Lemon Sugar Cookies Recipe
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Lemon sugar cookies recipe taste like you’ve taken a big bite out of summer! So fresh and delicious, it’ll become a favorite!
I always love bright, citrus flavors, especially in the summertime. Lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, I can’t seem to get enough of them! Add them to a cookie and you better believe I’m all about it!
I’ve been making this lemon version of my sugar cookie recipe for years and years and every time I take them to an event or to friends, I’m asked for the recipe and how to make them. They are packed full of so much lemon flavor!
So, if you love citrus flavors and sugar cookies, then this recipe is definitely one you are going to love! They are perfect for summer entertaining or enjoying with your family.
The secret really comes down to the lemon in the cookie and then rolling them in lemon sugar. It makes for the perfect citrus-y cookies in my opinion!
Here’s my Lemon Sugar Cookies recipe. I hope you love them!
Lemon Sugar Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups (297 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large (50 g) egg
- 2 1/4 cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons (24 g) lemon zest, 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) lemon juice, 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup (56 g) lemon sugar recipe , for rolling cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
- Cream together butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and mix until well-combined.
- Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Allow to sit for about 3 minutes to allow lemon flavor to develop.
- Scoop cookie dough by the tablespoon full and roll into a ball.
- Add lemon sugar to a large bowl for rolling cookie dough in before baking. Place each ball of cookie dough into the bowl of lemon sugar and roll to coat well. Place cookie dough onto baking sheet, spacing about 1 1/2-inches to 2 inches apart. Lightly press each cookie down. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Robyn,
Bravo! Wonderful recipe. I baked these lemon cookies with my son tonight who loves all things lemon. We followed the directions exactly and they baked perfectly. These will be a staple in our cookie recipe war chest. Many thanks!
Barbie
Thanks so much Barbie! Glad you enjoyed them! xo
Based on comments, i did doctor up…1) added extra 1/4 c flour, 2) in addition to juice of one lemon (which was ~3tbs), I added 1/2tsp lemon extract (i also only had 1 lemon, so didnt hv zest of 2), 3) used baking soda instead of powder. Results: still flatter cookies than expected; but really good…crisp edges, chewy middle good lemon flavor.
Theese are perfect! I made them for the first time on a gloomy winter day, added a pinhead of yellow color paste. They lit up the whole table and everybody loves them. I have made my lemonsugar with ground, dried lemon peel, and i make lime-, orange- ang strawberry sugar which i great in plain cookies.
Aren’t these cookies amazing?! I’m so happy you and your friends enjoy them as much as we do! Thanks so much Mette! xo
I made mine dye free and they were a huge hit… Even with my all natural friends. They were easy to make and since I was hurrying I made my lemon sugar with lemon juice instead of zest and added sugar until you could roll cookies in it. I also add 1/4 tsp of lemon extract as I didn’t zest and people have been raving over these cookies. The down side. I am requested to bring cookies 2x month to church lol. Thank you! I did notice the first time when I microwave softened butter they were flatter than when I softened the butter by leaving it out. This recipe is the best!!! I also made them with just sugar to be rolled in and they were still awesome!!
Isn’t it a good feeling when everybody raves over your baking, Michelle?! I’m so happy you enjoy these cookies! You are correct about the butter – when it is too warm, the cookies tend to be flatter and they roll up better with cooler butter. I have more sugar cookie recipes that you may enjoy too – my Chewy Sugar Cookies and my Chocolate Sugar Cookies.
Thanks! xo
How do you make lemon sugar?
Hi Phyllis,
Here’s my Lemon Sugar recipe. Hope you enjoy these!
AMAZING!
Where is the lemon sugar recipe for rolling the dough balls?
Hi Ruth,
Here’s the Lemon Sugar recipe. I am sorry it wasn’t easy to find – I will correct that in the recipe. I hope you enjoy the cookies! xo
I had high hopes for these cookies as I made the sugar version last week and they were the most perfect sugar cookies I’ve probably every made. These came out really greasy and stuck to the pan, and I guess flat like others were saying. When I made the sugar cookies, I didn’t beat them anywhere near the 3 minutes in the recipe but I tried it this time so maybe that was the problem. They tasted pretty good.
I’m glad you enjoyed the sugar cookies and sorry these didn’t turn out for you Sherrie. I can’t be sure what happened unless your butter got too warm. I’ve never had an issue with these cookies. Thanks!
First time I made them I forgot to take the butter out the night before and ended up using melted instead of softened. The batch rolled in the zest sugar can out very crunchy even if i took them out after 8min.
The other batch I mixed real honey with lemon juice and brushed them, they came out sooooo soft and nice. I sprinkled them with powdered sugar after.
The cookies turned out flat and super chewy . I added more flour and refrigerated the dough and that helped. It just seems like the recipe is not complete. The flavor was good.
For those whose cookies come out flat and/or tough and crunchy, when mixing the butter and flour mixture, don’t run a mixer on high speed or even medium. It would be better to hand mix these and make sure you don’t mix it to the point the butter melts. The idea is a fluffy and light mix, not a runny oily mess. Adding flour to this will only compound the mischief. Also make sure the baking powder is fresh as well as the flour. The flavor is enhanced by letting it sit, I had the best luck putting it into the fridge for 10 min to let the zest leech. This also allows it to rise a bit. When rolling the balls, it’s the same idea, LIGHTLY roll into a ball, don’t roll it tight. Gently mash it down a bit. It doesn’t have to be mashed into finished shape, just a little bit of flattening. Hope it comes out well for you all. It really is about the technique more than the recipe being defective. The author has made these for years and has a subconscious “feel” for it. It’s hard to convey that in the recipe.
Thanks so much for adding your tips on what works for you too! I’m happy you enjoy them and appreciate you taking the time to share your method so that might help someone else. xo