Are you ready for spring and summer? I know that I am! I had a sweets craving, and this Lemon Sugar Cookie recipe hit the spot for my sweet tooth!
Lemon Sugar Cookies Recipe
Here is a delicious, perfect-for-spring and summer Sugar Cookies with Lemon Zest Recipe! This light citrus cookie is perfect for baby showers, brunch, holidays, Easter, or any day of the week!
These soft Lemon Sugar Cookies are too good! They are the perfect mix of sweetness and citrus in a chewy delicious cookie. Something about lemons makes me think of warm weather and sunny skies.
Be sure to check out all of our cookie recipes! One of my personal favorites is this Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookie recipe!
Oh, my goodness, these are dangerous to have in the house. I can easily enjoy many of them while working at my desk.
I also love this Lemon Mascarpone Pie that looks delicious! It is fluffy and perfect for a party or family dinner.
Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of the simple ingredients needed to make epic Lemon Sugar Cookies! The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post includes specific measurements and step-by-step instructions.
- Butter
- White Sugar
- Baking Soda
- Cream of Tartar
- Egg Yolks
- Vanilla
- Fresh Lemon Juice (freshly squeezed is best)
- Fresh Lemons
- All-Purpose Flour
Optional - white chocolate chips, lemon glaze
Equipment Needed
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Measuring cup
- Spatula
- Hand Mixer or Electric Mixer
- Cookie Scoop
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper or silicone mats
- Wire rack/cooling racks
Preparation and Storage
Make Ahead + Storage: According to the USDA, refrigerated homemade cookie dough lasts two to four days when stored in a small, airtight container.
Freezing/How to Freeze: Also, per USDA guidance, you can keep homemade frozen cookie dough for up to two months before baking.
How to Reheat: Thaw frozen Lemon Sugar Cookie dough overnight in the fridge before baking it in your oven.
Recipe Variations
Substitutions: Freshly squeezed lemon juice produces the best flavor in this recipe. However, if you're in a pinch, you can substitute this ingredient with bottled lemon juice.
Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian-friendly!
Vegan Option: This lemon cookies recipe is vegan if you replace the butter and egg yolks with plant-based substitutes.
Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free flour to make this cookie recipe gluten-free.
Smaller Serving Size + Larger Group/More Servings: The written recipe makes 36 servings. Scale it up or down to your desired yield, and make sure you have enough cookie sheets to bake all the cookies!
Sugar-Free: The written recipe contains 10 grams of sugar per serving. Replace the white sugar with a sugar-free alternative to make it sugar-free.
Tips for the Best Lemon Sugar Cookies
- We recommend refrigerating the cookie dough before baking. Even fifteen minutes in the refrigerator produces thicker, chewier cookies that spread less than room-temperature dough.
- Don’t have a cookie scoop? An ice cream scoop also works fantastically at portioning out even cookies onto your cookie sheet. A spoon will also work in a pinch
- You can roll each cookie dough portion in sugar before placing them on the baking sheet if you want sugar-coated Lemon Sugar Cookies.
- You can use yellow food coloring if you want your cookies to have a yellow color.
What to Serve with Lemon Sugar Cookies
Make this zesty, classic homemade cookie a part of your favorite comfort food meal! We love the citrus flavors of oranges, lime, and lemons.
Here are some menu planning suggestions.
Sides: Funeral Potatoes, Air Fryer Popcorn Shrimp, Air Fryer Baked Potato, Jiffy Cornbread with Sour Cream, Sweet Potato Casserole with Canned Yams, CrockPot Bourbon Baked Beans, Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole, Loaded Mashed Slow Cooker Cauliflower
Main Dishes: Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole, Pizza Monkey Bread, KFC Famous Bowl, Hot Dog Chili, Cracker Barrel Broccoli Cheddar Chicken, Pepperoni Rolls, Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole, CrockPot Baked Ziti, CrockPot Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole, CrockPot Gumbo
Desserts: Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies, Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies, White Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies, Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies, Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies, Nutella Cookies, Lemon Butter Cookies, Butter Pecan Cookies, Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Drinks: CopyCat Chick-fil-A Frosted Coffee, Banana Milkshake, Strawberry Milkshake, Red Robin Freckled Lemonade, CopyCat McDonald's Sweet Tea, CopyCat Wendy's Frosty, CopyCat Starbucks Frappuccino, CrockPot Caramel Latte, CopyCat Sonic Cherry Limeade
When to Serve
- Snack time
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Family Gatherings
- Potlucks
- Tailgating Parties
Great Recipe Collections
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Cherry Pie Filling Recipes - These cherry pie filling recipes, which range from Crock Pot favorites to boxed cake mix treats, are made instantly with ruby red cherry pie filling in a can, but they can also be made with any quality pie filling you have.
Easy Lemon Desserts - Pucker Up for These Delicious Lemon Desserts! They are the perfect spring and summer sweet treat. The lemon flavor is so good.
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Do you love recipes? Check out our copycat recipes, dessert recipes, and our CrockPot Recipes.
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Lemon Sugar Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Butter softened
- 1 ¾ Cup White Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 3 Egg Yolks
- ¾ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 teaspoons Lemon Juice freshly squeezed is best
- 1 Zest from one lemon
- 1 ¾ Cup All Purpose Flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar for 30 seconds.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix in baking soda and cream of tartar on low speed for 10 seconds.
- While the mixer is low speed, add in egg yolks (one at a time) and continue to mix until incorporated. Stir in vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- One everything is combined, add in the flour ½ cup at a time and stir until all flour is incorporated. Do not over mix.
- Drop dough by the tablespoon on a parchment-covered baking sheet and (using your hands) roll each one into a ball. Cookies will spread during baking, so be sure to leave 3-4 inches between each one.
- Bake for 11-12 minutes or until edges are very slightly browned.
- Cool on cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes before removing cookies from the pan. (This will allow the cookies to finish baking by the heat of the pan.)
Kitchen Tools
- Cookie Sheets
- Parchment Paper
- Hand Mixer
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe originally shared on September 20, 2014. Updated January 2021
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