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Home » Recipe Index » Cookie Recipes

Lemon Crinkle Cookies from Scratch

Published: Apr 17, 2023 · Modified: Jun 10, 2024 by Tanya · This post may contain affiliate links · 24 Comments

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These lemon crinkle cookies from scratch are perfect for beautiful sunny days.

lemon crinkle cookies on a blue plate


 

This post contains affiliate links, please read my full disclaimer here.

The full recipe with ingredients/instructions is available on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Important tips/tricks are also included in the blog post.

I have a love-love relationship with lemon-flavored everything. I love lemonade, lemon meringue pie, and lemon cookies. So I decided that I had to make lemon crinkle cookies from scratch for the Spring.

My initial search for a lemon crinkle cookie recipe led to many recipes that used cake mix as a main ingredient. I have no problem with using cake mix in baking but that's not something I usually have on hand. On the other hand, I always have butter, flour, sugar, and lemons. Food coloring usually isn't a common ingredient found in my kitchen but lately that has changed. My macaron baking addiction has led me to buy lots of food coloring. Also, Easter is near and eggs must be dyed.

I think crinkle cookies are so darn cute. I had to do a lot of testing and research to understand how to get these cookies just the way I wanted, soft, crinkly, and lemony. This recipe does just that.

lemon crinkle cookies on a blue plate

So what's the secret to getting that crinkle powders sugar look on top? A few things. Make sure your dough is a room temperature when it is rolled. Most cookie dough is refrigerated for a bit before baking which causes the cookies not to spread. Crinkle cookies should spread; hence a room temperature dough works best.

Roll your cookies in granulated sugar first before you roll them into powdered sugar. The granulated sugar will get absorbed into the cookie while baking, allowing your powdered sugar to remain and not disappear in the baking process. A good crinkle cookie has plenty of nice baked powdered sugar on top.

What are lemon crinkle cookies?

Lemon crinkle cookies are a type of soft and chewy cookie that is flavored with fresh lemon zest and juice. They have a sweet and tangy taste balanced with a light and fluffy texture.

Can you make lemon crinkle cookies in advance?

Yes, you can make lemon crinkle cookies in advance. The dough can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Baked cookies can also be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How do you store leftover lemon crinkle cookies?

Store leftover lemon crinkle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. To keep them fresh for longer, you can also freeze the cookies in a freezer-safe container or resealable plastic bag.

I hope you enjoy this lemon crinkle cookie recipe as much as we do.

Looking for more Cookie Recipes? Try these Out:

  • Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
  • Oatmeal Lace Cookies
  • 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies
lemon crinkle cookies on a plate
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4.55 from 31 votes

Lemon Crinkle Cookies From Scratch

These lemon crinkle cookies from scratch are perfect for beautiful sunny days.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cookie recipes, lemon crinkle cookies, lemon crinkle cookies from scratch
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes minutes
Total Time 25 minutes minutes
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 111.8kcal
Author Tanya
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup butter 8 tablespoons, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1.5 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 dashes yellow food coloring optional
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl. Set aside.
  • Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla extract, lemon zest, lemon juice, and yellow food coloring and mix well.
  • Add flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until dough is just combined. 
  • Pick ½ tablespoons of the the dough and roll into ball. Place granulated sugar and powdered sugar in separate shallow plate. Roll cookie dough in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar. Then place balls on baking sheets.
  • Bake in preheated oven for for 14-16 minutes. Remove from oven. Finish cooling on cooling rack.

Suggested Tools

Stand Mixer
Baking Sheet
Baking Sheet

Nutrition

Calories: 111.8kcal
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Although myforkinglife.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will myforkinglife.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Pin Lemon Crinkle Cookies From Scratch

This post was originally published on April 10, 2017. It has been updated with additional helpful information.

More Cookie Recipes

  • Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
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    Easy 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies
  • Easy Lace Cookies Recipe
  • Chocolate chip pecan cookie recipes. Thin and crispy cookies with a chewy middle. Bake these and have them with milk.
    Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookie Recipe

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Comments

    4.55 from 31 votes (20 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Mercy says

    January 02, 2025 at 2:44 pm

    Ive made these cookies 3 times, the are dense but chewy. The sugar outside bursts with the lemon. They are so good and they hold up well, although they dont last more than 2 days. My sister in law said "These cookies have no business being this good". I converted the family into lemon cookies!

