Old Fashioned Lemon Sugar Cookies
Sweet, tangy, and perfect for tea time or a delightful snack.
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 166kcal
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Baking Sheet
- Electric Mixer
- Cookie cutter (optional)
- Whisk or spatula
- Cookie scoop or spoon
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Lemon Sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Instructions
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Then, line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set this aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. Using an electric mixer, cream the unsalted butter and sugar in a large bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 3-4 minutes. Then, beat in the egg, followed by the lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Combine. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until just combined. The dough may appear crumbly at first but should hold together when pressed.
- Make topping. Combine ½ cup of sugar in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of lemon zest. Stir until evenly mixed.
- Form the cookie dough balls. Use a cookie scoop or spoon to shape tablespoon-sized portions of dough. Roll each dough ball in the lemon sugar mixture, ensuring an even coating. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Flatten the cookies. Using the bottom of a glass, gently press each dough ball to flatten slightly.
- Bake. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden. Avoid overbaking to keep the cookies soft. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cool and serve. Let the cookies cool completely before serving to settle the flavors and perfect the texture. Enjoy with a cup of tea or your favorite warm drink!
Notes
Fresh lemon juice and zest are essential for these cookies’ bright and tangy taste. Skip the bottled juice, as it won’t give you the fresh flavor you want.
Make sure to roll the lemons and zest them before juicing them! It’s easier to zest a whole lemon than one already juiced. A microplane grater works well for getting fine, fluffy zest that mixes nicely into the dough and sugar.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. They’ll be soft right out of the oven but firm up as they cool down.
Using room-temperature butter and eggs makes for a smoother dough. If you’re in a rush, you can cut the butter into small pieces and let it sit for 10-15 minutes to soften it. For eggs, place them in warm water for around 5 minutes.
To make your cookies even lighter, sift your flour before measuring it. This helps aerate the flour, resulting in a more tender cookie.
Add white chocolate chips or poppy seeds for extra texture and flavor for a fun twist. These mix well with the bright lemon taste.
Let the lemon sugar sit before rolling the cookies if you want an extra zesty flavor. This lets the lemon oils soak into the sugar.
If you enjoy a strong lemon flavor, add more zest or a few drops of lemon extract to the dough. Taste as you go to get it just right.
Nutrition
Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 246IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg