Soft Chewy Lemon Cookies (Printable)

Bright zesty citrus cookies with soft chewy texture. Ready in 25 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 large egg
04 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
05 - 2 teaspoons lemon zest
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Dry Ingredients

07 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
08 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
09 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Finishing

10 - 1/4 cup powdered sugar (for coating, optional)

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
03 - Beat in the egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
06 - Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough and, if desired, roll each ball in powdered sugar.
07 - Place dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
08 - Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until edges are just set and centers look slightly underbaked.
09 - Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The dough comes together in fifteen minutes flat with zero fuss and no chilling required, which means you can go from craving to cookie in under half an hour.
  • That subtle powdered sugar coating gives them a delicate, bakery style look with almost zero extra effort on your part.
  • They stay soft for days when stored properly, making them a rare lemon cookie that does not dry out into little citrus coasters by day two.
02 -
  • Underbaking these cookies by about one minute is the single most important thing you can do for their texture, because pulling them when centers still look dewy and soft guarantees that chewy, pillow like interior once they cool.
  • If you want to intensify the lemon flavor beyond what zest and juice provide, three or four drops of pure lemon extract mixed into the wet batter will do wonders without throwing off the chemistry.
03 -
  • Room temperature eggs blend more evenly into creamed butter and sugar, so take yours out of the fridge alongside the butter and they will be ready at the same time.
  • Roll the finished dough balls between your palms for about five seconds each, because the slight warmth from your hands smooths the surface and helps the powdered sugar adhere evenly for a prettier bake.

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