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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

  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 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).
    3/4 cup 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