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      January 02, 2025 at 5:58 pm

      Thanks so much, Mercy! So happy you all like the recipes. I agree, they don't last long in my house, either. lol

      Reply
  2. Ada says

    March 05, 2024 at 9:37 am

    I love lemon cookies! Planning on making them today. Would you suggest I don’t let the butter sit out for too long so as to get the crinkles and how do you store once baked?

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      March 06, 2024 at 10:03 am

      Hey Ada, I usually allow mine to sit out for about 1 hour. I store them in an airtight container on my counter for a couple of days.

      Reply
  3. Sandra says

    May 05, 2023 at 11:29 pm

    These are nice refreshing little gems. Everybody at my quilt group enjoyed. Was disappointed that they didn’t crinkle or have the powdered sugar stay on top. Can you help? Is the 325 degree oven correct? Thanks Sandi

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      May 08, 2023 at 9:51 am

      Thanks Sandi! It is. I have a video showing how I make it as well. I've had this issue when my butter was too soft.

      Reply
  4. Jeremiah says

    April 24, 2023 at 5:38 pm

    I made these Lemon Crinkle cookies this past weekend and they were a huge hit! So light and delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    One of my coworkers said “I don’t know what your process was, but don’t change anything. These are addictively perfect!”

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      April 25, 2023 at 6:10 pm

      Yay Jeremiah! So happy to hear that you all enjoyed these cookies. Thanks for letting me know 🙂

      Reply
  5. Ann-Marie says

    April 17, 2023 at 5:22 pm

    Where did you find that wonderful mixer bowl?

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      April 18, 2023 at 11:10 am

      Hi Ann-Marie, I picked this one up from Crate & Barrel.

      Reply
  6. JC says

    May 08, 2021 at 3:16 pm

    They didnt krinkle like the picture? What did i do wrong?

    Reply
  7. Suzanne says

    January 11, 2020 at 4:58 pm

    Thank you for sharing! This looks delicious!

    Reply
  8. Kathy says

    November 21, 2018 at 6:42 pm

    This looks delicious… I do feel that there is one instruction missing in terms of adding the flour into the creamed mixture.

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      November 21, 2018 at 6:49 pm

      Hi Kathy, You are absolutley right. Thanks for letting me know, I've updated that instruction.

      Reply
  9. Christina says

    August 12, 2018 at 1:58 pm

    I made these yesterday for a party and they were a hit! They came out light & soft, they were perfect. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      August 16, 2018 at 12:34 pm

      Awesome! Thanks so much for letting me know. So glad you liked them 🙂

      Reply
  10. Laura says

    May 27, 2018 at 10:11 pm

    Made these today, they are delicious, thanks for the recipe! I shared them on a cooking facebook group with a link to your blog 🙂

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      May 30, 2018 at 6:39 am

      Thank you so much for commenting and sharing Laura 🙂

      Reply
  11. Svetlana says

    May 02, 2018 at 7:56 pm

    Thank you for the recipe. It's easy and the result is delicious 🙂

    Reply
  12. Pedro says

    April 21, 2018 at 4:42 pm

    Thank you for the excellent recipe! My daughter and I made them together, except we used limes instead of lemons. That's what we have here. They came out a little crumbly - didn't stay together too well. Maybe we used a little too much lime juice. Also I would diminish the amount of sugar to put in the mixed recipe since the cookies get covered in granular and confectioner's sugar before being cooked. They are quite sweet.

    Reply
  13. Oksana says

    May 04, 2017 at 8:42 am

    I love crinkle cookies! They look delicious!

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      May 10, 2017 at 7:01 am

      Thank you 🙂 I love them too

      Reply
  14. Jordan says

    April 11, 2017 at 8:22 am

    These look so good! Love lemon

    Reply
  15. Supriya Kutty says

    April 11, 2017 at 7:11 am

    Wow... this is great combination. I have rarely seen this Combination. Thanks for sharing this along with its nutritional Values.

    Reply

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Welcome to My Forking Life! Hi, I'm Tanya, attorney, busy wife and mom, and lover of quick, easy, and delicious meals.

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