Lemon Crinkle Cookies are soft, buttery cookies with a crinkle effect on the surface and a delightful lemon flavor. This effect is created by rolling the cookie dough balls in powdered sugar before baking. As the cookies expand in the oven, the powdered sugar pulls apart in this beautiful pattern.
In this recipe, I use lemon zest, lemon juice and extract, which adds such a refreshing, lemony flavor to these cookies. If you love lemons, you have to try these cookies. I’m a big fan.
Tools & Equipment
- 2 large baking sheets
- 2 silicone baking mats
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Ice cream scoop or 2 tablespoons
- Plastic wrap
- Silicone spatula
- Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
- Zester
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
Make Ahead: chilling the dough before baking crinkle cookies is mandatory, so the cookies are puffed instead of flat. I prefer to make the dough the day before and store it in the fridge overnight. You do not have to do this, but chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, unless you prefer flat cookies, then you can bake them immediately after mixing.
Freeze the Dough: if you do not want to bake the entire dough right away, you can roll the dough into balls and freeze on a baking sheet for about 1 hour, then store in an airtight container in the freezer. Just before baking, remove the dough balls from the freezer and proceed with step 7 of the recipe. Baking time will increase by 1-2 minutes.
Baking Sheet: if you only have one baking sheet, this is not a problem. It will take longer to bake all the cookies, because you should not place the dough balls on a warm baking sheet. Let the sheet cool between batches, otherwise the dough will spread too fast.
Step by Step Instructions – how to make Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats and weigh your ingredients.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter, sugar, and the zest of one lemon on medium speed until fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Add lemon juice, lemon extract and flour mixture and mix on low speed until smooth but slightly sticky.
Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 175°C /350°F. Sift powdered sugar through a fine-mesh strainer.
Remove the dough from the fridge and shape into small balls (about 30g per ball). Roll each ball generously in powdered sugar and place on the baking sheet.
Bake for about 15-18 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven, let them sit on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Storage: you can keep these lemon crinkle cookies covered at room temperature for up to 1 week and freeze them for up to 3 months. You can also freeze unbaked cookie dough balls for up to 3 month. No need to thaw the frozen dough balls before baking, just bake them for an extra 1-2 minutes.
My Summary for Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Difficulty: simple.
Taste: these cookies are deliciously light and refreshing. The use of lemon zest, extract and fresh juice gives the perfect amount of lemon flavor. The powdered sugar on top adds a nice sweetness.
Texture: on the outside, these lemon crinkle cookies are lightly crisp and on the inside, they are moist yet fluffy and tender.
PROS: they taste great and look so pretty. The dough is great for freezing into single balls, so you can have fresh cookies quickly when you need them.
CONS: the dough should be chilled for at least 30 minutes before baking, which means the prep time will be a little longer.
More “Citrus” Recipes
- Key Lime Pie
- Swiss roll: Lemon Cake Roll
- Loaf cake: Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Bundt cake: Lemon Pound Cake