Soft Chewy Lemon Cookies (Printable)
Soft, chewy lemon cookies bursting with fresh citrus; quick to make and perfect with tea.
# What You Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
09 - 2 teaspoons lemon zest
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ For Rolling
11 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium speed until the mixture is pale, light, and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until the flour is incorporated and no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
06 - Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll each into a ball. Roll each ball in the extra granulated sugar to coat evenly, then place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
07 - Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still appear soft and slightly underbaked.
08 - Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes to firm up, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The chewy centers will fool everyone into thinking you spent hours on these, but they come together in under thirty minutes.
- Fresh lemon zest and juice make these taste bright and real, nothing like the artificial lemon flavor from store bought cookies.
02 -
- Overmixing the dough once the flour goes in will make these tough instead of chewy, so stop stirring the second everything comes together.
- Underbaking by about one minute is the single best thing you can do because carryover heat finishes the job on the sheet.
03 -
- Zest your lemons directly into the sugar and rub it together with your fingers to release the essential oils, which intensifies the lemon flavor tenfold.
- Use a cookie scoop instead of a regular spoon so every cookie is the same size and bakes evenly across the tray.