These soft and chewy lemon crinkle cookies are bursting with bright lemon flavor and coated in powdered sugar for a classic crinkled finish.
Why You’ll Love These Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Soft and chewy. Cream cheese helps give these cookies a rich, tender texture that stays soft after baking.
Beautiful crinkle tops. A generous coating of powdered sugar creates the classic crackled finish as the cookies bake.
Great for any season. Their bright lemon flavor makes them perfect for spring and summer, but they're just as delicious on holiday cookie trays.
Perfect for lemon lovers. They have plenty of lemon flavor without being overly tart or sour.
Ingredients
- Butter
- Cream Cheese
- White Granulated Sugar
- Large Egg
- Lemon Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Yellow Icing Gel
- Powdered Sugar, for coating
- Granulated Sugar, for coating
How to Make Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Add egg and lemon extract. Add 1-2 drops of yellow icing gel.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add to the mixer and mix until combined.
- Cover the dough or wrap in plastic wrap.
- Chill the dough for at least 3 hours. Any less time, the dough will be very sticky as it comes to room temperature, making it difficult to work with.
- Using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop mounds of cookie dough into your hand and roll into a ball. Roll the ball in a small bowl of granulated sugar to coat, followed by rolling it in a small bowl of powdered sugar. Place each ball on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Bake the cookies in the oven for 12-14 minutes, until set. Let cool for 1-2 minutes on the pan before moving to a cooling rack. Let fully cool before storing.
Tips for Making The Best Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Don't skip chilling the dough. Chilled dough is easier to roll and helps keep the cookies thick instead of spreading too much.
Roll in granulated sugar first. If you've had trouble with the powdered sugar soaking into the dough, be sure to first roll the dough balls in granulated sugar before coating them heavily in powdered sugar. This creates a barrier and keeps the crinkle effect more visible with powdered sugar.
Coat them generously in powdered sugar. A heavy coating creates those dramatic white crinkles as the cookies spread in the oven.
Don't flatten the dough balls. Let them spread naturally in the oven so the tops crack and form the classic crinkle pattern.
Avoid overbaking. Take them out when the edges are set, but the centers still look slightly soft. They'll continue to set as they cool and stay soft and chewy.
For a brighter yellow color, use a tiny amount of food coloring. A drop or two of yellow gel food coloring gives them a more obvious lemon appearance without affecting the texture.
Store them airtight. Once completely cooled, keep them in an airtight container so the cream cheese-based cookies stay soft.
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Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter room temperature
- 3 tablespoons Cream Cheese room temperature
- 1 cup White Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Extract
- 1-2 drops Yellow Icing Gel
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- Powdered Sugar for coating
- Granulated Sugar for coating
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Add egg and lemon extract. Add 1-2 drops of yellow icing gel.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add to the mixer and mix until combined.
- Chill the dough for at least 3 hours. Any less time, and the dough will be very sticky as it comes to room temperature, making it difficult to work with.
- Using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop mounds of cookie dough into your hand and roll into a ball. Roll the ball in a small bowl of granulated sugar to coat, followed by rolling it in a small bowl of powdered sugar. Place each ball on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Bake the cookies in the oven for 12-14 minutes, until set. Let cool for 1-2 minutes on the pan before moving to a cooling rack. Let fully cool before storing.
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