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Lemon Sugar Cookies
Table of Contents
These chewy lemon sugar cookies are perfect for lemon lovers! Soft and sweet with just the right amount of lemony tang, these cookies are sure to please palates. After just one bite, people are sure to want this recipe for themselves!
Lemon sugar cookies are simple to make. Bring the beautiful lemon dough together in less than ten minutes. Chilling the dough ensures a softer, puffier cookie, so be sure to not skimp on the chilling time. The butter in chilled dough takes longer to melt, and the longer the butter remains solidified, the less the cookies will spread.
This recipe yields a lovely lemon cookie with a light lemon flavor. They’re like lemonade in cookie form! For fans of a more intense lemon flavor, add extra lemon zest.
Lemon Sugar Cookies Ingredients
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Butter
- Cream cheese
- Sugar
- Vanilla
- Fresh lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Egg
Fresh lemons are absolutely necessary for this recipe. Both the fresh juice and lemon zest are used to give these lemon sugar cookies their signature, lemon-packed flavor. Additionally, the cream cheese in this recipe subtly adds to the tanginess.
Roll the chilled dough in sugar for an extra level of goodness. Or, if you prefer, sprinkle sparkling sugar on top of the cookies immediately upon taking them out of the oven. Sparkling sugar is a bit coarser and lends a bit of elegance to these scrumptious cookies.
How to Make Lemon Sugar Cookies
FIRST STEP: Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl
SECOND STEP: In a large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, and 1 ¼ cups sugar until smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes.

THIRD STEP: Mix in vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
FOURTH STEP: Beat in egg.
FIFTH STEP: Slowly add flour mixture, mixing in a little at a time, until just combined.
SIXTH STEP: Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
SEVENTH STEP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
EIGHTH STEP: Scoop sugar cookie dough into balls and roll in sugar until coated all over.
NINTH STEP: Bake cookies for 10 minutes, until edges just start to brown.
TENTH STEP: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and move to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Cooking Tips
Cream the butter and the sugar very well, until light and fluffy. This not only whips in air to give the cookies volume, but also ensures the cookies aren’t grainy.
Do not over-bake these cookies. They are best soft.
Try this recipe with grapefruit juice and zest! Tangy, sweet, and pink!

Storing this Recipe
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or freeze cookies for up to 3 months.
Lemon Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup butter , softened
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 ½ cups sugar , divided into 1 ¼ cups and ¼ cup
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- zest from 1 lemon
- 1 egg
DIRECTIONS
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl
- In a large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, and 1 ¼ cups sugar until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes
- Mix in vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest
- Beat in egg
- Slowly add flour mixture, mixing in a little at a time, until just combined
- Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Scoop sugar cookie dough into balls and roll in sugar until coated all over
- Bake cookies 10 minutes, until edges just start to brown
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and move to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Comments
Val says
Sorry forgot to to put stars on my reply.
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Val says
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