I love lemon desserts, so making these lemon crinkle cookies from scratch was a must. They’re soft, chewy, full of bright lemon flavor, and finished with that classic powdered sugar crinkle on top.
You’ll find the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Be sure to check out the blog post itself for extra tips and tricks!
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.
Most lemon crinkle cookie recipes I found used cake mix, but I wanted one made from scratch with ingredients I already keep on hand. After plenty of testing, I landed on a version that’s soft, crinkly, and full of bright lemon flavor.
I made these Lemon Crinkle cookies this past weekend, and they were a huge hit! So light and delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
- Jeremiah
A Quick Look at the Ingredients
Ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions are on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt give the cookies structure and help create that soft, chewy texture.
- Butter and sugar: Butter adds rich flavor, while granulated sugar sweetens the dough and helps create a tender cookie.
- Egg and vanilla extract: These add flavor and help bring the dough together.
- Lemon zest and lemon juice: These are the key ingredients for that fresh lemon flavor. The zest adds bold citrus flavor, while the juice brings a little tang.
- Yellow food coloring: This is optional, but it gives the cookies a brighter yellow color.
- Granulated sugar and powdered sugar for rolling: Rolling the dough in granulated sugar first, then powdered sugar, helps create the classic crinkle look as the cookies bake.
How to make lemon crinkle cookies
Step 1
Prep the oven and baking sheet. Preheat your oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Step 2
Cream the butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and 1 cup of granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the wet ingredients. Mix in the egg, vanilla extract, lemon zest, lemon juice, and yellow food coloring, if using.
Step 3
Combine the dough. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until the dough comes together.
Roll the cookies. Scoop about 1 ½ tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. Roll each ball first in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar.
Step 3
Roll the cookies. Scoop about 1 ½ tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. Roll each ball first in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar.
Bake. Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 14 to 16 minutes.
Step 5
Cool and serve. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
What are lemon crinkle cookies?
Lemon crinkle cookies are soft, chewy cookies flavored with fresh lemon zest and juice. They have a sweet, tangy taste, balanced with a light, 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:
Lemon Crinkle Cookies From Scratch
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 14-16 minutes. Remove from oven. Finish cooling on cooling rack.
Nutrition
Notes
- Rolling the dough in granulated sugar first, then powdered sugar, helps create that classic crinkle look.
- For best results, make sure the dough is at room temperature when rolling so the cookies spread properly.
- Don’t overbake these cookies. They should be set on the edges and still soft in the center.
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.
This post was originally published on April 10, 2017. It has been updated with additional helpful information.
Mercy says
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!
Tanya says
Thanks so much, Mercy! So happy you all like the recipes. I agree, they don't last long in my house, either. lol
Ada says
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?
Tanya says
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.
Sandra says
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
Tanya says
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.
Jeremiah says
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!”
Tanya says
Yay Jeremiah! So happy to hear that you all enjoyed these cookies. Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Ann-Marie says
Where did you find that wonderful mixer bowl?
Tanya says
Hi Ann-Marie, I picked this one up from Crate & Barrel.
JC says
They didnt krinkle like the picture? What did i do wrong?
Suzanne says
Thank you for sharing! This looks delicious!
Kathy says
This looks delicious… I do feel that there is one instruction missing in terms of adding the flour into the creamed mixture.
Tanya says
Hi Kathy, You are absolutley right. Thanks for letting me know, I've updated that instruction.
Christina says
I made these yesterday for a party and they were a hit! They came out light & soft, they were perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
Tanya says
Awesome! Thanks so much for letting me know. So glad you liked them 🙂
Laura says
Made these today, they are delicious, thanks for the recipe! I shared them on a cooking facebook group with a link to your blog 🙂
Tanya says
Thank you so much for commenting and sharing Laura 🙂
Svetlana says
Thank you for the recipe. It's easy and the result is delicious 🙂
Pedro says
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.
Oksana says
I love crinkle cookies! They look delicious!
Tanya says
Thank you 🙂 I love them too
Jordan says
These look so good! Love lemon
Supriya Kutty says
Wow... this is great combination. I have rarely seen this Combination. Thanks for sharing this along with its nutritional Values.