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
These were incredible. Amazing texture and flavor!
Thank you, Ann. So happy you liked them.
Hello Robyn. I’ve been reviewing lemon sugar cookie recipes on the web and yours is the best one out of at least 20 that I have reviewed. I like that you use lemon and zest, not extract. I can already tell these will be delicious. Your lemon sugar recipe is not only going to be a yummy finish for the cookies but a beautiful addition to brewed sweet-tea when I rim the glasses and add a sprig of mint. I love recipes with history, so thank you for sharing yours. These will be dessert after Sunday dinner tomorrow and I can’t wait!
Thank you, Loralei. I hope everyone loved the cookies. I love your idea of rimming the tea glasses with the lemon sugar. xo
Hi I made these today they are delicious tho they could be a little more lemony but I could add extract to fix that they turned out perfect and I even forgot to add the vanilla
Made these cookies and they turned out wonderfully!! Not flat, full of flavor and simple. The lemon sugar gives the cookie a nice crisp to the outside too. So yum!
Thank you, Autumn. I’m so glad these cookies were a hit with you.
Absolutely love this recipe! One of my new favourites. So much flavour. Don’t be afraid to add more lemon than you might think. There really is no such thing as too much lemon in my opinion.
Thanks, Kain. So glad you like these cookies. Enjoy!
I’m a chocolate girl, so OF COURSE my husband is a fruit guy! 😉 & since it’s Xmas, I thought I’d make a dessert for him. He loves lemon cakes (& Joffrey). I have the added complication of him being GF. So I did have to used my own flour blend & b/c it’s GF dough, let it sit in the fridge for 30 mins B4 shaping & this recipe turned out really well! I was surprised by the amount of flavor. The fresh lemon zest gives the cookie a brightness. We’ll definitely B adding it to the rotation. Thx!
Rachel, I’m glad this recipe worked so well for your husband’s need for gluten free and his love of lemon. Thank you!
Do these freeze well? Has anyone frozen them or have suggestions? Thank you.
These cookies do freeze well, Susan. Scoop dough by the tablespoon and roll into a ball and place onto a parchment covered baking sheet. Cover and place in the freezer for 1 hour or until the dough is frozen. Remove from the freezer and place the cookie mounds into airtight containers or freezer bags. Label the bag with the date and name of the cookies.
When you are ready to bake the cookies, remove the container from the freezer. Remove the number of cookies from the container that you wish to bake and place them in the refrigerator to thaw. Once the dough has thawed, roll the balls in the lemon sugar and place them at least 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake as directed in your recipe but you will probably need to add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.
Hi Robyn,
I made this recipe yesterday and I have to say, I read the comments above and I was a bit nervous about trying it. I am not what you would call a professional baker by any means but I do pretty well. With that said, I dove right in because I thought to myself that I don’t usually have issues with cookie dough. And boy am I glad that I went for it because they came out perfect and incredibly delicious. I added a cup of White Chocolate, 1/4 teaspoon of Lemon Extract to the dough and a little bit more of the Lemon Zest to both the dough and the Lemon Sugar. I plan on making these cookies for our family reunion end of June but I might make them again sooner because my husband loved them !! Thank you for sharing ✌
Definitely a Five Star rating 😋✌
Hi Esther,
I’m so glad you tried this recipe and loved it. It is one of my family’s favorites, too. Sounds delicious with the additions you made. Thanks.
Made these with Gluten Free flour (King Arthur brand) and little Meyer lemons we had grown on our little indoor tree. Â Was generous with the lemon juice, and since they have such a thin skin and can’t be zested, simply finely chopped the peel and added in place of the zest. Â Was a little generous with the lemon juice, and let the batter sit a few minutes before rolling (since GF flour is slower to absorb moisture) but otherwise no changes. Â Cooked for 15 minutes (GF flour doesn’t tend to golden up the way wheat flour does) and they were incredible. Â Crisp on the outside and slightly chewy in the center – everyone loved them. Â Thanks for such a great recipe!
Thanks so much Roger!
First time making lemon cookies but not the last. Yum. I made an icing that I use on my butter cookies and used lemon juice and a hint of vanilla. Great finish to these if you’re looking for a tart lemon flavor. I ate 6 today and killed my diet. Grandkids finished them all off after school. Left a few un-iced and they loved those also. Thanks for sharing this recipe
Glad you liked them, Donna! xo