for the sugar/butter cream stage. Super lemony. Also… cheat a little and double the zest.
Hmm, I followed the recipe exactly, cooled them over night and they didn’t stay as balls. Instead they melted flat in the oven. What did I do wrong?
Hi Kix, Here’s all our best tips for preventing cookies from spreading for your next batch.
Followed recipe to the letter and used granulated sugar with rolling process. Perfection. Looked fab and tasted amazing. Not too lemony just enough and perfectly chewy.
These are the best! Both my mom and dad, who very “get fruit out of desserts!” both say these are the best cookies I’ve ever made!
I tripled the lemon zest, and these cookies only had a faint hint of lemon. I salvaged them my covering them in a lemon glaze
am I able to make this recipe without the confectioners sugar?
Hi Allie, you could, but you’ll lose the crinkle effect on top. You might also enjoy these lemon cookies instead.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe! I used Gluten Free flour (1 to 1) and plant based butter for a gluten and dairy free option for our Women’s Conference at our church. They turned out so well! I followed the instructions exactly, using the substitutions. When my husband taste tested them, he said they were incredible!
Really wonderful recipe. Can you use gluten free flour here? Thanks
Hi Joni, we haven’t tested it, but let us know if you do!
I have a grandson who loves all things lemony, so I thought these would be perfect for him; however, I was disappointed that there is only a mildly lemon flavor. I followed the recipe exactly. How do I give them a stronger lemon taste?
Hi Beth, Because these cookies are naturally flavored, the lemon flavor will totally depend on the lemons you’re using. Perhaps the lemons weren’t very flavorful? You can always try increasing the zest a bit, or you could use some lemon extract for even more flavor. Thank you for giving these a try!
The recipe was easy to follow, but it didn’t have enough lemon flavor. I was expecting something quite tangy. I upped the lemon juice from 60ml to 70ml but all I can taste is the lemon zest. Texture was nice and crumbly though.
Turned out great! I was actually looking for a lime cookie recipe, so I substituted lime for lemon. Read reviews….and doubled the zest (just used all the zest from the limes I juiced), and instead of powdered sugar, I just rolled the dough balls in granulated sugar. They were perfect, served with rainbow sherbet!
These are ridiculously good! Light & crisp, soft in the middle. I added a bit more zest & made them a bit bigger – took an additional 4-5 minutes. Everyone went nuts for them.
Delicious. It was an experiment, but far too sweet for my palate. Since it got special mention in the blog pre-talk, I didn’t want to reduce more than 1 tbsp in the dough, in case it affected the overall consistency and mouth•feel. The question is, if I try again with half the sugar, will it still stand up the same?
I chilled half the dough while rolling the balls, and set each rolled ball on a dinner plate and back into the chiller as soon as it was sugar-coated. I believe that helped prevent any unwanted puddling in the oven. In future, I’d roll them half as big (bite-size) so it’s not such a commitment towards the sugar rush.
They look beautiful, btw – just like the ones pictured. Now THAT’s a seldom thang 😉
Thank you, Sally!
Hi Kimi, we’re glad the cookies turned out well for you! While you can certainly try reducing the amount of sugar, keep in mind that it plays an important role in the taste, texture, and spread of the cookies. We’d start by reducing a small amount and then adjusting further for future batches. Hope this helps!