Lemon Sugar Cookies

Name: Lemon Cookie Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 2¾ cups flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 cup butter, (softened); 2 ounces cream cheese, (softened); 1½ cups sugar, (divided into 1¼ cups and ¼ cup); 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 1 lemon zest; 1 egg

These are the most delicious, soft, and flavorful lemon sugar cookies you could hope to bake!

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Table of Contents

Old Fashioned Lemon Sugar Cookies Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make Old Fashioned Lemon Sugar Cookies
How To Serve Lemon Sugar Cookies
Lemon Sugar Cookie Storage
You’ll Love This Lemon Sugar Cookies Recipe
Lemon Sugar Cookie Recipe FAQ
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Delicious and easy to make, this lemon sugar cookies recipe is baked from scratch to create a unique flavor. Our family is crazy about this old-fashioned classic recipe and thinks the soft and chewy texture with slightly crispy edges is hard to beat.

close up shot of Lemon Sugar Cookies stacked on top of each other

Old Fashioned Lemon Sugar Cookies Ingredients

Lemon Sugar Cookies raw ingredients that are labeled

Lemon sugar cookies are undeniably one of the most delicious cookies out there. The combination of citrusy lemons and sweet sugar creates a flavor explosion in your mouth.

With every bite, you’ll find yourself transported to a sunny day, feeling refreshed. The texture is just as perfect as the flavor – soft and chewy with a slight crunch from the sugar on the outside

You’ll need:

2¾ cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
¼ teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
1 cup of butter, softened
2 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1½ cups of sugar, divided into 1¼ cups and ¼ cup
1½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
zest from 1 lemon
1 egg

Substitutions And Additions

CITRUS: You could replace the flavor of lemon in this lemon sugar cookie recipe with other citrus flavors such as orange or lime. Just substitute orange or lime juice and orange or lime zest for the lemon equivalents.

How To Make Old Fashioned Lemon Sugar Cookies

Whip up the easy cookie dough for these cookies in no time before baking and digging in. Here’s how.

STEP ONE: Start by whisking together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

STEP TWO: In a large bowl with a hand mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter, cream cheese, and 1¼ cups sugar until it’s smooth and creamy. It should take about 1 to 2 minutes.

butter, cream cheese, and sugar blended together in a bowl

STEP THREE: Once mixed, you’ll add vanilla, lemon juice, and fresh lemon zest, and then beat in one egg.

STEP FOUR: Slowly add your flour mixture to the butter mixture, just a little at a time, until just combined.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

Do not over mix the batter. Over mixing can result in crumbly cookies.

flour added to the cream cheese mixture in a bowl

STEP FIVE: Wrap the bowl with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

PRO TIP:

Do not skip the chilling step, this is important to get the best texture for these delicious cookies.

STEP SIX: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

STEP SEVEN: Scoop dough into balls and roll dough in sugar until coated all over.

PRO TIP:

You can use your hands to roll the dough into balls, but a cookie dough scoop will keep your hands clean and help to form the balls into a uniform size.

scoops of sugar cookie dough dipped into a bowl of sugar

STEP EIGHT: Bake the lemon sugar cookies for 10 minutes, until the edges just start to brown.

scoops of cookie dough placed on a baking sheet then baked

STEP NINE: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes, and then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

How To Serve Lemon Sugar Cookies

Serve these chewy lemon cookies for a delicious snack. They also make excellent treats for friends, and coworkers, to take to a playdate, or bake sale. I’m sure they’ll disappear quickly, so you might want to make a double batch of these cookies. Or triple!

If you want a more decadent treat, try sandwiching the cookies with a layer of indulgent frosting. Cream cheese frosting, vanilla buttercream, or even lemon curd would all work deliciously.

These chewy lemon sugar cookies are always a hit on cookie trays or for family gatherings. For all those lemon lovers, you have to try our other luscious lemon desserts, such as our lemon lasagna, or the crowd favorite, lemon cheesecake bars.

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Make a double batch of these citrusy cookies and pop them in the fridge for a treat later. Here’s how to store them.

ON THE COUNTER: Once the cookies are completely cooled, you can place them on a plate and then wrap them tightly with plastic wrap.

IN THE FREEZER: Once the cookies are completely cooled, wrap your cookies in plastic wrap and then place them inside a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. This lemon cookie recipe will last for up to three months in the freezer if properly stored.

overhead shot of Lemon Sugar Cookies on a cooling rack with slices of lemon

You’ll Love This Lemon Sugar Cookies Recipe

The bright flavors of these lemon sugar cookies make for the perfect summertime cookie or treat for family and friends. Everyone will be asking for this perfect cookie recipe to make for themselves!

Can I use bottled lemon juice instead of real lemon?

Real lemon will give you a fresh lemon flavor, but you can use bottled lemon juice instead in these lemony cookies.

Can I substitute lemon extract for lemon juice in this citrus sugar cookies recipe?

Yes, you can substitute lemon extract for lemon juice. Since the lemon extract is far more concentrated than lemon juice, you will only need a couple of drops of the extract to replace the lemon juice.

Can I freeze these chewy lemon cookies?

You can freeze these cookies stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

What makes the cookies light and airy?

Both the addition of baking soda to your ingredients and refrigerating the dough will result in light and airy cookies.

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5 from 23 votes

These are the most delicious, soft, and flavorful lemon sugar cookies you could hope to bake!

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 1 20

Servings

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Ingredients

2¾ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1½ cups sugar, divided into 1¼ cups and ¼ cup
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 lemon zest
1 egg

Instructions

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, and 1¼ cups sugar until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
Mix in vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Beat in the egg.
Slowly add flour mixture, mixing in a little at a time, until just combined.
Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop sugar cookie dough into balls and roll in sugar until coated all over.
Bake cookies for 10 minutes, until the edges just start to brown.
Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Video

Notes

Do not over mix the batter. Over mixing can result in crumbly cookies.
Do not skip the chilling step, this is important to get the best texture for these delicious cookies.
You can use your hands to roll the dough into balls, but a cookie dough scoop will keep your hands clean and help to form the balls into a uniform size.

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Rhadonda Sedgwick Creative Director
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