I love these Lemon Crinkle Cookies. They somehow manage to be light and fresh at the same time as being ooey gooey and rich. They are ultra soft and tender and perfectly under baked. The best part of all is that they are SUPER lemon-y. I do not mess around when it comes to lemon desserts! These hit all the right notes.

Close-up of a lemon crinkle cookie covered in powdered sugar, with a cracked surface and a bright yellow color. Blurred lemon slices and more cookies are visible in the background.

I love these cookies!

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Lemon Crinkle Cookies

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Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 30
Close-up of a lemon crinkle cookie covered in powdered sugar, with a cracked surface and a bright yellow color. Blurred lemon slices and more cookies are visible in the background.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, 1 stick
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest, from about 2 lemons*
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice, from about 1 lemon*
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted, for rolling
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest, to garnish baked cookies; optional

Instructions

  • In a large microwaveable bowl, add 1/2 cup butter. Heat in the microwave until it's melted.
  • Add 3/4 cup granulated sugar and use a whisk to combine.
  • Use a microplane grater to zest 2 lemons* into the bowl. You need about 1 tablespoon of zest.
  • Juice one of the lemons and measure out 1/4 cup lemon juice. You might be able to get this amount from 1 large lemon, or you might need 2 lemons.
  • Add 1/4 cup lemon juice to the butter and sugar mixture and whisk well.
  • Add 1 large egg to the bowl. (By this time, the melted butter should have cooled slightly. If it is still pretty hot, make sure you wait to add the egg so it doesn't curdle.) Whisk until smooth.
  • Add 1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour that you have spooned and leveled. This means you should spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level off the top. Don't stir in the flour yet!
  • On top of the flour in the bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Use your teaspoon to stir the baking powder and salt into the flour, making sure to get out any lumps.
  • Use a rubber spatula to combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Once all the flour streaks are gone and the mixture is well combined, stop stirring. Stirring cookie dough too much makes the cookies tough!
  • Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 45 minutes, or up to 2 days.**
  • When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 half baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.
  • Sift 1 cup powdered sugar into a medium bowl.
  • Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to shape the dough into 1 and 1/2 inch cookie dough balls.
  • Roll the shaped cookies in the sifted powdered sugar.
  • Place the cookies on a baking sheet or a plate and place them in the fridge or freezer for 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Roll each cookie dough ball in sifted powdered sugar a second time. This is the step that will make sure your powdered sugar does not dissolve into the cookie while baking!
  • Line up the double-rolled cookie dough balls on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silpat. I usually put 12 on a pan.
  • Bake the cookies at 350 for 9-11 minutes, until the cookies are set on the edge when you tap the edge with your finger, but there is still a tiny bit of shine on top. The shine on top should be no larger than a quarter. If the cookies are completely matte on top, they will still be good, just not quite as soft. Underbaking these cookies is KEY to getting the fudgy texture we are after.
  • Immediately after you take them out of the oven (seriously, don’t wait) use two spoons to gently push each cookie together. I just used two regular spoons, the kind you eat cereal with. Push the cookie together so that it comes up a bit in the middle, that’s how you’re going to get a soft, thick center. If you wait even just a minute after taking them out of the oven, the brown edges will start to crisp up, and you won’t be able to shape the cookies. Work your spoons all the way around the edges so that your cookie is a nice circle shape. Work quickly to shape all the cookies before they crisp on the edges. 
  • Sprinkle the hot cookies with lemon zest, if you want a little extra color!
  • Store cookies covered on the counter for up to 3 days.

Notes

*I like to use the zest from 2 lemons for this recipe. The zest is a powerhouse of flavor! You only need 1/4 cup lemon juice, which you can usually get from 1 large lemon. So if you want to just use 1 lemon for less waste, that’s totally fine, your cookies just won’t be QUITE as tart as if you used a full tablespoon of zest. 
**If you have chilled the dough and it has become quite hard, let it sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes before you try to scoop it. 

Nutrition

Calories: 88kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 104IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 88
Keyword: Cookies, crinkle, lemon
Did you make this? I’d love to see it!Mention @thefoodcharlatan or tag #thefoodcharlatan!

 I posted this recipe in 2012

Here’s what was going on back in the day:

I currently have a mound of laundry on my bed waiting to be folded. Putting it all on my bed is my strategy for getting it done, because then I have to do it before I can get in bed when the time comes. Unfortunately this strategy usually fails because I have no problem shoving my clean laundry off the bed to get into it when all is said and done.

But the real reason I am stalling to do it is for fear of injury. That’s right. Most people who injure themselves have a pretty good reason. Oh, you hurt your knee snowboarding? That’s cool. Oh, you threw out your back helping your friend move? That was sure nice of you. Me? Oh, I injured my shoulder folding my underwear. (Awkward silence.)

Seriously, I have no idea how this happened. Folding underwear! It’s not that strenuous! But somehow I twisted my shoulder weird and ending up with my face in the laundry, moaning in pain. What is it with me? Sometimes I think I should live in a plastic bubble.

These cookies have been all over the internet for a good reason. They are amazing. I had leftover frosting from these lemon cupcakes and decided to do a mashup. Best idea ever. It is lemony heaven.

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Comments

  1. I made these and they turned out as flat as pancakes! I wish you would have shared how many they made in your recipe, a lot of work and ingredients for only 12 sandwiches..

    Reply

  2. I relate to the laundry thing, in fact I have a pile on two chairs and the rest at the bottom of my bed covered up with a blanket. Thanks for the laugh!!! The recipe looks great too. I’ll make them for watching American Idol this Sunday!!!

    Reply

  6. As a kindred spirit when doing laundry (do the same things) o must make your cookies. Off to get lemons!

    Reply

    1. Haha laundry is just hard, right?? I haven’t changed. How were the cookies Pam? I’m so glad to hear you’re trying them out!

      Reply

    1. Hey Barbara! This recipe makes 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on how big you shape them. That’s individual cookies, not cookie sandwiches.

      Reply

  9. OMG! So making these! Is it bad that I’m bookmarking EVERY recipe? Does that defeat the purpose of bookmarks?

    Reply

  10. These cookies are truly amazing! My friends are still raving about them and I made them a month ago! I made only 1/2 the recipe for the frosting and I STILL had tons left over, so the next batch will be twice as simple to make! Can’t wait!!

    Reply

    1. I’m so glad you liked them Kerry! Good thing that frosting is freezable right? :) It’s a great excuse to make them all the time!

      Reply

  13. I love these cookies, especially with the yummy frosting. I have a question though. My cookies are not flattening out. They remain nice, little, rounded cookies. The taste and texture are perfect. I have been baking for over forty years, so I think my technique is okay but wonder if anyone has any thoughts on this.

    Reply

    1. This has been an issue for a lot of people. It’s never happened to me so I can’t give a tried-and-true answer; however, I’ve heard in reviews that this is probably a result of too much flour. So you could try scooping the flour into the measuring cups to make sure you aren’t getting too much. If you think that would still be too much, try decreasing the flour a tablespoon at a time. Hopefully this helps!! (Check some of the reviews over at Lauren’s Latest, where this recipe came from; some other people talk about this issue.)

      Reply

      1. Well, I spooned the flour into the measuring cups and still ended up with rounded cookies. I have so much of this dough now after three batches which all came out looking nothing like the photos. Weird.

        Reply

    2. My sister’s chocolate chip cookies always stayed ball shaped, while mine flattened like pancakes! I’d do anything to get mine to stay like that!

      Reply

  14. hahaha! if it’s any comfort, i threw my back out unloading the dishwasher once! i hope these incredible looking cookies brought some joy back into your life :)

    Reply