Soft Chewy Lemon Cookies (Printer-friendly)
Bright, zesty lemon cookies with a soft, chewy center and lightly crisped edges—ready in 25 minutes.
# What You Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
09 - 2 teaspoons lemon zest
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ For Rolling
11 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and packed brown sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
04 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until the flour is incorporated. Do not overmix.
06 - Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll each into a ball. Roll each ball in the extra granulated sugar to coat evenly, then place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
07 - Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still appear soft. Avoid overbaking to maintain a chewy texture.
08 - Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The texture lands perfectly between a sugar cookie and a shortbread, soft in the middle with just enough chew to keep you reaching for another.
- Fresh lemon juice and zest give these a brightness that store bought lemon extract simply cannot replicate.
02 -
- Overbaking by even one minute turns these from soft and chewy to crisp and disappointing, so set a timer and check early.
- Measuring flour by weight instead of volume changed my results dramatically and eliminated the guesswork entirely.
03 -
- Use a microplane to zest the lemon directly into the sugar and rub it together with your fingers to release every drop of fragrant oil before adding it to the batter.
- Chilling the rolled dough balls for fifteen minutes before baking helps them hold their shape and produces a thicker, chewier cookie.