Soft and Chewy Lemon Cookies — 🍋👏🏻 Packed with big, bold lemon flavor for all you lemon lovers! They’re soft, chewy and not at all cakey!
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Best Lemon Cookies EVER!
If you like lemon, you’re going to love these cookies. They’re soft, chewy, and packed with bold lemon flavor.
These easy lemon cookies pack a powerful lemon punch, they’re soft and dense rather than cakey, they’re thick enough to sink your teeth into, and I love that they’re crinkly.
For robust lemon flavor, I used lemon three ways: extract, zest, and juice. If you wanted to intensify that, glaze them and sprinkle with zest. I didn’t find it necessary, but you may.
Although there’s plenty of intense lemon flavor, the cookies are sweet enough that you’ll keep going back for one more. And one more. Good thing it’s a small batch recipe that makes one dozen.
Ingredients in Lemon Cookies
To make this easy recipe for lemon cookies, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Egg
- Lemon extract
- Lemon juice and zest
- Honey
- Yellow food coloring (optional)
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Baking soda
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Lemon Cookies
My daughter is a lemon fan like no one else. She eats lemon wedges like they’re orange wedges and reaches into water glasses for the lemon and helps herself. She’s loved these and asked when I’m making them again — high approval from my little lemon connoisseur!
Here’s an overview of how the soft lemon cookies are prepared:
- Cream together the butter, sugars, egg, and lemon extract.
- Add in the lemon zest, honey, and optional food coloring, followed by the dry ingredients.
- Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop the cookie dough into balls and chill for at least 3 hours.
- Once the cookie dough has chilled, bake until the edges have set and the tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center.
- Let these lemon cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
Recipe Tips
The yellow food coloring is totally optional. I used 1 teaspoon gel food coloring; add drops or gel to desired shade. One teaspoon gel makes the batter quite yellow, but it mellows slightly after adding the dry ingredients.
Be sure to add the lemon juice directly on top of the baking soda. It will bubble and foam, which means the baking soda has been activated and this is good — if your baking soda doesn’t bubble, it’s old and expired.
Don’t try to swap out the lemon juice for lemon extract or vice versa. You need both! When comparing lemon juice vs lemon extract, lemon juice has a less concentrated lemon flavor and is very acidic whereas lemon extract has a very potent lemon flavor. I like to use both for extra lemon flavor and freshness.
Recipe FAQs
To keep the cookies soft and dense, there’s a tablespoon of honey in the dough. Honey is hydroscopic (attracts water) so it helps the cookies stay softer, moister, and denser without turning cakey.
The 2 teaspoons of cornstarch help keep cookies softbatch-style soft. I’ve got 20 other cornstarch cookie recipes showcasing what a great little trick it is.
No, the cornstarch is what makes the lemon cookies so soft and chewy.
If you want to glaze the tops of these chewy lemon cookies, I’d recommend making my Glazed Cream Cheese Lemon Cookies instead. They’re super thick, so they can handle a healthy drizzle of lemon glaze.
No, you must use actual lemon extract to make these homemade lemon cookies. Do NOT use lemon oil and lemon extract interchangeably because oil is much more potent and intense.
Also, do NOT add extra lemon juice and omit the lemon extract. Lemon juice isn’t as strong in flavor and because it’s acidic it may alter the texture of the cookie dough.
Yes, you MUST chill the dough for a minimum of 3 hours. Do not bake with unchilled dough because the cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and will be more prone to spreading.
Yes, simply double all the ingredients.
Storage Instructions
Note that these soft lemon cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Can I Freeze the Raw Cookie Dough?
Yes! Roll the dough into balls and freeze. You can bake them straight from frozen, no need to thaw first!
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Soft and Chewy Lemon Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon lemon extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon honey
- yellow food coloring, optional and as desired
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- confectioners’ sugar for dusting or lemon glaze + lemon zest, optional
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars, egg, lemon extract, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, light, fluffy, and well combined, about 4 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the lemon zest, honey, optional food coloring, and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. I used 1 teaspoon gel food coloring; add drops or gel to desired shade. One teaspoon gel makes the batter quite yellow but it mellows slightly after adding the dry ingredients.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour, cornstarch, optional salt, and baking soda (keep the baking soda in a nice little mound rather than sprinkling it).
- Add the lemon juice directly on top of the baking soda. It will bubble and foam, which means the baking soda has been activated and this is good; if your soda doesn’t bubble it’s old and expired. Beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 12 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly.
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet).
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake or undersides could become too browned. Cookies firm up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
- Optionally, dust with confectioners’ sugar. Or, for increased lemon intensity, make the lemon glaze and then sprinkle with additional lemon zest.
Video
Notes
- Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Originally posted on August 25, 2014 and reposted on June 24, 2020 with updated text.
i refrigerated the cookie dough for like two days but they still came very flat and spread like crazy. any idea why?
Thanks for trying the recipe.
For my tips, please see this post
Go to this section that starts with: A few more tips and tricks for making the best chewy chocolate chip cookies:
Make sure you are using fresh baking soda, a Silpat, King Arthur flour is the best. With those 3 things I doubt you will have flat cookies ever again!
thank you!!! i used fresh baking soda. unfortunately im not american so i dont have that flour but ill try again:)
Ok I would say then just increase the amount of flour you’re using by a 3 tbsp or so to firm up the dough a bit more which will prevent spreading during baking. Best of luck!
Oh! these are scrumptious and chewy ! Our now fave lemon cookie. I didn’t have lemon extract so used 2 Tbsp of lemon zest and it worked great. Very lemony but not overpowering
I think the cream cheese really was the kicker for the soft and chewy .
Thanks so much! these delicious cookies will be on my to do Christmas Cookies from now on
Oh Oops! There was no cream cheese . I made so many cookies that day different kinds that I got the cream cheese part mixed up with another cookie I made
But anyway . I did make as directed exactly
Forgot to give star rating will do that. Happy Holidays!
Oh Oops! There was no cream cheese . I made so many cookies that day different kinds that I got the cream cheese part mixed up with another cookie I made
But anyway . I did make as directed exactly
Forgot to give star rating will do that. Happy Holidays!
Oh! these are scrumptious and chewy ! Our now fave lemon cookie. I didn’t have lemon extract so used 2 Tbsp of lemon zest and it worked great. Very lemony but not overpowering
I think the cream cheese really was the kicker for the soft and chewy .
Thanks so much! these delicious cookies will be on my to do Christmas Cookies from now on
You’re not imagining the cream cheese! I have two lemon cookies recipes that are both reader faves – this one (no cream cheese) but then these with cream cheese https://www.averiecooks.com/softbatch-glazed-lemon-cream-cheese-cookies
Either way, I am glad you loved the cookies!
Can a butter substitute be used if you can’t tolerate milk?
You could probably use a vegan butter sub like Earth Balance that’s intended for baking, although I have not tried it.
Cookies are way too big, more like a scone size. About 70 grams each. Bottoms are overcooked while middle is not completely cooked. Flavor is only ok.
If I substituted bread flour how do you think they would come? (All I have right now) Look good want to try
Fine. They will just be chewier. You may want to add 1/4 cup less initially than called for, mix it up, see how it looks, and add whatever you need of that 1/4 cup withheld because bread flour has more protein, it is a bit “drier” and often times you need slightly less.
I have made these cookies twice following the recipe verbatim. They’re a good, soft, chewy cookie – but honestly, the lemon flavor does not dominate as I’d hoped. I do add a lemon glaze which helps the lemon flavor, but I’m probably not making these again.
Wow, I just made these and they are so tasty! Soft, buttery, slight chewiness with a big lemon punch. I did end up making a lemon glaze to drizzle on top. I highly recommend this recipe and will be adding these cookies into my rotation. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, I just made these and they are so tasty! Soft, buttery, slight chewiness with a big lemon punch. I did end up making a lemon glaze to drizzle on top. I highly recommend this recipe and will be adding these cookies into my rotation. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad these were great for you and you’ll be adding them into your rotation!
These cookies turned out really well and were really easy to make. However, I don’t know what size cookies you are making to only get 12 out of the whole recipe. I probably made them smaller than called for, but I still got 3 dozen ‘normal’ sized cookies out of the recipe! To only make 12, it seems like they’d have to be gigantic.
These cookies turned out really well and were really easy to make. However, I don’t know what size cookies you are making to only get 12 out of the whole recipe. I probably made them smaller than called for, but I still got 3 dozen ‘normal’ sized cookies out of the recipe! To only make 12, it seems like they’d have to be gigantic.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad they turned out well and were easy! My cookies really aren’t gigantic IMO, like the size of deck of cards if that was a circle, like palm size. But glad you were able to get 3 dozen out of the recipe.
Any reason why refrigerating the dough couldn’t be done in the mixing bowl before putting them on the cookie sheet? I need to make six dozen so cooling the dough in the bowl would be a lot easier than trying to fit six baking sheets in the fridge.
Unfortunately, you may end up with rock hard dough in a bowl that you’re trying to chisel out, then it crumbles, makes a mess, not ideal at all. You can also really pay close attention to just how firm it’s getting to avoid this.
You can try one batch this way, see how it works for you, and then do it my way if your way is not working well.
I chilled mine in a plastic bowl without any issues.
loved these cookies I put them with lemon buttercream icing and love them request for them all the time
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