Lemon Sugar Cookies
Lemon Sugar Cookies are perfectly chewy sugar cookies with just the right amount of sweet lemon flavor. And I’ve found the BEST lemon bakery emulsion to ensure the lemon flavor is spot on every time.
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Simple yet fancy Lemon Cookies
These cookies are great for when you want something a little fancier than a regular cookie, but without any extra work. No extra frosting or other frills, just the perfect hint of lemon that elevates a regular sugar cookie. This would be a great cookie to make for a baby shower, bridal shower, birthday party, Easter, or just to celebrate spring!
Feel free to switch up the bakery emulsion or extract here, too. Learn how to make orange extract from scratch and use it in these cookies!
Lemon Cookies Recipe Ingredients
- Salted Butter (softened) – I always use salted butter in my cookies. If you only have unsalted, just add an extra pinch of salt to the dough.
- Margarine (softened) – If needed, you can substitute the margarine for more butter. Just note that the cookies won’t spread as much.
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg
- Light Corn Syrup – Corn syrup helps the final cookie to have an extra chewy texture.
- Lemon Bakery Emulsion – I swear by Lorann Oils Lemon Bakery Emulsion. The lemon flavor is there, but not overpowering and it’s a sweet lemon, not tart. However, you can substitute for lemon extract if needed.
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Salt
How to Make Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, then set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, cream together the margarine, butter, and sugar until well combined.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl to include all ingredients, then add the egg, corn syrup, and lemon bakery emulsion. Mix until combined.
- Next add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Continue to mix until a dough forms.
- Now portion the dough out into your desired cookie size. For small cookies, use 1 1/2 tsp of dough (#50 scoop) or for larger cookies use about 3 tbsp of dough.
- Arrange the cookie dough balls evenly on your prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the cookie dough at 350°F until they have flattened, spread, and the center of the cookie is no longer wet and glossy – this means they are ready to come out of the oven.
- For small cookies, this will be about 7-9 minutes. For larger cookies, this will be about 9-11 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool directly on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
- Store your lemon sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Lemon Sugar Cookie Recipe Tips and tricks
There are a couple of things I recommend to make these the best lemon sugar cookies EVER! First, don’t skip the Lemon Bakery Emulsion. I will very rarely require a specialty ingredient for my recipes, so trust me when I say it is necessary. It gives these cookies the absolute best lemony flavor!
Second – make sure you do not overmix or overbake your dough! This is key to getting the perfectly chewy cookies you are hoping for!
Lemon Cookie Recipe Storage
Store your leftover cookies in a zip top bag or airtight container. They will save at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to freeze Lemon Cookie dough
If you’re not ready to bake your cookies immediately, you can freeze the dough and bake later. Here are my best tips for freezing cookie dough:
- Shape the dough into balls or drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about an hour, or until the dough balls are firm.
- Transfer the frozen dough balls to an airtight container or resealable plastic bag.
- Label the container or bag with the type of cookie and the date.
- Freeze the dough for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to bake, simply bake from frozen or allow to come up to room temperature and bake as normal.
Freezing leftover Lemon Cookies
To freeze leftover cookies, lay them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then place in the freezer for about an hour. Once frozen for about an hour, you can then stack the cookies in a zip top bag or airtight container without them sticking together and place in the freezer again for up to 3 months.
Recipes Similar to Lemon Sugar Cookies
The Best Lemon Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (111g) salted butter softened
- 1/2 cup (111g) margarine softened
- 1 1/4 cup (293g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp light corn syrup
- 1 1/2 tsp Lemon Bakery Emulsion
- 2 1/2 cups (380g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Line you baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, cream together the margarine, butter and sugar until well combined.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the egg, corn syrup and lemon bakery emulsion. Mix until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt, mix until the dough forms.
- Portion the dough out into your desired size. For small cookies, use 1 1/2 tsp of dough (#40 scoop) or for larger cookies use 3 tbsp of dough (#24 scoop). Arrange on your prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350° F (180° C) until the cookie will flatten, spread and the center of the cookie will no longer look wet and glossy when they are ready to come out of the oven. For small cookies, about 7-9 minutes, for larger cookies about 9-11 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
can I use lemon extract in place of lemon emulsion?
Yes, that will be fine.
This is the best cookie I have ever had! Coming from a chocolate fan! I divided this recipe in half and used the lemon emulsion called for and used the blueberry emulsion is the other half. Made a twist of the cookies and rolled in sugar. Seriously a game changer!!!! Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Absolutely perfect! Buttery chewy and just the right amount of lemony. You did it again.
The recipe is amazing and the Lorann emulsion gives the perfect lemon flavor. Another winner!