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tray of sugar cookies topped with sugar and lemon zest plus a wooden bowl with sugar and lemon zest
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Soft & Chewy Lemon Cookies

My Soft & Chewy Lemon Cookies are a lemon lover's dream come true. With a rich, buttery texture and a refreshing, zesty triple-lemon-infused flavor, these cookies offer a perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. I dare you to try to eat just one!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 20 cookies
Calories 203kcal
Author Tawnie Graham of Kroll's Korner

Ingredients

  • 12 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp. lemon zest
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • 2 tsp. lemon extract (or 1 tsp. each lemon and vanilla extract)
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. cornstarch
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar, for rolling & garnishing
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. (Pro tip: you can rub the lemon zest and sugars together between your fingertips to help release the natural oils in the lemon and infuse even more lemon flavor into the cookies).
    12 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 1 tbsp. lemon zest
    two stand mixers one with butter, sugar, and lemon zest, the other with those ingredients blended together
  • Add eggs and extract(s), mix again.
    1 large egg, room temperature, 1 large egg yolk, room temperature, 2 tsp. lemon extract (or 1 tsp. each lemon and vanilla extract)
    two stand mixers one with butter and eggs the other with those ingredients mixed
  • Add the dry ingredients in a mound with baking soda on top.
    3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. cornstarch, 3/4 tsp. salt
  • Add the lemon juice on top of the baking soda, it will foam = activated.
    2 tbsp. lemon juice
    mixing bowl with dry ingredients and lemon juice bubbling with baking soda
  • Mix just until combined. Do not over mix.
    crumbly cookie dough in a silver bowl
  • You can refrigerate the dough now as is or scoop and roll into balls and then refrigerate. Balls will be about ~1 ½-2 tbsp. in size.
    left side is a bowl with cookie dough and a spatula, right side is a cookie sheet with scoops of cookie dough
  • Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  • Add about ¼ cup granulated sugar into a bowl and roll the balls in the granulated sugar.
    ¼ cup granulated sugar, for rolling & garnishing
    scoops of cookie dough being rolled in sugar
  • Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and place about 6-8 cookies at a time on a baking sheet.
  • Bake for 10-12 min. DO NOT OVERBAKE. These need to be very soft and chewy.
  • Swirl a cup around the cookies when they come out of the oven (while they’re still warm) to make them perfect circles.
    hand holding a clear up holding it over a cookie to maintain the circle shape
  • Rest on a cookie sheet for just 5 minutes then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. They will look puffy out of the oven but settle as they cool.
  • Sprinkle the tops of cookies with more granulated sugar for a sparkly look and lemon zest if desired.
    gold cookie sheet full of cookies topped with sugar and lemon zest

Video

Notes

  • If using salted butter, simply omit the additional salt in Step 3.
  • Store on the counter in an air-tight container for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 144mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 235IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg