Soft Chewy Lemon Cookies (Printable)
Tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with real lemon flavor and a chewy texture. Quick and easy to make.
# What You Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
02 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
03 - ½ teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 1 egg yolk
08 - 2 tablespoons lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
09 - ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
10 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
→ For Rolling
11 - ½ cup granulated sugar (optional, for coating)
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale, light, and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Beat in the whole egg followed by the egg yolk, then mix in the lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until the dough comes together. Be careful not to overmix.
06 - Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll into even balls. If desired, roll each ball in granulated sugar for a sparkling coating.
07 - Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets to allow for spreading.
08 - Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are lightly set but the centers still appear soft and slightly underbaked.
09 - Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- The texture walks a perfect line between pillowy soft and satisfyingly chewy.
- Real lemon juice and zest give a flavor that no extract can match.
- They come together in under 30 minutes from bowl to cookie jar.
02 -
- Pulling the cookies out when the centers look underdone is the secret to that melt in your mouth softness.
- Overmixing the dough after adding flour develops gluten and turns tender cookies tough.
03 -
- Zest your lemons before juicing them because a halved squeezed lemon is frustratingly difficult to zest.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes if your kitchen is warm, as it prevents spreading and deepens the lemon flavor.