Soft Chewy Lemon Cookies (Printable)
Soft, chewy cookies bursting with fresh lemon flavor. Easy 25-minute treat.
# What You Need:
→ Wet Ingredients
01 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 large egg
04 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
05 - 2 teaspoons lemon zest
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Dry Ingredients
07 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
08 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
09 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Finishing
10 - 1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional, for coating)
# Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together using an electric mixer until pale, light, and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
03 - Add the egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Beat until fully combined and smooth.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until the flour is incorporated. Avoid overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
06 - Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. If desired, roll each ball in powdered sugar for a sweet frosted finish.
07 - Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
08 - Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are just set and the centers appear slightly underbaked. This ensures a soft, chewy texture.
09 - Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The texture walks a perfect line between pillowy soft and satisfyingly chewy, which is harder to find in a lemon cookie than you might think.
- They come together in about twenty five minutes from bowl to cooling rack, which makes them dangerously easy to whip up on a weeknight.
- The powdered sugar coating is optional but it gives them this slightly crackled, bakery style look that makes people think you tried harder than you actually did.
02 -
- The number one mistake is baking them until they look fully done in the center, because by that point they will be dry and cakey instead of soft and chewy when they cool.
- Adding a few drops of lemon extract along with the zest is a simple upgrade that makes the flavor significantly more pronounced without changing the texture at all.
03 -
- Roll the zested lemon on the counter pressing firmly with your palm before juicing it, because it breaks down the interior and yields significantly more juice.
- Measure the flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling with a knife, since dipping the cup directly into the bag can add up to twenty percent extra flour and make the cookies dry.