Soft Lemon Sugar Cookies
No more bland citrus cookies! These are made with real lemon zest and juice to give them a bright and bold flavor! Recipe makes about 9-10 cookies from a 3-tablespoon scoop.
Servings: 9 cookies
Calories: 223kcal
Equipment
- Baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Electric mixer recommended
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Microplane/zester
- Whisk
- Spatula
- 3-tablespoon cookie scoop recommended
Ingredients
- 1½-2 tablespoons lemon zest about 2 medium lemons; add extra for a stronger lemon flavor
- ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar
- 1⅓ cup (167 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Wash, dry, and zest the lemons. Then, create lemon-infused sugar in a small/medium bowl by rubbing the lemon zest into the granulated sugar with your fingers. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and lemon sugar really well. Mix in the egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, scraping the sides as needed to incorporate all ingredients evenly.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ones just until the flour streaks disappear.
- Scoop and roll into smooth dough balls (I use a 3-tablespoon scoop). Place them on a tray (lined with parchment paper for easy clean-up) and chill uncovered in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F while the lemon cookie dough balls are chilling.
- Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake on the middle rack until the edges are just slightly golden (9-12 minutes).
- For perfectly round cookies, while they're fresh out of the oven place a biscuit cutter or cup with an opening slightly larger than the cookies around each cookie (one at a time) and gently scoot it around in a circular motion to bring the edges in.
Notes
Lemon Curd: To make these cookies extra lemony, carefully place 1 teaspoon of lemon curd in each center right after taking them out of the oven.
Storage: Baked cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days or in the freezer for 2 weeks. Cookie dough balls can be frozen for 1 month - follow baking instructions without thawing.
Nutrition
Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 128mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 343IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
