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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!
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!
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Zest of one large lemon finely grated or minced
- 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup sugar for rolling cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.
- Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.
- Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.
- Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I just made these lemon sugar cookies and oh my goodness are they yummy!
If you want to go for that extra lemon-flavored punch, add half a package of instant lemon pudding (just the dry ingredients in the box). The flavor and smell is delightfully zesty.
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hi Jamie! Love your site very much..
I made this cookies last night, but the batter came out very soft, couldn’t even hold a shape, sticky all over when I was trying to make it round shape. So I decided to put some more flour but seems it was not a chewy cookies :(. Followed exactly what was written…anything I made wrong? Or was it the butter I used?
Anyway the taste was very nice, my hubby and I like it very much. Thanks for sharing the recipes!
Ryanee-
Hmmm, that kind of stumps me. I have made these cookies too many times to count and I have never had that issue. Sorry I am not more of a help.
-Jamie
My batter was also extremely sticky and hard to shape without deforming. Also the cookies hardened to perfect chewy cookie consistency after sitting on the cooling racks, but later softened A LOT and started to fall apart. :(
Incredible taste though!
Hi, Julie!
Do you think I could roll this dough out and use heart-shaped cookie cutters?
Thanks for your help!
Christi
Christi-
I have not tried this method, but I almost think the dough is a bit too soft/chewy to hold a particular shape. Thanks for stopping by!
-Jamie
I baked these cookies, for the first time, last night, and they looked just like the picture advertised, and tasted even better! I was very pleased with the way they came out! I did substitute fresh lemon juice, with bottled lemon juice, and added a tsp. of lemon extract. They were like little chewy, lemony cake cookies, soooo delishhhh! I have always wanted to make a good home made lemon cookie, i’m glad i found the perfect recipe! I’m making more tonight for Christmas, they were so good, my family devoured them after Church this afternoon. I hope these ones last through Christmas Eve!!! Happy Baking :)
Oh, I’m so glad to have found your blog. I love chewy cookies and have searched for a lemon recipe for a long time. Even if you aren’t keen on them I will still give them a try. I’m going to add blueberry some way or another and have chewy blueberry lemony deliciousness. :)
LOVED the idea of these cookies! But no matter what i try, I can’t get them thick and chewy like yours. They always spread. I tried making them as the recipe calls, tried mixing the sugar and butter until just combined, tried melting the butter and mixing until just combined, even tried adding flour. Nothing worked. What am I doing wrong?
Rachael-
What type of butter are you using?
-Jamie
i had the same exact problem! they taste great but they’re just soft, not chewy
One word: YUM!!!!!!! I am not a coconut fan in the least, but lemon? Lemon just so happens to be my Very Favorite Flavor of all the flavors. =] A friend posted this recipe on her facebook page a week or two ago (with rave reviews!), and based on the description I knew I had to make some for myself. Yum, yum, and yum again!
Erin-
I am so glad you enjoyed them – thanks so much for reporting back!
-Jamie
I love lemon and so I love these cookies. I made one change. In the place of lemon juice and zest, I put a whole lemon in the food processor and zizzed it up and added it. YUM.
I made these on Easter Sunday for my fiance. I made some light lemon icing for them that I drizzled on and they were delicious. We had a couple and I sent the rest to work with him for his co-workers (otherwise we would have eaten every last cookie!!). Co-workers raved. Thank you for a great chewy cookie recipe!!