These powdered sugar lemon cookies are bursting with lemon flavor. These beauties are chewy and gooey, and the crinkle print of the cookies will make you fall in love with them.
We are just around the corner to welcome summers here in Virginia. Summer comes up with the zesty lemons that can be used in so many different ways such as Lemon Yogurt Cake, Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Blueberry Cake with Lemon Glaze and Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies with Lemon Glaze. But today I am brining to you my famous lemon crinkle cookies or lemon cookies with powdered sugar. These cookies are easy to bake, have a golden bottom with a fudgy crumb bursting with sweet tartness of lemons and powdered sugar.
This recipe is a traditional and classic recipe with many different names – Lemon Crackle Cookies, Lemon Cookies with Powdered Sugar and Lemon Whippersnappers, technically they are all the same cookies. These classic cookies get their classic touch from the powdered sugar that give the cookies the crinkly effect. I love the cookies beneath the pattern of the powdered sugar. It’s just lovely.
Enjoy these cookies with a hot cup of tea or coffee or take them to a summer potluck party. Everyone is going to love them and you will be getting compliments for the little treats that just melt-in-the-mouth exploding with tangy lemon-ish and sweet tartness.
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Why this Recipe Works?
The summer is knocking here on our doors and lemons is one summer staple that we all love in our bakes without an argument. What better way to make the best sweet, tarty and punchy lemon flavor cookies? The crinkles on the top will make anyone to go for it. Also, it is so easy to put together the cookies batch that you will be done with baking in no time.
This recipe is out there for ages and many bakers have adapted a different style of baking it. Some dip the cookies in powdered/icing sugar before baking, others like to bake the cookies first before coating them with icing sugar, some likes to use cake mix (box) for it – but I always prefer to put together my bakes from scratch.
According to the blog ‘A Spicy Perspective’, these cookies were invented by Helen Fredell in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The recipe was then published by Betty Crocker’s in the 1950’s, which made it popular.
What are 'Crinkle Cookies'?
Well, technically the crinkle cookies are the cookies which are rolled in powdered sugar before going to the oven. These cookies get their unique name because of how they look once they come out of the oven – crinkled. Once the cookies expand in the oven reacting to the heat, the surface cracks, consequently showing the dough beneath the powdered sugar in patches on the crust and forming a crinkly effect, hence the name of the cookies.
TIP: Be generous while coating the cookies with the icing sugar. Remember, the sugar will melt in oven and you will need a thick coating to get the crinkle effect.
Ingredients Required
The best part about these cookies is that you do not have to pay a visit to the local grocery store as most of the ingredients will be readily available.
Lemon Zest
Granulated Sugar
Unsalted Butter, softened
Pure Vanilla Extract
Egg
Lemon Juice
Salt
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
All-Purpose Flour
Powdered Sugar Fresh Lemon Juice and Zest: To get the authentic, strong and punchy lemon flavor, use the fresh lemons. Do not use the old lemons or store-bought lemon juice or you will not get the desired tangy flavor.
Sticky Dough
Do not be afraid if the texture of the cookies is soft when you add in all the ingredients. The dough will be a little sticky but will firm up once you keep the dough in the fridge. It might feel sticky while rolling in the icing sugar as well but do not worry about it they will bake just fine.
While making the balls of the dough just grease your hands a little with a few drops of oil. It will help you to easily handle the batter. Once you make the balls of equal sizes, give it a good roll in the powdered sugar.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Take a medium sized bowl and sift together all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk and set aside.
Step 2: Take a large bowl and combine sugar and lemon zest together until the sugar is fragrant with lemon flavor.
Step 3: Now add the softened butter to the mixture and beat using an electric mixer until the butter turns pale, light and fluffy.
Step 4: At this point add in the vanilla, egg and lemon juice to the batter. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently.
Step 5: Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat at slow speed only until just combined.
Step 6: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for an hour. Check – you want to make sure that the butter presses easily but it does not slide through the dough.
Step 7: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the baking tray with parchment sheet. You will need two trays.
Step 8: Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop out the balls, give them a good press on the icing powder.
Step 9: Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet and bake for 10 – 12 minutes until the bottom and edges turn slightly light golden.
Step 10: Let them sit on the baking tray for 3 – 5 minute until slightly cool. Then transfer the cookies to the cooling wire rack.
Important Tips
Chilling the Dough: Remember that chilling the dough in the fridge for an hour is cruicial for this recipe. If you skip the step, you will get flat cookies that will spread too muchs with no powdered sugar crinkle effect that we want to achieve.
Apply Oil on Hands: While making the balls of the dough just grease your hands a little with a few drops of oil. It will help you to easily handle the batter. Once you make the balls of equal sizes, give it a good roll in the powdered sugar.
Infusing Sugar and Lemon Zest: When you rub the sugar and lemon zest, the sugar will get fragrant with lemon flavor as the lemon will infuse its oil. This will ensure an overall strong lemon flavor of the cookies.
Do not Overmix: When you combine the dry ingredients in the butter mixtures, make sure you just mix it until it is well-combined. Overmixing will result in tough cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes – absolutely, you may use the sharp yellow food color (just 3-5 drops).
Yes, this is a fool proof recipe and you may easily double or triple the quantity.
I would say prepare the dough a day ahead of baking the cookies. Keep the dough in an airtight jar in the fridge and they should be fine the next day.
Yes, prepare the dough and cover it an airtight jar. It will stay fresh in the freezer for 2-3 months.
How to Store
On the Counter: The cookies will keep fresh for up to 3 – 4 days in an air-tight container on the counter.
In the Fridge: The cookies can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.
In the Freezer: First freeze the cookies separately in a tray and them wrap each cookie in plastic wraps and add a layer of foil. Now stash it in a Ziploc bag and place in the freezer. It will stay good for up to 3 months.
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Recipe
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- 2 Baking Tray
- 2 Silicon Sheets
- 1 Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour (180 grams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113 grams)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (2 grams)
- 1 egg (large)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (58 grams/ml) (1 - 2 large lemons)
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest (4 grams) (1 large lemon)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (⅕ grams)
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder (1.25 grams)
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda (0.62 grams)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (50 grams)
Instructions
- Take a medium sized bowl and sift together all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk and set aside.
- Take a large bowl and combine sugar and lemon zest together until the sugar is fragrant with lemon flavor.
- Now add the softened butter to the mixture and beat using an electric mixer until the butter turns pale, light and fluffy.
- At this point add in the vanilla, egg and lemon juice to the batter. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat at slow speed only until just combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for an hour. Check – you want to make sure that the butter presses easily but it does not slide through the dough.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the baking tray with parchment sheet. You will need two trays.
- Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop out the balls, give them a good press on the icing powder.
- Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet and bake for 10 – 12 minutes until the bottom and edges turn slightly light golden.
- Let them sit on the baking tray for 3 – 5 minute until slightly cool. Then transfer the cookies to the cooling wire rack.
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