These easy lemon crinkle cookies come together in one bowl and have a bright, zesty flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Their signature powdered sugar crinkle effect makes them such a simple, yet stunning cookie recipe!
Crinkle cookies are extremely underrated, in my opinion. They come together in one bowl, require just a whisk (no stand mixer necessary!), and bake up into the softest texture with a beautiful crinkle design. How could you not be obsessed with a cookie like that?!
Well, clearly I am, because on top of these lemon crinkle cookies, we have Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies AND Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies.
For more lemon desserts, try Small Batch Lemon Bars, Lemon Curd Cookies, and Lemon Meringue Cupcakes.
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Why you'll love these lemon crinkle cookies
- Melt-In-Your-Mouth Texture: Just like any good crinkle cookie, these beauties truly melt in your mouth with each bite!
- Beautiful Signature Cracks: I'm always a fan of desserts that look naturally beautiful, and this cookie recipe is one of them! A batch of these citrus treats are sure to impress :).
- Bright Lemon Flavor: Thanks to the zest of two lemons and a touch of fresh lemon juice (never lemon extract), these cookies are packed with bright lemony goodness. The lemon also gives these cookies a gorgeous natural light yellow hue, so no need to add any yellow food coloring!
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: Use a high quality unbleached all-purpose flour for best overall results!
- Leavener: Since these cookies have more of a dense, almost fudgy texture, you'll add baking powder instead of baking soda.
- Sugars: You'll need granulated sugar for the cookie dough and powdered sugar for rolling.
- Oil: I recommend using a neutral oil, such as light tasting extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil.
- Eggs: Bring your egg to room temperature quickly by placing it in a bowl of warm water.
- Lemon: For maximum lemon flavor, both lemon juice and zest are added to the cookie dough. Be sure to rub the zest of two lemons with the sugar to release the oils!
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Baking
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make these lemon cookies! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
STEP 2: Rub sugar & lemon zest together. In a large bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub them together with your fingers until the it resembles wet sand and the zest smells aromatic.
STEP 3: Whisk in the wet ingredients. Whisk in the lemon juice, oil, egg, and vanilla until fully combined.
STEP 4: Fold in the dry ingredients. Gently fold the flour mixture into the wet until just combined. Do not over-mix! Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for at least one hour or overnight.
STEP 5: Scoop the cookie dough. Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough.
STEP 6: Roll in powdered sugar. Roll each cookie dough ball in the powdered sugar.
STEP 7: Bake. Place cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet spaced 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies for about 8-10 minutes or until puffed up and cracked.
STEP 8: Enjoy. Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before removing. Enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- Chill the cookie dough. To ensure the cookie dough thickens up to the right consistency, don't skip the chill time!
- Use a cookie scoop. Use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the cookie dough into equally sized cookies!
Recipe FAQs
I found that oil results in a more soft & moist cookie! You can use any neutral oil, but my go-to is always extra light tasting olive oil. This also makes these cookies naturally dairy free!
No! The soft cookie dough needs to chill for at least one hour so it has time to firm up and develop a deeper flavor. I recommend chilling it overnight! It will also make the dough easier to handle and ensure that they bake up into thick cookies, rather than spreading too much.
I have not personally tested this, but I don't see why not! I think orange zest and fresh orange juice would be delicious in these crinkle cookies!
Room Temperature: Store these crinkle cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: For long term storage, place the baked cookies in a freezer ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other cookie recipes to try
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 210 g (1 ¾ cup) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 174 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 24 g (2 tablespoon) lemon juice
- 50 g (¼ cup) neutral oil
- 1 large egg, room temp
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 56 g (½ cup) powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub them together with your fingers until the it resembles wet sand and the zest smells aromatic. Whisk in the lemon juice, oil, egg, and vanilla until fully combined.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Do not over-mix!
- Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for at least one hour or overnight.
- When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and roll in the powdered sugar.
- Place cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet spaced 1 inch apart.
- Bake the cookies for about 8-10 minutes or until puffed up and cracked.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before removing.
Notes
- Chill the cookie dough. To ensure the cookie dough thickens up to the right consistency, don't skip the chill time!
- Use a cookie scoop. Use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the cookie dough into equally sized cookies!
Samantha says
I made these for Christmas cookie boxes and many people asked for the recipe! One recipient even said it was her favourite cookie she had ever tried.
Sarah says
These were delicious! Great summer cookie recipe. I made these twice in one week they were so good!