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Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies

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These Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies are soft, perfectly chewy, and flavored with plenty of lemon zest and juice. Your family will love these bright sugar cookies!

Stack of chewy lemon sugar cookies. The top cookie has a bite taken out of it.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made these Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies in the past 10 years, but it’s been a lot.

I originally posted this recipe in 2010 after finding it on Rock Recipes and after 10+ years, I thought it was time to share them again with new photos and updated text.

These Chewy Lemon Cookies are simple to make and bursting with lemon flavor, which in my opinion makes them the perfect cookie for summer!

Ingredients for chewy lemon sugar cookies arranged on a gray countertop

WHY I LOVE THIS COOKIE RECIPE

I love citrus in my desserts and baked goods. 

Whether it’s lemon in Lemon Blueberry Bread and No-Bake Strawberry Lemonade Cheesecakes, orange in Orange Scones and Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake, or lime in Key Lime Pie Bars and Key Lime Pie Ice Cream…I love it all. 

And I really, really love my Chewy Lime Sugar Cookies. So you know I had to try the recipe with lemon instead of lime. 

Chewy lemon sugar cookie dough in a metal mixing bowl

And these cookies are so good! I might still prefer the lime version…but I’ll probably need to try them both again to decide for sure. You know, for science.

Now I love basically every type of sugar cookie. Decorated sugar cookies? Soft sugar cookies? Sure! 

But there’s really something special about a crinkly, chewy sugar cookie. Especially one that has a bright lemony flavor. 

I also love that you don’t have to let the dough chill before baking, because sometimes I just want cookies right now.

I had to give most of these cookies to a friend in order not to eat them all myself. 

Ball of chewy sugar cookie dough being rolled in granulated sugar

HOW TO MAKE THESE LEMON SUGAR COOKIES

To make these chewy cookies, you’ll need:

  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Zest of one large lemon, finely grated or minced
  • 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Chewy lemon sugar cookie dough balls on a baking sheet, ready to bake

Yep, you’ll use the zest of a large lemon and ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice in these cookies. When we go for lemon flavor, we go hard. 

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl and set that aside.

Beat together the softened butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, then add in the egg, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice.

Baked chewy lemon sugar cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet

Once the wet ingredients are well combined, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

No chilling required! I like to use a medium cookie scoop to portion out the dough, then roll the dough into balls and roll them in some more granulated sugar.

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, until they are just set in the center and barely golden. 

Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Overhead view of chewy lemon sugar cookies on a wire cooling rack

CAN YOU FREEZE CHEWY LEMON SUGAR COOKIES?

I love freezing cookies. They’re one of the easiest baked goods to freeze.

If you want to freeze the dough before baking, check out my tutorial on how to freeze cookie dough. Just roll the dough balls in sugar just before baking, after you take them out of the freezer.

Chewy lemon sugar cookie balanced on the rim of a glass of milk

If you want to freeze the baked cookies, layer cooled cookies in a freezer-safe airtight container with parchment paper between the layers or place them in zip-top freezer bags. 

Freeze for up to 3 months. They’ll thaw quickly at room temperature, so take them out a couple of hours before serving them at a party or grab a few whenever a cookie craving strikes.

Chewy lemon sugar cookies in a stack. A cookie with a bite out of it is leaning against the stack.
Chewy lemon sugar cookies in a stack. A cookie with a bite out of it is leaning against the stack.

Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies

Yield: 24-30 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

These Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies are soft, perfectly chewy, and flavored with plenty of lemon zest and juice. Your family will love these bright sugar cookies!

Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Zest of one large lemon, finely grated or minced
  • 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  3. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.
  4. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest.
  5. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.
  6. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.
  7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.
  8. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Notes

Adapted from Rock Recipes.

Nutrition Information
Yield 24 Serving Size 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving Calories 195Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 28mgSodium 115mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 1gSugar 17gProtein 2g

Did you make this recipe?

Tag me on social! I want to see what you made! @jamiemba

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Jessica

Monday 15th of May 2023

Made these for the first time, and while the flavor was heavenly, they came out flat and thin like pie crust. I know for sure that I measured everything correctly. Also, the dough was extremely sticky and near impossible to work with. Any ideas?

Jamie

Thursday 18th of May 2023

I'm so sorry you had trouble with this recipe! I have made them many times and have had many, many readers make them without this issue, so I'm not quite sure what might have happened for you. I hope you'll give them another try, though! Jamie

Chad

Sunday 30th of April 2023

Made these this afternoon and they were terrific. Cooked them for 15 minutes. Adding these to my regular recipes.

Jamie

Wednesday 3rd of May 2023

So glad you enjoyed them, Chad! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing. Happy baking! Jamie

Zach

Saturday 25th of March 2023

These truly hit home for me! I have been hunting for many years for a recipe like my grandmother's. These instantly took me back 30 years in the kitchen with her. Thank you for this recipe, now I can make the same memories with my children.

Jamie

Wednesday 29th of March 2023

I love hearing that! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Happy baking! Jamie

Ariel

Sunday 19th of March 2023

These turned out amazingly! As they are quite sugary I added a little lemon glaze of lemon juice, powdered sugar, and milk, to the top for an extra pop of lemon flavor…delicious :)

Jamie

Monday 20th of March 2023

Love the idea of adding a glaze! Thanks so much for sharing. Happy baking! Jamie

Leslie Boslough

Thursday 9th of February 2023

Can you make cut outs from this recipe?

Jamie

Thursday 9th of February 2023

Hi Leslie – I haven't attempted doing cut outs, but I don't think they would work very well – it's just not really that kind of cookie dough. Jamie

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