Lemon Crinkle Cookies
These lemon crinkle cookies are seriously delicious! They are packed with vibrant lemon flavors and have a beautiful crinkled top with powdered sugar. Lemon crinkle cookies are definitely a favorite!
Servings: 16 cookies
Calories: 166kcal
Equipment
- Cookie scoop (1.5-tablespoon)
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- Large baking sheet pan
Ingredients
Cookie dough
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 to 4 drops yellow food coloring or as needed
For rolling
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar for coating or as needed
- ½ cup powdered sugar for coating or as needed
Instructions
Make the cookie dough
- Dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer, beat softened butter with ¾ cup granulated sugar over medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Turn down the mixer to medium speed, and mix in the egg and vanilla extract until combined. Then, add lemon zest and fresh lemon juice and mix until evenly combined, scraping the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients on medium or medium-low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl, until fully incorporated and no pockets of flour remain. Do not overmix. The dough will be sticky.
- Add about 3-4 drops of yellow food coloring and use a rubber spatula to fold in and combine. Do not overmix. Note: The food coloring liquid will look orange at first, don’t worry. You only need a few drops - if you prefer, start with 2 drops and keep adding more until you get the tone of yellow you like.
- Cover with plastic wrap (the plastic should be directly touching the dough) and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. The colder the dough, the better.
Assemble and bake
- Once the dough has fully chilled for at least 2 hours, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Note: Depending on the size of your sheet pans and oven, you may need to bake these cookies in multiple batches. If so, I’d recommend placing the dough back in the fridge in between batches.
- Scoop the cookie dough into 1.5-tablespoons and roll with the palm of your hands. Tip: Use a cookie scoop for ease and convenience.
- Coat the cookie balls with a normal layer of granulated sugar (not too little but not too heavy). Then roll them on a GENEROUS layer of powdered sugar. In fact, I roll them in powdered sugar twice to ensure they are thoroughly coated.
- Arrange on the prepared baking sheet pan about 2-3 inches apart.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 11-12 minutes until crinkled on top and the edges start to turn golden brown. Let them cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!
Notes
- Important: Chill the dough for at least 2 hours or overnight. If the dough is not cold, the cookies will be flat and not crinkled.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Remember to let the butter soften at room temperature for 1-2 hours prior to using. Do NOT use melted butter.
- If you forgot to take out the butter, you can soften it in the microwave oven in 5 to 10 second intervals. Keep a very close eye on it so it doesn’t melt though!
- How to prevent powdered sugar from melting: The trick is to roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar first and then in powdered sugar. The granulated sugar acts as a barrier and creates crinkles.
- Make sure the cookies are generously coated and packed with powdered sugar. You can pack the powdered sugar onto the cookie dough with the palm of your hands. In fact, I coat them in powdered sugar twice just in case.
- Yellow food coloring: It won't affect the taste of these cookies - it just adds a vibrant yellow color. If you prefer, you can skip it but the cookies will look pale.
- Prep ahead: The dough can be made the day before and chilled overnight.
- Freezing: First chill the dough for at least 2 hours of overnight. Then roll into 1.5-tablespoon balls and refrigerate again for a few hours. Once they are very cold (so they don't squish together), transfer a freezer-friendly resealable bag and freezer for up to 3 months.
- Make ahead and storing: These can be made ahead and will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. Do NOT store in fridge, the powdered sugar could melt.
Disclaimer: Nutritional values (per cookie) are approximates only.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 55mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 192IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg